Composition, structure and distribution of epibenthic communities within a mud volcano field of the northern Gulf of Cádiz in relation to environmental variables and trawling activity

The Gulf of Cádiz represents an area of extensive seepage of the south-western Iberian Peninsula that is located between two continents and basins, where a high geomorphologic, sedimentary and environmental complexity occurs. In the present study, epibenthic communities were investigated in a mud volcano field containing four mud volcanoes (Gazul, Anastasya, Pipoca and Tarsis), one diapir/mud volcano complex (Chica) and several diapirs that are...