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1.
The importance of transitional water ecosystems as nursery habitats and feeding grounds for fish species is well-known. Detailed studies of colonization patterns of fish guilds in response to biotic and abiotic drivers are however unevenly distributed among ecosystem types. We address here the temporal variability of fish assemblages in small non-tidal lagoons in the Mediterranean basin. The study was carried out at the Acquatina lagoon (Lecce, Italy) where four stations, situated in two habitat types along a confinement gradient, were sampled twice per month for one year with fyke nets. Forty-five taxa ranging across 20 families were collected, with the most abundant species, Atherina boyeri, accounting for more than 95% of total abundance. Pooling all species together (excluding sand smelt), the structural features of the assemblage, relative abundance of families, and abundance of individual species all showed significant temporal patterns. Mean abundance peaked in Summer and Autumn and fell in Winter, whereas taxonomic richness and diversity were highest in Summer and lowest in Spring. Within the fish assemblage, multivariate ordination showed temporal segregation of species belonging to the same family or genus and expected to be functionally similar, suggesting that they avoid competition for space and resources by timing inward migration and peak occurrence differently. Of the environmental driving forces, which also showed temporal patterns of variation, salinity was the main factor affecting the distribution of individuals and species. The catch of young individuals of several marine species confirmed the role of this small lagoon as a nursery and feeding area, and emphasized the need for further studies.  相似文献   

2.
Gelatinous zooplankton species composition, distribution and abundance were investigated in the bay and the lagoon of Bizerte (North Tunisian coast) from January 2004 to December 2005. In total, 48 species were identified in the study area: 24 medusae, 11 siphonophores, four appendicularians, six chaetognaths, two pteropods and one doliolid. The hydromedusa Eutima mira was recorded for the first time in the Western Mediterranean Sea. The diversity in the Bay of Bizerte was greater than the diversity in the Bizerte lagoon. There was a loss of species diversity. Siphonophores were the most sensitive group to anthropogenic discharge. Only two species of siphonophores were recorded in the lagoon. Four species of gelatinous zooplankton, Muggiaea kochi, Lensia conoidea, Oikopleura longicauda and Podocorynoides minima were the most frequent species in the lagoon and may benefit from eutrophication. Appendicularians were numerically the most dominant group in the bay and the lagoon of Bizerte. Mesozooplankton density declined significantly in autumn and winter of 2004 and 2005 in relation to the dense aggregations of the scyphomedusae Pelagia noctiluca. Statistical analysis divided the study area into three zones: lagoon zone, bay zone and channel zone.  相似文献   

3.
Drana Lagoon, located at the NW site of Evros River Delta, was drained in 1987 and re-flooded in 2004 within the framework of an integrated wetland restoration project. This study presents the results of a monitoring program of the lagoon's oceanographic, water quality and fish fauna characteristics, during the pre- and post-restoration period. Results depict the presence of high salinity water (up to 41) due to seawater intrusion, strong evaporation in its interior and inadequate freshwater inflows. Overall, nutrient levels were low depicting local changes. Tidal variability at the mouth was approximately 0.2 m, producing high velocity tidal currents (up to 0.75 m/s). Eleven fish fauna species were collected; seven species were caught in both the inlet channel and the lagoon during the pre-restoration period and nine species in the post-restoration period. Atherina boyeri (37.6%) and Pomatoschistus marmoratus (31.7%) dominated the lagoon during the post-restoration period. Most of the A. boyeri specimens (88.5%) were caught inside the lagoon, while P. marmoratus had an almost equal distribution in the inlet channel and the lagoon (56.3% and 43.7% respectively). The presence of species of the Mugilidae family (5.2% total average catches after lagoon re-flooding) was mainly in the inlet channel (12.6% of the average catches) and not inside the lagoon (only 1.3% of the average catches). The small number of fish species inhabiting the lagoon might be the result of the recent restoration or it could be related with the increased water flow observed at the lagoon mouth during the flood and ebb tidal phases, and also in the presence of a smooth bank in the concrete waterspout that connects the entrance channel with the lagoon. The limited presence of the Mugilidae juveniles inside the lagoon could be related to the prevailing tidal inlet dynamics (i.e. strong ebb flow at lagoon inlet), thus preventing the species to enter the lagoon. In order to restore the lagoon environment, careful and gradual steps should be undertaken under the basis of continuous monitoring of hydrologic, environmental and fisheries system's status.  相似文献   

4.
Sand smelt, Atherina boyeri, is a very abundant, widespread, locally harvested species, able to successfully survive and reproduce over a wide range of abiotic conditions and aquatic ecosystem types. In the North Sea and in the Mediterranean Sea transitional ecosystems its life history is well known, but very little information is available about the influence of intra-ecosystemic abiotic gradients on micro-scale patterns of distribution, body size and condition of individuals. In a small non-tidal Mediterranean lagoon, the cohorts' structure and evolution of sand smelt was described and the temporal and spatial variability of abundance, size structure and body condition was addressed. The study was carried out at the Acquatina lagoon (Lecce, Italy) where four stations, situated in two habitat types along a confinement gradient, were sampled twice per month for one year with fyke nets. The abundance of collected individuals was very high throughout the sampling period, with a peak in Summer and a constant decrease afterwards. Measured Standard Length ranged from 20 to 90 mm and the majority of individuals were estimated to be within 2 years old. The confined station resulted more abundantly colonized, especially by smaller size classes, and characterized by a narrower size frequency distribution. Also relative body condition showed significant spatial variations, with larger individuals having a better condition than smaller ones where optimal temperature and dissolved oxygen levels were available. Size-specific temporal patterns of body condition followed the seasonal climatic oscillations and the species' cycle of growth and reproduction, with larger individuals reaching higher fatness than smaller ones during Autumn and Winter, thus having more chances to survive and contribute to the reproductive effort. The results of the present study emphasised that, even at a very small scale, the presence of strong environmental gradients can drive movements, habitat preference and condition of individuals and thus promote an intra-ecosystemic spatial heterogeneity comparable to that observed between ecosystems at the land–ocean or geographical scale.  相似文献   

5.
Seagrass beds degraded significantly since the last century on both, global and local scale. The seagrass species Enhalus acoroides (Linnaeus f.) Royle is a common species found in almost all marine ecosystems including bays, lagoons and around offshore islands in tropical regions of the West Pacific. It was shown that genetic diversity is an essential indicator of the conditions of ecosystems. In the present study, microsatellite markers were used to assess the genetic diversity and population structure of six distinct seagrass beds along the coast of the Khanh Hoa Province, Vietnam. The results indicate that the genetic diversity of the populations in the open sea is higher than in the lagoon. Seagrass beds occurring in disturbed sites show reduced genetic diversity. The fixing index value (FST) depicts a relatively high genetic structure among populations. Structure analysis clusters the populations into open sea and lagoon populations and cluster analysis and AMOVA indicate a significant difference between the two groups. There are low but non-significant positive correlations between geographic and genetic distances. The different habitats of the open sea and the lagoon are probably responsible for forming two groups.  相似文献   

6.
Abstract. The amphipod population of the Fusaro coastal lagoon (Tyrrhenian Sea, Italy) was studied on a spatial-temporal scale. During a one-year period, samples were collected on hard and soft bottoms along a transect from the inland to the seaward side of the lagoon. Thirteen species were identified. The dominant taxa included species typical of lagoon environments, such as Corophium insidiosum and Microdeutopus gryllotalpa , and species typical of marine environments yet also inhabiting sheltered or semi-closed areas, such as Corophium acutum, Ericthonius brasiliensis , and Elasmopus rapax.
An inner-outer gradient was not evident, while a seasonal pattern was recognizable. At the community level, clear differences between the two substrata were not evident because of high algal growth and organogenic detritus on the soft bottoms. The importance of hydrodynamic forces in a euhaline lagoon in selecting amphipod communities - characterized by a typical trophic behaviour and way of life – is discussed. Information on the ecology of the collected species and a list of Mediterranean lagoons where they are present are also provided.  相似文献   

7.
There are gaps in what is known about the patterns of gastropod shell use by hermit crabs in Brazilian lagoon areas, especially in Northeastern Brazil. However, this is important because the understanding of selection patterns provides information on life history and eco‐evolutionary conceptions of paguroids. The present study investigated the use of gastropod shells occupied by Pagurus criniticornis and Clibanarius sclopetarius in a coastal lagoon seasonally connected to an estuary and to the sea, correlating eco‐evolutionary aspects and hydrodynamic characters. The study was carried out between February 2013 and January 2014. Hermit crabs and their shells were identified and measured (hermit crabs’ cephalothorax shield length and width, major propodus length and height, weight, shell total length and width, shell aperture length and width). Partial least squares regression was used to analyse the morphometric data. Additionally, a multinomial proportions test was performed to infer patterns (inter‐/intra‐specific) of shells’ occupation. Hermit crab species occupied a total of 13 types of shells, predominantly those of Neritina virginea (67.83%). The shell weight was the most important determinant of shell occupancy in the morphometric model (variable importance in projection >1). The proportions of N. virginea shells used were similar in both species of hermit crabs, except between the sexes of P. criniticornis. Presumably, the high utilization rate of N. virginea shells is related to its abundance and dispersal, and to the shells’ suitability for hermit crabs, which is reflected by the morphometric model, as well as by the hydrodynamics of the lagoon‐estuarine environment. The relative occupation of different types of shells for each species of hermit crabs studied appears to be associated with regulation by inter‐/intra‐specific competition, which fosters the co‐occurrence of those populations. These results endorse coastal lagoons as a refuge and recruitment area for aquatic fauna. In addition, it highlights a challenge in the management and conservation of paguroid species whose population dynamics depend on the resources coming from the Gastropoda community.  相似文献   

8.
In tropical and subtropical zones, coastal lagoons are surrounded by mangrove communities which are a source of high quantity organic matter that enters the aquatic system through litter fall. This organic matter decomposes, becoming a source of nutrients and other substances such as tannins, fulvic acids and humic acids that may affect the composition and productivity of phytoplankton communities. Sontecomapan is a coastal lagoon located in the southern Gulf of Mexico, which receives abundant litter fall from mangrove. To study the phytoplankton composition and its variation in this lagoon from October 2002 to October 2003, we evaluated the concentrations of dissolved folin phenol active substances (FPAS) as a measure of plant organic matter, salinity, temperature, pH, O2, N-NH4+, N-NO3−, P-PO43−, Si-SiO2, and phytoplanktonic cell density in different mangrove influence zones including the three main rivers that feed the lagoon. Nutrients concentrations depended on freshwater from rivers, however these varied seasonally. Concentrations of P-PO43−, N-NH4+ and FPAS were the highest in the dry season, when maximum mangrove litter fall is reported. Variation of these nutrients seemed to depend on the internal biogeochemical processes of the lagoon. Blooms of diatoms (Skeletonema spp., Cyclotella spp. and Chaetoceros holsaticus) and dinoflagellates (Peridinium aff. quinquecorne, Prorocentrum cordatum) occurred seasonally and in the different mangrove influence zones. The high cell densities in these zones and the occurrence of certain species and its ordination along gradient of FPAS in a canonical correspondence analysis, suggest that plant organic matter (i.e. mangrove influence) may contribute to phytoplankton dynamics in Sontecomapan lagoon.  相似文献   

9.
The Bolmon lagoon (South of France) is an oligo-mesohaline coastal lagoon that has undergone intense eutrophication in the past decades, resulting from a strong concentration of human activities in its drainage basin. Consequently, it exhibits some characteristics typical of an advanced trophic state; namely, the disappearance of submerged vegetation, the permanently intense phytoplankton growth and the recurrence of cyanoprokaryote blooms. As cyanoprokaryote dominance in south-temperate saline lagoons is little reported, we carried out this study in order to understand the seasonal variations in the phytoplankton composition and biomass, and to analyse the influence of environmental parameters such as salinity, nutrients and climate on the seasonal succession of species. In this lagoon, the phytoplankton was permanently dominated by cyanoprokaryotes, probably because of high availability of nutrients, low light penetration in the water column and frequent turbulent mixing induced by wind. The two most abundant species Planktothrix agardhii (in winter–spring) and Pseudanabaena limnetica (in summer) have low light requirements and are well adapted to a high mixing frequency, which defines the S1 functional group in Reynolds' typology for phytoplankton. Although widely studied in north-temperate lakes, blooms of these typically freshwater species are almost unreported in the Mediterranean area, especially in brackish ecosystems that are not their normal habitat. In the Bolmon lagoon, all their requirements for nutrients, light and mixing are satisfied and they seem to cope with a moderate presence of salt but P. agardhii was less competitive than P. limnetica at highest salinities, the latter being probably more halophytic. Contrary to the observations in lakes located at higher latitudes, the Mediterranean climate seems to induce a typical seasonal pattern of succession characterised by the dominance of P. agardhii (winter) – Chroococcales (spring) – Pseudanabaenaceae (summer) – P. agardhii (autumn, winter). The warm temperatures seemed to have a major influence on the phytoplankton succession, being responsible for the survival of Planktothrix during winter and its rapid and intense development in early spring. Intense mixing and high irradiance in summer promoted the development of Pseudanabaenaceae, as reported in another south-temperate lagoon, the Albufera of Valencia (Spain). The ecological success of Oscillatoriales observed in the Bolmon lagoon is a perfect example of a shift to the “turbid stable state” as proposed for freshwater shallow lakes only. Our work demonstrated that hypereutrophic Mediterranean lagoons can function very similarly to shallow lakes at higher latitudes; but the warmer climate and higher irradiances are probably responsible for differences in the seasonal pattern of species dominance.  相似文献   

10.
Brackish water ecosystems are often exposed to wide variations in environmental variables, including temperature and salinity, which may cause strong selective pressures on organisms modifying the genetic patterns of species. The aim of this work was to test whether there is a ‘divergence-with-gene flow’ in coastal lagoon populations of white seabream (Diplodus sargus) (Ria Formosa, S Portugal and Mar Menor, SE Spain) respect to four marine populations, by using partial sequences of cyt b mitochondrial gene and information from nine microsatellite loci. Genetic diversity was highest in both coastal lagoons (Mar Menor and Ria Formosa) considering mitochondrial and nuclear markers. Although some of FST population pairwise comparisons were not significant, analyses of molecular variance (AMOVAs) detected differences between groups (coastal lagoon and marine) close to significance. Also, only two haplotypes (Cytb-17 and Cytb-18) were detected in both coastal lagoon sampling sites and these localities (Mar Menor and Ria Formosa) showed the highest number of singletons, some of them with a high number of mutations, as has been already described for other Mar Menor populations (Pomatochistus marmoratus and Holothuria polii). Also, several tests detected significant positive and balancing selection considering mtDNA and microsatellite data. These data support the hypothesis of selection as one of the drivers of the genetic differences found between coastal lagoon and marine populations. The life strategy adopted by Diplodus sargus in coastal lagoons allows it to decrease its mortality rate and improve the heritability of its genes. Also, the increase time spent in coastal lagoons with different temperatures and salinities favours the fitness selection and the maintenance of exclusive haplotypes and genotypes in coastal lagoon inhabitants favouring the ‘divergence-with-gene-flow’.  相似文献   

11.
Xueying Han 《Marine Ecology》2016,37(6):1179-1189
Alternate attractors have been shown to exist in a variety of terrestrial and aquatic systems, e.g. temperate forests, savannas, shallow lakes, wetlands, coral reefs, kelp forests. The shift from one attractor to another, also referred to as a regime shift, is thought to occur when a system passes some critical threshold such that the trajectory of the system changes direction. Alternate attractors in population dynamics can also exist, leading to alternate stable states in the population abundance of a species. This study explored alternate attractors in the population dynamics of the Indo‐Pacific sea urchin Diadema savignyi and the potential underlying mechanisms that promote its bi‐stability. In Moorea, French Polynesia, the local abundance of D. savignyi, a functionally important herbivore in lagoon habitats, occurs in two states: (i) solitary individuals that occupy crevices in low densities and (ii) aggregations of tens to hundreds of individuals. These different states are temporally stable and are not explained by spatial differences in recruitment rates of juveniles. A field experiment revealed that the per capita mortality rate of adult D. savignyi was substantially lower at sites where urchins occurred in aggregations compared with sites at which they were solitary individuals. An additional experiment showed that per capita mortality decreased with increasing aggregation size. Individuals in high‐density aggregations, however, had significantly smaller test diameters than solitary individuals, indicating that individuals in aggregations may be food limited. Collectively, the evidence suggests that the two different local abundance states of D. savignyi result from negative feedback loops where high local density can be maintained by aggregative behavior that greatly reduces per capita risk of predation when the local number of adult sea urchins is sufficiently large; sites with few sea urchins remain at low density because individuals are more susceptible to predation when crevices are occupied but there are not enough individuals to form large aggregations. Thus, there may be alternate attractors in the population dynamics of D. savignyi that can produce either persistently low or high local population densities.  相似文献   

12.
The estuarine brachyuran crab Neohelice granulata export their larvae from the parental intertidal population of the Mar Chiquita coastal lagoon, and probably other populations, to marine waters. The degree of larval dispersion or self-recruitment of populations is unknown. We evaluated the presence of all larval stages of N. granulata in coastal waters of Argentina between 37.9° and 35.8° S, at two different spatial scales: a broad scale of tens to hundreds of kilometers from the Río de la Plata estuary in the north, to Mar Chiquita lagoon in the south, and a small scale of hundreds of meters to some kilometers around the mouth of Mar Chiquita, during spring and summer. Additionally, we registered the larval composition and density at San Clemente creek population, in Samborombon Bay (Río de la Plata estuary), every 3 h along a 30-hour period. Evidence indicates that larval release of N. granulata is temporally synchronized with nocturnal ebb tides and all development from Zoea I to Zoea IV occur in areas close to the parental population, even with very different oceanographic characteristics. A possible mechanism based on salinity selection and wind-driven transport is proposed for such behavior, and some considerations related to the connectivity of present populations are made.  相似文献   

13.
Populations of tropical sea cucumbers, harvested for bêche‐de‐mer, are in a perilous state of conservation, yet there remains a paucity of information on the biology of many harvested species. We examined the population biology of the commercially important curryfish, Stichopus herrmanni, across 2 years on Heron Reef, a protected zone in the Great Barrier Reef (GBR) Marine Park. Stichopus herrmanni, a species recently listed as vulnerable to extinction, is a major target species for the fishery operating in the GBR. The size class distribution and density of S. herrmanni were documented for six sites across Heron Reef. There was distinct spatial variation in the size and density of S. herrmanni across sites, with no significant difference between the 2 years. The smallest individuals found were 10 cm long, some of the only juvenile S. herrmanni documented in nature. Juvenile and sub‐adult populations were found along the leeward reef edge of Heron Reef, a habitat characterized by shallow channels of sand between inter‐tidal coral reef and crustose coralline algae (CCA). Juvenile nurseries of sea cucumbers are rarely observed in nature, making this an important observation for understanding the recruitment and population biology of S. herrmanni. The presence of juveniles in the consolidated CCA habitat each year in autumn following the summer spawning period, and the absence of small individuals several months later in spring, suggests an ontogenetic migration or displacement of these individuals to adult habitat. The distribution of larger S. herrmanni suggests intra‐reef connectivity and migration into deeper lagoon areas. This study contributes to understanding the population dynamics of this vulnerable species, a consideration for fisheries management in light of increasing global harvest.  相似文献   

14.
The effect of environmental variables on the vertical structure of larval fish assemblages in a tropical coastal lagoon was analyzed. Ichthyoplankton samples were collected from the near-bottom and surface strata near the mouth of a subtropical lagoon during contrasting seasonal conditions of temperature, photoperiod, light intensity, and tidal heights. During summer, larval fish assemblages had high species richness (R) and were dominated by tropical species. During winter, assemblages had lower R values and were dominated by subtropical and temperate species. Vertical distribution patterns of the taxa were determined by the interaction of environmental variables and behavior of each species to maintain their position in a stratum in the water column, or to achieve vertical migrations induced by environmental stimuli that, in this case, were thermal gradient, column water stratification, and intensity of light. Depth position and vertical migration of fish larvae, coupled with the flood and ebb tide conditions, played an important role in their retention and displacement toward the lagoon. Fish larvae with distribution restricted to the inner part of the inlet, such as Achirus mazatlanus, Etropus sp., and several gobies, were more abundant in the near-bottom stratum during the ebb tide, allowing them to avoid exportation, whereas those that could spawn outside, but depended on the inlet as a nursery area, were more abundant near the surface during flood tide, such as Abudefduf troschelii and Stegastes rectifraenum.  相似文献   

15.
The dynamics of the seagrass Zostera noltii in established and colonizing meadows were assessed in Ria Formosa lagoon, Southern Portugal. Shoot weight, above:belowground biomass ratio, flowering shoot density, meadow production, and biomass–density relationships were investigated. Results indicate that the species population dynamics differ clearly in different development stages of the meadows. The overall mean of flowering shoot density was five times higher in the colonizing (83 flowering shoots m−2) than in the established meadow (16 flowering shoots m−2), revealing a greater contribution of sexual reproduction during the species colonization process. The temporal variation of the biomass–density relationship in the colonizing meadow showed a cyclic seasonal trajectory, a wider range of data, and a simultaneous peak of biomass and density, suggesting no space limitations constraining the internal packing of shoots during the growing season. In the established meadow, density peaked before biomass in agreement to the dominant role of the clonal architecture of seagrasses in the configuration of closed meadows, suggesting the occurrence of self-thinning and/or regulation of ramet formation. Slope of the biomass–density relationships was similar in the established and colonizing meadows, generally suggesting similar nutritional conditions, regardless of their muddy and sandy sediments. Plants of the colonizing meadow invest mainly on the belowground fraction (above:belowground biomass ratio <1), as meadow expansion is mainly controlled by the elongation of horizontal rhizomes. The annual total production (1163 g C m−2 year−1) and the biomass turnover (34.8 year−1) were also higher in this meadow, corroborating the high investment of the species during the meadow expansion. The faster biomass turnover of the colonizing meadow implies a more limited capacity to accumulate biomass, indicating a greater exportation of organic carbon and nutrients to the coastal area. The different biomass turnover rates suggest different trophic and structural roles of Z. noltii communities in established and colonizing meadows.  相似文献   

16.
The Gross growth efficiency(GGE) is defined as the amount of consumer carbon produced relative to the amount of prey ingested in a given time interval. In population ecology, it can be considered as an index for the ability of a consumer to convert the biomass of food into its population production. In this study, it was firstly applied to estimate the role of amphipods grazing in the biomass dynamics of macroalgae(Ulva lactuca) in Yundang Lagoon(a subtropical eutrophic coastal lagoon, Xiamen City, China). It was found that amphipods were the dominant group(82.2%–98.7%) in the benthic assemblage, in which five amphipod species(Corophium uenoi, Ampithoe valida, Grandidierella japonica, Grammaropsis laevipalmata and Caprella panantis) were observed in the lagoon. However, only A. valida significantly consumed U. lactuca among these amphipod species. A series of experiments were conducted to estimate the consumption of U. lactuca by A. valida. It was suggested that the monthly secondary production(P) of A. valida using size frequency method ranged from 2.39 to 13.68 g/m2. GGE of A. valida exponentially reduced with body size and was closely associated with water temperature. Therefore, GGE equation for different months using the temperature recorded during the field investigation was fitted. The monthly consumption of U. lactuca was figured out to be 86.7–1 549.0 g/m2 by the sum of consumption(P/GGE) by A. valida at different size, accounting for 2.0%–37.5% of U. lactuca production. It indicates that the grazing effect of A. valida did play a role in reducing the accumulation of U. lactuca biomass when A. valida was abundant, but it finally fails to limit the U. lactuca growth in Yundang Lagoon. Low abundance of A. valida and high nutrient loading may be two major reasons for the outbreak of U. lactuca bloom in the lagoon.  相似文献   

17.
Resource partioning among the planktivorous stages of eight fish species occurring in a Mediterranean coastal lagoon was studied. Five species were migratory mullets that spawned in the sea (Liza ramada, L. aurata, L. saliens, Chelon labrosusandMugil cephalus), while the other three species were resident and spawned in the lagoon (Atherina boyeri, Cyprinus carpioandGambusia holbrooki).Mullet fry exhibited similar diets, based on the consumption of zooplanktonic Crustacea such as copepods and cladocerans, although adult chironomids were also important.Gambusia holbrookiandA. boyerifed on small prey such as copepod nauplii, copepodites and rotifers, whileC. carpioconsumed larger prey preferentially (cladocerans and copepods).According to the trophic overlap and niche width results, seven species pairs could be competing in the estuary, although further experimental evidence is still required.  相似文献   

18.
Abstract. In the Sicilian lagoon Stagnone di Marsala, Tethya aurantium and T. citrina show different ecological distributions, although some overlapping occurs. The first species reaches its highest density where linear currents are maximal, and in this habitat it is particularly frequent on Posidonia oceanica rhizomes. The second species is more abundant in still water locations and is equally common on Posidonia rhizomes and on calcareous concretions. Such distributions can be related to water movement, Posidonia shoot density, and associated factors such as sedimentation and food availability. These observations are consistent with an adaptive interpretation of the morphofunctional features distinguishing the two species.  相似文献   

19.
The assemblage structure and spatial distribution patterns of macrobenthic communities according to environmental conditions were analysed through five samplings carried out at 14 intertidal soft sediment stations in the Oualidia lagoon (NW Morocco). A total of 89 macrobenthic taxa were collected, amounting to 55.188 specimens. Molluscs, polychaetes and arthropods were the most species‐rich groups. The snail Peringia ulvae was the most dominant species, especially abundant in the mid‐ and upper lagoon sections (nearly 64% of the total specimens gathered), followed by the mollusc Scrobicularia plana (10%). Diversity values were generally low (<3 bit) pointing out the high dominance by few species. Multivariate analyses clearly distinguished three distinct macrobenthic assemblages, successively distributed from lagoon inlets towards inner parts. Nevertheless, each assemblage was found in particular habitat types and had a specific species composition in response to different environmental characteristics. (a) The Scolelepis fuliginosa community occupied sandy substrates at the lower section of the lagoon with stronger marine influence and, (b) the P. ulvae community lived in sandy‐muddy substrates, including two sub‐communities dominated, respectively, by Cerastoderma edule, S. plana and Tritia pfeffeiri inhabiting the middle section and S. plana the upper section. The combination of salinity, temperature, pH and silt content was identified as the major environmental variable subset with the highest correlation with the observed macrofaunal patterns and silt fraction as the single best correlated variable. The results demonstrated significant spatial differences in macrobenthic assemblage structure and composition along environmental gradients in spite of the absence of direct freshwater river inflow.  相似文献   

20.
《Oceanologica Acta》2003,26(5-6):457-471
Merja Zerga lagoon, located on the Moroccan Atlantic coast, is a site of international value (Ramsar Site) in terms of its ornithological diversity. However, the lagoon is heavily exploited for its clams and fishes. In an effort to further understanding of lagoon ecosystems, and thus to facilitate the management and conservation of their resources, an ecological survey of its benthic component was carried out. Benthos is a valuable food source for birds, fishes and humans. This work involved identifying the macrozoobenthic communities in the lagoon and assessing their spatial distribution. The study was based on monthly sampling of the intertidal zone and seasonal sampling in subtidal zone, over a one-year period. In the intertidal zone, salinity and median diameter and silt content of the sediment exhibited a gradient extending from the entrance to the inner lagoon, according to tidal flow. Sediment grain size characteristics reflected a gradual decrease of tidal currents from the lagoon entrance towards the inner parts of the lagoon, i.e. silt content increased with distance from the entrance. In the subtidal zone, the tidal currents were fairly strong throughout the lagoon, leading to the presence of coarser sediments than in the intertidal zone. Based on these physical, chemical and substratum characteristics, three communities were identified: (i) Cerastoderma edule and (ii) Scrobicularia plana communities were located in both the intertidal and subtidal zones; and (iii) a Tapes decussata community that was only found in the subtidal zone. The assemblages in the subtidal zone were more diverse and the mean abundances of the constituent species were higher than in the intertidal zone, which is an interesting feature for a lagoon environment. Communities were distributed along an ecological gradient, without showing a discontinuity or ecotone. The lagoon functioned like an estuary in which the community structure was controlled by edaphic factors in the intertidal zone, and by the hydrological factors in the subtidal zone.  相似文献   

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