Impact of shorebird predation on intertidal macroinvertebrates in a key North African Atlantic wintering site: an experimental approach     

L Joulami  R El Hamoumi  Z Daief  H Bazairi 《African Journal of Marine Science》2019,41(1):1-9

Shorebirds, as migratory aquatic birds and top predators in intertidal ecosystems, can be affected by global environmental changes and escalations in local impacts on coastal lagoons and estuarine trophic networks. Many shorebirds winter in North African Atlantic coastal sites, most likely because these locations provide constant and reliable food supplies with less energy costs in comparison with the wintering sites of northern Europe. Although more information is available for other important southern coastal sites (e.g. Saharan Atlantic coastal desert and Guinean mangroves coast), very little information is available for the North African Atlantic coast. Here, we focus on the impact of shorebird predation on benthic macroinvertebrates in a major wintering site in this area—Sidi Moussa coastal lagoon, Morocco—using an exclosure experiment. For most of the macroinvertebrate species there was no significant effect of the exclusion of shorebird predation. Overall, our results do not show evidence that predation by shorebirds influenced the overall standing biomass of the benthic community. This may indicate that the benthic productivity is high enough to provide constant and reliable food supplies for non-breeding shorebirds.  相似文献   

Dissolved and particulate heavy metals distribution in coastal lagoons. A case study from Mar Chiquita Lagoon,Argentina     

María Ornela Beltrame  Silvia G. De Marco  Jorge E. Marcovecchio 《Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science》2009

Mar Chiquita Coastal Lagoon is located on the Atlantic coast of Argentina, and it has been declared a Biosphere Reserve under the UNESCO Man and Biosphere Programme (MAB). This coastal lagoon constitutes an estuarine environment with a very particular behaviour and it is ecologically important due to its biological diversity. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the distribution and geochemical behaviour of several heavy metals in this coastal system, focusing on their distribution in both the dissolved phase (<0.45 μm) and the suspended particulate matter. Therefore, the general hydrochemical parameters (salinity, temperature, turbidity, pH and dissolved oxygen) and concentration of total particulate and dissolved metals (Cd, Cu, Ni, Zn, Fe, Pb, Cr and Mn) were measured along 2 years (2004–2006) at two different sites. As regards their distribution, hydrological parameters did not present any evidence of deviation with respect to historical values. Suspended particulate matter showed no seasonal variation or any relationship with the tide, thus indicating that in this shallow coastal lagoon neither tides nor freshwater sources regulate the particulate matter input. Heavy metals behaviour, both in dissolved and particulate phases did not reveal any relationship with tide or seasons. Mar Chiquita Coastal Lagoon showed a large input of dissolved and particulate metals, which is probably due to intensive agriculture within the drainage basin of this system.  相似文献   

Variance estimate and taxonomic resolution: An analysis of macrobenthic spatial patterns at different scales in a Western Mediterranean coastal lagoon     

M. Tataranni  F. Maltagliati  A. Floris  A. Castelli  C. Lardicci 《Marine environmental research》2009,67(4-5):219-229

The effects of taxonomic resolution on the variance estimates of macrobenthic assemblages were studied at four spatial scales in a Mediterranean coastal lagoon. The assemblages exhibited significant differences at all the investigated scales; however, spatial variability was mainly associated with the smallest and the largest scales. The decrease of taxonomic resolution (from species to family) was not related to a decrease of the overall variability and similar estimates of variance components were obtained using species and family resolution levels. The ordination models derived from species and family abundances were very similar both in terms of location and dispersion effect, while further aggregation to the class level began to alter the observed spatial patterns. In future studies aimed at assessing changes in the lagoon, resources derived from the cost reductions achieved using family level could be employed to plan more frequent surveys and/or to adopt complex spatial sampling designs with a high number of replicates.  相似文献   

Hydrological heterogeneity, nutrient dynamics and water quality of a non-tidal lentic ecosystem (Lesina Lagoon, Italy)     

Leonilde Roselli  Adele Fabbrocini  Cristina Manzo  Raffaele D'Adamo 《Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science》2009,84(4):539-552

The dynamics of the Lesina coastal lagoon (Italy) in terms of nutrients, phytoplankton and chemical–physical parameters were evaluated, together with their functional relationships with freshwater inputs, in order to identify ecosystem responses to changes in driving forces in a Mediterranean non-tidal lentic environment. Lesina Lagoon is a shallow coastal environment characterised by limited exchange with coastal waters, which favours enrichment of nutrients and organic matter and benthic fluxes within the system. Lagoon–sea exchanges are influenced by human management. There is a steep salinity gradient from East to West. High nitrogen and silica values were found close to freshwater inputs, indicating wastewater discharges and agricultural runoff, especially in winter. Dissolved oxygen was well below saturation (65%) near sewage and runoff inputs in the western part of the lagoon during summer. Classification in accordance with EEA (2001) guidelines suggests the system is of “poor” or “bad” quality in terms of nitrogen concentrations in the eastern zone during the winter rainy period. In terms of phosphate concentrations, the majority of the stations fall into the “good” category, with only two stations (close to the sewage and runoff inputs) classed as “bad”. In both cases, the raw nitrogen levels make the lagoon a P-limited system, especially in the eastern part. There was wide space–time variability in chlorophyll a concentrations, which ranged from 0.25 to 56 μg l⁻¹. No relationships between chlorophyll a and nutrients were found, suggesting that autotrophic biomass may be controlled by a large number of internal and external forcing factors driving eutrophication processes. Water quality for this type of environment depends heavily on pressure from human activities but also on the management of sewage treatment plants, agricultural practices and the channels connecting the lagoon with the sea.  相似文献   

Long-term changes in fish communities of the Ria Formosa coastal lagoon (southern Portugal) based on two studies made 20 years apart     

Joaquim Ribeiro  Carlos C. Monteiro  Pedro Monteiro  Luis Bentes  Rui Coelho  Jorge M.S. Gonçalves  Pedro G. Lino  Karim Erzini 《Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science》2008

Fish communities of the Ria Formosa coastal lagoon (south Portugal) were sampled on a monthly basis with a beach seine at 4 sites, during two different time periods: 1980–1986 and 2001–2002. Community indices, species ranking and multivariate analysis were used in order to identify changes in the fish community between the two time periods. A total of 153,511 fish representing 57 taxa were recorded. Although species composition was very similar for both sampling periods, multivariate analysis performed on annual species abundance in number and weight revealed differences in fish community structure between the two periods. Structural changes in fish community were related mostly to a sharp decrease in the abundance of Mugilidae from 1980–1986 to 2001–2002. These changes were probably associated to a decrease in organic matter contents and nutrients concentrations due to improvements in sewage treatment and better water circulation inside the lagoon. The changes in fish community structure are more evident in the inner areas of the lagoon than near the inlet. The association between changes in sewage patterns and changes in the ichthyofaunal community structure reinforces the importance of fish communities as a biological indicator of human induced changes in marine systems.  相似文献   

Tapes philippinarum seed exposure to metals in polluted areas of the Venice lagoon     

A. Sfriso  E. Argese  C. Bettiol  C. Facca 《Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science》2008,79(4):581-590

The concentration changes of 12 metals (As, Hg, Cd, Cr, Co, Cu, Pb, Mn, Ni, V, Zn, Fe, and Hg) in the soft tissues of Tapes philippinarum during growth were investigated. Clams were seeded in two contaminated areas of the Venice lagoon (San Giuliano and Fusina) and in an area of the Marano lagoon (Lignano Sabbiadoro) close to the clam-farm where the seed was produced. Metal trends were very different according to the considered element, the study site and the growth period.Arsenic was always higher in clam tissues than in surface sediments and suspended particles in all the three stations. Mercury, Cd and Cu were higher in the clams from Marano and Fusina but not in those from San Giuliano. Zinc and Co in clams exceeded the concentrations in the sediment and suspended particles only at Marano. The other elements (Cr, Pb, Mn, Ni, and Fe) were always higher in SPM and sediments. In general metal concentrations in clams were more highly correlated to concentrations in the suspended particles rather than in the surface sediments and in suspended clams rather than in bottom clams, nevertheless significant differences between stations and contaminants were found. Metal concentrations in clams were always lower than the European regulatory limits.  相似文献   

Meiofauna in closed coastal saline lagoons in the United Kingdom: Structure and biodiversity of the nematode assemblage     

N. Barnes  R.N. Bamber  C.B. Moncrieff  M. Sheader  T.J. Ferrero 《Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science》2008

Coastal saline lagoons are rare in North West Europe and tend to be closed, brackish water systems. In the United Kingdom they are small and isolated, each exhibiting extremely variable habitat conditions, both spatially and temporally. This paper represents the first species-level study of lagoonal nematode assemblages in the UK. Samples were taken from seven ponds in a saline lagoon system on the south coast of England in order to describe the nematode assemblage in relation to habitat type and to assess the possibility of lagoonal specialisation. At each site samples were also taken, or data were already available, for salinity, sediment granulometry, sediment organic carbon content, photosynthetic pigments and lagoon topography.  相似文献   

The measurement of sand transport in two inlets of Venice lagoon,Italy     

C.L. Amos  M. Villatoro  R. Helsby  C.E.L. Thompson  L. Zaggia  G. Umgiesser  V. Venturini  D. Are  T.F. Sutherland  A. Mazzoldi  F. Rizzetto 《Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science》2010

Sand transport in Lido and Chioggia inlets was measured using modified Helley–Smith sand traps equipped with 60-micron nets. The traps had an efficiency of about 4% only but provided enough material for analysis. Very fine sand (0.07 < d < 0.11 mm) only was collected in the traps. Transport of sand was greatest in the bottom 10% of the water column and followed a Rouse profile. Sand extended to a height of about 4 m above the bed during peak flows corresponding to the estimated thickness of the boundary layer; and observed in synoptic ADCP profiles. The sand in the benthic boundary layer was largely inorganic (>95%); above this layer, organic content varied widely and was greatest near the surface. The movability number Ws/U_∗$W_s/U_{\ast }$ showed a linear relationship to dimensionless grain diameter (D_*): (Ws/U_∗)=(D_∗/10)$\left(W_s/U_{\ast }\right)=\left(D_{\ast }/10\right)$; D_* < 10. Sand concentration in suspension was simulated by a mean Rouse parameter of −2.01 ± 0.66 (Lido inlet) and −0.82 ± 0.27 (Chioggia inlet). The β parameter ( Hill et al., 1988) was correlated with D_* and movability number in the form: β=2.07−2.03D_∗+59(Ws/U_∗)²$\beta =2.07-2.03D_{\ast }+59{\left(W_s/U_{\ast }\right)}^2$ (r² = 0.42). Von Karman's constant was back-calculated from a Law of the Wall relationship as a test on the accuracy of U_* estimates; a mean value of 0.37 ± 0.1 (compared to the accepted value of 0.41) suggest U_* was accurate to within 10%. The constant of proportionality (γ = 3.54 × 10⁻⁴) between reference concentration (C_a) and normalized excess bed shear stress was in line with the published literature.  相似文献   

High gene flow promotes the genetic homogeneity of the fish goby Pomatoschistus marmoratus (Risso, 1810) from Mar Menor coastal lagoon and adjacent marine waters (Spain)     

Carlos Vergara‐Chen  Mercedes González‐Wangüemert  Concepción Marcos  Ángel Pérez‐Ruzafa 《Marine Ecology》2010,31(2):270-275

The extreme environmental variability of coastal lagoons suggests that physical and ecological factors could contribute to the genetic divergence among populations occurring in lagoon and open‐coast environments. In this study we analysed the genetic variability of lagoon and marine samples of the sand goby, Pomatoschistus marmoratus (Risso, 1810) (Pisces: Gobiidae), on the SW Spain coast. A fragment of mitochondrial DNA control region (570 bp) was sequenced for 196 individuals collected in five localities: Lo Pagan, Los Urrutias and Playa Honda (Mar Menor coastal lagoon), and Veneziola and Mazarrón (Mediterranean Sea). The total haplotype diversity was h = 0.9424 ± 0.0229, and the total nucleotide diversity was π = 0.0108 ± 0.0058. Among‐sample genetic differentiation was not significant and small‐scale patterns in the distribution of haplotypes were not apparent. Gene flow and dispersal‐related life history traits may account for low genetic structure at a small spatial scale. The high genetic diversity found in P. marmoratus increases its potential to adapt to changing conditions of the Mar Menor coastal lagoon.  相似文献