A study proves there is a link between depth and longevity of marine species like corals and gorgoni

Deep marine ecosystems ─from 100 to 1,000 meters deep─, are dominated by long-lived species that live up to a hundred or a thousand years, while other waters are inhabited by those species that live up to about ten years. This is the main conclusion of a new study on marine ecology and biology, in which the following researchers took part: Cristina Linares and Ignasi Montero Serra, from the Faculty of Biology of the University of Barcelona and the Biodiversity Research Institute (IRBio); Joaquim Garrabou and Jean Baptiste Ledoux, from the Institute of Marine Sciences (ICM-CSIC), and Daniel F. Doak from the University of Colorado (United States).

The study, published in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society of London B, describes for the first time the impact of the environmental factors ─light, nutrients, temperature, physical disturbances, etc.─ on the longevity patterns of sessile species that live in seabeds (corals, gorgonians, sponges, macroalgae, clams, etc.).
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