PASTOS MARINOS DE PASA CABALLONES, PARQUE NACIONAL JARDINES DE LA REINA, CUBA.

Caballones Canal is a tidal channel that separates the Anclitas and Caballones keys from the outer edge of the Jardines de la Reina National Park, Cuba. In this study, we characterize the status of four seagrass bed sites of Pasa Caballones in 2015 and 2016. To estimate the density of seagrasses a quadrat of 0.25 x 0.25 cm was placed on three 50 m transects parallel to the coast. At each site, we measured physico-chemical parameters such as temperature, salinity, visibility, nutrients. We used bottom trawls to determine fish species composition. The predominant angiosperm in the surveys was Thalassia testudinum. We found differences in both, the average density of short shoots between sites for years (457 and 473 shoots/m2 for 2015 and 2016 respectively), as well as the average height of the canopy (26 and 29 cm for 2015 and 2016, respectively). For both years calcareous greens macroalgae of the genera Halimeda and Penicillus were dominant. We identified 24 fish species from 46 individuals; Sparisoma chrysopterum (14 individuals) and Monacanthus spp (17 individuals) were the most representative in surveys. Nutrient concentration was higher than other seagrass zones in Cuba and Caribbean Region. Sea grasses beds in these sites showed no signs of propellers scars, despite being one of the areas with the largest amount of tourist boats in the region. This study constitutes an ecological basis for future monitoring of sea grasses in other tidal channels representative of the PNJR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]