Threats to macroalgal coralligenous assemblages in the Mediterranean Sea

Coralligenous habitat is one of the most important coastal systems of the Mediterranean Sea. This paper evaluates the main threats to macroalgal coralligenous habitats through a review of the relevant literature. Sedimentation, nutrient enrichment and biological invasions can cause severe alterations in the structure of coralligenous assemblages due to the regression of perennial structuring species and increases in populations of ephemeral algae. Under pristine conditions, mechanical disturbance seems to be easily mitigated by the recovery capability of coralligenous assemblages; however, such disturbances seriously affect coralligenous structure if they occur in concert with other stressors. Important synergetic effects among all the studied anthropogenic disturbances are also highlighted. The main consequences of the considered stressors are the loss of the complexity of macroalgal assemblages and the deterioration of both alpha and beta diversity.     

Changes in algal, coral and fish assemblages along water quality gradients on the inshore Great Barrier Reef

Macroalgae, hard corals, octocorals, and fish were surveyed on 10 to 13 inshore coral reefs of the Great Barrier Reef, along a water quality gradient in two regions with contrasting agricultural land use. A water quality index was calculated for each reef based on available data of particulate and dissolved nutrients, chlorophyll and suspended solids. Strong gradients in ecological attributes occurred along the water quality gradient. Macroalgae of the divisions Rhodophyta and Chlorophyta increased with increasing nutrients, while Phaeophyta remained similar. Octocoral richness and abundances of many hard coral and octocoral taxa decreased, and none of the hundreds of species increased. At reefs in higher nutrient environments, hard coral and octocoral assemblages were composed of subsets of the many species found in lower nutrient environments, whereas fish and macroalgal assemblages consisted of contrasting suites of species. The study identifies species groups that are likely to increase or decrease in abundance with changing water quality.     

Effects of the 'Prestige' oil spill on macroalgal assemblages: large-scale comparison

An assessment of the effects of the 'Prestige' oil spill on intertidal, macroalgal assemblages was carried out comparing abundance data obtained before and after the spill. Four zones in the North and Northwest coast of Spain were sampled, one of them located at the immediate vicinity of the spill, the zone most heavily oiled. Macroalgal assemblages had similar structure between years. Neither critical decrease in abundance of the dominant macroalgae, nor increase in opportunistic species were found. Some differences in abundance were observed, but they did not show any pattern, being more likely the result of the natural variability of the assemblage. Extensive, but not intense fuel deposition on the shores and a limited use of aggressive cleanup methods are suggested as possible causes for the lack of the effects in these assemblages after the 'Prestige' oil spill.     

High-frequency monitoring of hydrological and biogeochemical fluxes in forested catchments of southern Chile

The variability of rainfall-dependent streamflow at catchment scale modulates many ecosystem processes in wet temperate forests. Runoff in small mountain catchments is characterized by a quick response to rainfall pulses which affects biogeochemical fluxes to all downstream systems. In wet-temperate climates, water erosion is the most important natural factor driving downstream soil and nutrient losses from upland ecosystems. Most hydrochemical studies have focused on water flux measurements at hourly scales, along with weekly or monthly samples for water chemistry. Here, we assessed how water and element flows from broad-leaved, evergreen forested catchments in southwestern South America, are influenced by different successional stages, quantifying runoff, sediment transport and nutrient fluxes during hourly rainfall events of different intensities. Hydrograph comparisons among different successional stages indicated that forested catchments differed in their responses to high intensity rainfall, with greater runoff in areas covered by secondary forests (SF), compared to old-growth forest cover (OG) and dense scrub vegetation (CH). Further, throughfall water was greatly nutrient enriched for all forest types. Suspended sediment loads varied between successional stages. SF catchments exported 455 kg of sediments per ha, followed by OG with 91 kg/ha and CH with 14 kg/ha, corresponding to 11 rainfall events measured from December 2013 to April 2014. Total nitrogen (TN) and phosphorus (TP) concentrations in stream water also varied with rainfall intensity. In seven rainfall events sampled during the study period, CH catchments exported less nutrients (46 kg/ha TN and 7 kg/ha TP) than SF catchments (718 kg/ha TN and 107 kg/ha TP), while OG catchments exported intermediate sediment loads (201 kg/ha TN and 23 kg/ha TP). Further, we found significant effects of successional stage attributes (vegetation structure and soil physical properties) and catchment morphometry on runoff and sediment concentrations, and greater nutrients retention in OG and CH catchments. We conclude that in these southern hemisphere, broad-leaved evergreen temperate forests, hydrological processes are driven by multiple interacting phenomena, including climate, vegetation, soils, topography, and disturbance history.     

Physico-chemical and nutrient variable stratifications in the water column and in macroalgal thalli as a result of high biomass mats in a non-tidal shallow-water lagoon

A field study to check parameter stratification during high density growth of four opportunistic macroalgae was carried out in Orbetello lagoon (Italy). The effects of macroalgal masses were compared with a seagrass meadow and two lagoon areas with bare bottoms as controls for pH, temperature, dissolved oxygen, salinity, nitrite, nitrate ammonium and orthophosphate. The nutrient content of thalli and sediment redox were measured. Macroalgae showed differences in stratification of thalli nutrient content. Mat with low density and high volume produced stratifications in the water column, but it did not produce nutrient release by sediment. In contrast, high density and low and high volume mats led to sharp falls in dissolved oxygen, with negative values of sediment Eh and anoxic trigger processes that presumably led to release of sediment nutrients. This depended on thallus type: heavy thalli compacted the mat and light ones distributed more widely in the water column.     

Biogeochemical and ecological functioning of the low-salinity water lenses in the region of the Rhone River freshwater influence,NW Mediterranean Sea

A quasi-synoptic survey of a eulerian small grid was carried out twice during mid-spring 2002 in the Gulf of Lions, NW Mediterranean Sea. Analysis of hydrological core parameters reveal for the first time, in the region of freshwater influence (ROFI) of the Rhone River, the presence of low-salinity water (LSW) lenses. The present work details the biogeochemical and ecological functioning of the two LSW lenses from a combined analysis of nutrients and organic matter content, taxonomic assemblages of phytoplankton, primary productivity measurements and nitrogen regeneration fluxes. During the first survey, the lens observed is only detached in part from the Rhone River plume and is considered as a juvenile lens. In contrast, the second lens is totally detached from the plume forming a confined 3D structure with a large vertical development and is considered as having a more advanced maturity. A second survey, 4 days later, provided the opportunity to propose a complete sequence of ecological functioning of the LSW lenses, from their formation to a late stage of maturity just before dispersion. Nitrate contents and dissolved organic matter remain in high concentrations during the juvenile stages while the little available phosphate is rapidly exhausted. In such, an unbalanced-nutrient environment picoplankton appear to out-compete bacterioplankton for phosphate and other resources such as ammonium. In turn, the dominance of such prokaryotic assemblages could have involved the rapid development of microzooplankton. The sudden increase in phosphate observed in a more advanced stage of lens maturity is attributed to intense P-regeneration driven by the large abundance of microzooplankton. This top-down control does not seem to enable the prokaryotic assemblages to bloom again but the high concentrations of phosphate and nitrate favour the development of larger phytoplankton. These autotrophic communities rapidly exhaust nutrients and then decline in the confined ecosystem of the LSW lens that subsequently evolves towards oligotrophic conditions. In the observed last stage, small-sized phytoplankton again dominates the microbial assemblages and the trophic regime is mainly based on regenerated production. The long lifetime of the LSW lens compared to that of the Rhone River plume enables a deep transformation of the initial characteristics of the Rhone River freshwaters both in terms of nutrients balance and microbial food webs, especially through trophic cascading effects. Hence, we show that the LSW lenses have the potential to transfer nutrients and organic matter offshore but the nature (inorganic vs. organic) of the dominant compound exported will depend on the maturity of the lens at the time of its dispersion.     

Restoration of the eutrophic Orbetello lagoon (Tyrrhenian Sea, Italy): water quality management

The Orbetello lagoon (Tyrrhenian coast, Italy) receives treated urban and land based fishfarms wastewater. The development of severe eutrophication imposed the three main activity adoption focuses on (1) macroalgae harvesting; (2) pumping of water from the sea; (3) confining wastewater to phytotreatment ponds. The responses to these interventions were rapid and macroalgal reduction growth and seagrass return were recorded. Since 1999, a new macroalgal development was recorded. The aim of this research was to discover whether the recent macroalgal growth can be attributed to the continuing wastewater influx from the remaining persistent anthropic sources (PAS) or from the sediment nutrient release. A monitoring programme was carried out between August 1999 and July 2000 in order to measure dissolved inorganic nitrogen and phosphorus in the wastewaters entering into the lagoon and in central lagoon areas, seaweed and seagrass distribution and lagoon N, P annual budgets. The results showed higher N and P values close to PAS. The distribution of the macroalgal species confirms that the available P comes almost entirely from these remaining PAS. In conclusion, the environmental measures adopted produced a significant reduction in algal biomass development in the lagoon; the macroalgal harvesting activities produced a sediment disturbance with following oxidize conditions, which make P unavailable in the lagoon water, excepting close the PAS.     

Impacts of macroalgal spores on the dynamics of adult macroalgae in a eutrophic estuary: high versus low hydrodynamic seasons and long-term simulations for global warming scenarios

A model describing macroalgal early life stages and adult dynamics was used to quantify the effects of non-adult forms on the productivity of adult macroalgae in a eutrophic estuary. Predictions indicate that during years with mild winters and low rainfall, spring blooms will occur at the expense of the growth and reproduction of overwintering adults and without the contribution of the spore bank. In these circumstances, there is a positive correlation between the intensity of the blooms and the biomass of overwintering adults until a maximum threshold value. On the contrary, in years with high rainfall and low or inexistent biomass of overwintering adults, the onset of adult’s growth depends on the biomass of viable dormant spores, the growing season occurs later and adult productivity is very limited. Long-term predictions for climate change scenarios suggest that, in general, global warming will have adverse affects on Ulva intestinalis productivity, with the adults being more affected than the early life stages.     

How do early successional patterns in man-made wetlands differ between cold temperate and Mediterranean regions?

The early stages of succession in newly created wetlands should be impacted by the region in which the wetland is located, since climate may have filtered the dominant biological strategies of the taxa leading this process and may condition their dynamics. We studied the early successional patterns of macroinvertebrates within man made ponds, located in cold temperate (Scandinavian Peninsula) and Mediterranean regions (Iberian Peninsula), during the first three years following their creation. We predicted (1) non random subsets of the regional species pool (deterministic assembly) guiding the successional process in cold temperate wetlands, and random (stochastic) assembly in the Mediterranean region; (2) higher successional rates in Mediterranean ponds than in the cold temperate ponds, with contrary episodes of highest and lowest change throughout the year; and (3) a significant difference in the composition of biological traits between regions, due to the dominance of traits adapted to hydrological variability in the Mediterranean region. Hypotheses on community structure (1) and the composition of dominant biological traits (3) were mostly supported – deterministic assembly mechanisms in the cold temperate ponds and stochastic assembly in the Mediterranean ponds; and a dominance of different biological traits between regions, explained by the need to overcome hydrological disturbances in the Mediterranean ponds. The dynamics of succession (2) were explained by climatic factors in the cold temperate region but not in the Mediterranean ponds. We suggest that the intrinsic hydrological variability of Mediterranean lentic systems may be a major factor driving community changes in man-made wetlands in this region. In order to generalize the observed patterns, we performed a meta-analysis of the temporal trends of taxonomic distinctness parameters of other successional studies across a latitudinal gradient in Europe, which supported the differences we had observed between latitudinal extremes.     

Quantification of biogeomorphic interactions between small-scale sediment transport and primary vegetation succession on proglacial slopes of the Gepatschferner,Austria

Proglacial slopes provide suitable conditions for observing the co-development of abiotic and biotic systems. The frequency and magnitude of geomorphic processes and plant composition govern this interplay, which is described in the model of biogeomorphic succession. In high mountain environments, this model has only been tested in a limited number of studies. The study aimed to quantify small-scale sediment transport via erosion plots along a plant cover gradient and to investigate the influence of sediment transport on plant communities. We aimed to generate quantitative data to test existing biogeomorphic models. Small-scale biogeomorphic interactions were investigated on 30 test plots of 2 × 3 m size on proglacial slopes of the Gepatschferner (Kaunertal) in the Austrian Alps during the snow-free summer months over three consecutive years. The experimental plots were established on slopes along a plant cover gradient. A detailed vegetation survey was carried out to capture biotic conditions, and specific sediment yield was measured at each plot. Species abundance and composition at each site reflected successional stages. Additional environmental parameters, such as terrain age, geomorphometry, grain size distribution, soil nutrients, and precipitation, were also included in the analyses. We observed two pronounced declines in geomorphic activity on plots with both above 30% and above 75% plant cover. Nonmetric multidimensional scaling showed distinct clusters of vegetation composition that mainly followed a successional gradient. Sites that were affected by high-magnitude geomorphic events showed different environmental conditions and species communities. Quantified process rates and observed species composition support the concept of biogeomorphic succession. The findings help to narrow down a biogeomorphic feedback window.     

Quantifying the surface covering,binding and bonding effects of biological soil crusts on soil detachment by overland flow

Biological soil crusts (BSCs) have impacts on soil detachment process through surface covering, and binding and bonding (B&B) mechanisms, which might vary with successional stages of BSCs. This study was conducted to quantify the effects of surface covering, binding and bonding of BSCs on soil detachment capacity by overland flow in a 4 m long hydraulic flume with fixed bed. Two dominant BSC types, developed well in the Loess Plateau (the early successional cyanobacteria and the later successional moss), were tested using natural undisturbed soil samples collected from the abandoned farmlands. Two treatments of undisturbed crusts and one treatment of removing the above‐ground tissue of BSCs were designed for each BSC type. For comparison, bare loess soil was used as the baseline. The collected soil samples were subjected to flow scouring under six different shear stresses, ranging from 6.7 to 21.2 Pa. The results showed that soil detachment capacity (D_c) and rill erodibility (K_r) decrease with BSC succession, and the presence of BSCs obviously increased the critical shear stress, especially for the later successional moss crust. For the early successional cyanobacteria crust, D_c was reduced by 69.2% compared to the bare loess soil, where 37.7% and 31.5% are attributed to the surface covering and B&B, respectively. For the later successional moss crust, D_c decreased by 89.8% compared to the bare loess soil, where 68.9% and 20.9% contributed to the surface covering and B&B, respectively. These results are helpful in understanding the influencing mechanism of BSCs on soil erosion and in developing the process‐based erosion models for grassland and forestland. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Medium-term responses of rocky bottoms to sewage discharges from a deepwater outfall in the NE Atlantic

An investigation on the effects of deepwater outfall discharges on the status of rocky reef communities was carried out. The sanitation system was found to be an environmentally suitable option for the protection of those habitats situated in high energy coastal environments. Sediments occurring between the predominating rocky substrates showed low values of the fine fraction (<63microm) and organic matter content. In addition, high average concentrations of Cd, Hg and Zn were found in these sediments, though these values were similar to those registered in non-affected sites, far away from the outfall. On the other hand, those assemblages typical of hard substrates that settled near the outfall showed an increase in total richness and abundance of macroinvertebrates. Moreover, the average number of species of each taxonomic group, a good indicator of the maintenance of the previous trophic structure, only varied considerably over time at the rip-rap protection. In a global context, those changes were not directly related to the discharge disturbances, but to the natural variability or the successional processes occurring within those communities. Only communities dwelling in the rip-rap protection area were affected by the proximity of the discharges.     

Vegetation succession in deglaciated landscapes: implications for sediment and landscape stability

Landscapes exposed by glacial retreat provide an ideal natural laboratory to study the processes involved in transforming a highly disturbed, glacially influenced landscape to a stable, diverse ecosystem which supports numerous species and communities. Large‐scale vegetation development and changes in sediment availability, used as a proxy for paraglacial adjustment following rapid deglaciation, were assessed using information from remote sensing. Delineation of broad successional vegetation cover types was undertaken using Landsat satellite imagery (covering a 22 year period) to document the rate and trajectory of terrestrial vegetation development. Use of a space‐for‐time substitution in Glacier Bay National Park, Alaska, allowed ‘back‐calculation’ of the age and stage of development of six catchments over 206 years. The high accuracy (89.2%) of the remotely sensed information used in monitoring successional change allowed detection of a high rate of change in vegetation classes in early successional stages (bare sediment and alder). In contrast, later successional stages (spruce and spruce–hemlock dominated forest) had high vegetation class retention, and low turnover. Modelled rates of vegetation change generally confirmed the estimated rates of successional turnover previously reported. These data, when combined with the known influence of terrestrial succession on soil development and sediment availability, suggest how physical and biological processes interact over time to influence paraglacial adjustment following deglaciation. This study highlights the application of remote sensing of successional chronosequence landscapes to assess the temporal dynamics of paraglacial adjustment following rapid deglaciation and shows the importance of incorporating bio‐physical interactions within landscape evolution models. © 2014 The Authors. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.     

A field experimental study on recolonization and succession of subtidal macrobenthic community in sediment contaminated with industrial wastes

A field experiment was carried out in Hong Kong to study the patterns of recolonization and succession of subtidal macrobenthos in defaunated sediment contaminated with industrial wastes and to determine the time required for benthic recovery in the industrial-contaminated sediment. A total of 50 species was found with an average of 172 animals/tray and 24 species/tray recorded one month after deployment. Initial colonizers were predominantly polychaetes (96 animals/tray, accounting for 55.7%) and gastropods (47 animals/tray, accounting for 27.2%). Abundance of macrobenthos increased quickly to a peak (505 animals/tray) after four months, declined afterwards, and increased again till the end of the experiment. Species number peaked (57 species/tray) in the same month as abundance did, and gradually declined thereafter. Abundance, species number and diversity were significantly lower in the industrial-contaminated sediment as compared to the controls during the early successional stages, indicating the harmful effects of industrial wastes on recolonization and succession of macrobenthos. Although no significant differences in community parameters between the industrial-contaminated and the control sediments were found after eleven months, significant difference in species composition still existed after fourteen months, showing a relatively long-term impact of industrial wastes on macrobenthic community structure.     

Larval fish assemblages in a tropical mangrove estuary and adjacent coastal waters: Offshore-inshore flux of marine and estuarine species

A total of 92,934 fish larvae representing 19 families were sampled monthly from the Sangga Kecil estuary (Matang Mangrove Forest Reserve) and adjacent coastal waters from May 2002 to October 2003. Larval fish assemblages were numerically dominated by Gobiidae (50.1%) and Engraulidae (38.4%). Canonical Correspondence Analysis (CCA) revealed that the larval fish assemblages, including their ontogenetic stages, differed between the mangrove estuary and adjacent offshore waters, and that salinity, turbidity and zooplankton food are the major environmental factors structuring the larval fish assemblages. Estuarine preflexion gobiid larvae were ubiquitous in the coastal and estuarine waters. Larval stages of euryhaline species that were spawned in offshore waters, such as Engraulidae and Clupeidae, were largely advected into mangrove areas at the postflexion stages. Larvae of other euryhaline fishes (Sciaenidae, Blenniidae and Cynoglossidae) that may have been spawned inside the estuary were, however, exported to offshore waters. Given that the collective number of juvenile and adult fish families in the Matang estuary was 53, while the number of larval families was only 17, the former is quite disconnected from the existing larval fish population in the estuary.     

Different levels of macroalgal sampling resolution for pollution assessment

The effects of using reduced sampling resolutions to study macroalgal vegetation patterns have not been studied sufficiently. Here, we test the influence of taxonomic resolution level, removal of occasional species, aggregation of species abundances into functional groups and data transformation in the detection of a long-term recovery process by phytobenthic intertidal assemblages. Results indicate that the aggregation of species data into the genus level has very little influence. Likewise, almost any significant information is lost when occasional algae are removed. Analyses at the level of families and orders still clearly detect differences between highly degraded and reference vegetation. By contrast, analyses based on class and functional group abundances capture quite different information. The effect of transformation is similar at the different taxonomic levels. Most surrogate measures properly reflect changes in diversity. It is concluded that genus level is the most appropriate surrogate approach for detecting the recovery process.     

不同生长型沉水植物配置对生物量积累和水质净化效果的影响

种植水生植物,尤其是沉水植物,是目前广泛应用于受损水体的最主要的生态修复方法之一.研究不同生长型沉水植物组合对水体理化因子的影响及营养物质的去除效率可为受损水生生态系统修复提供重要的科学依据.本研究以我国水体修复中常用的3种不同生长型沉水植物苦草(Vallisneria natans)、黑藻(Hydrilla vertiillata)和穗状狐尾藻(Myriophyllum spicatum)为研究对象,采用1种生长型种植和2种生长型及3种生长型混种模式,研究不同生长型沉水植物组合及其不同生长阶段对实验系统水质指标及氮、磷等营养物质去除率的影响.结果表明,所有植物组合处理均显著提高了系统中总氮、总磷和氨氮去除率;在实验前中期总氮、总磷和氨氮去除率最高.从本实验受试物种组合来看,1种和2种生长型组合比3种生长型组合具有更高的生物量累积量和总氮去除率.Pearson相关性分析显示,实验系统中的pH、DO浓度与植物总生物量呈显著正相关,总氮、总磷、氨氮浓度均与植物总生物量呈显著负相关.建议在受损浅水水生态系统修复过程中,根据生态修复不同阶段考虑不同生活型、生长型和功能群的水生植物组合;在生态修...     

Long-term monitoring of fish farms: application of Nematode/Copepod index to oligotrophic conditions

Interannual variability (2003-2008) of meiofaunal assemblages were analyzed in sediments beneath fish cages (Impact group) and in areas not affected by aquaculture activities (Control group). Organisms responded with spatial and seasonal variation in meiofauna assemblages, with an abrupt increase of abundances in locations beneath fish cages throughout the study period. This increase was greater during the last sampling year (2008) and mainly due to high abundances of nematodes. Univariate analyses showed differences between control and impacted sites at both sites, however, only significant variations were found in Los Gigantes, which are consistent with seasonal meiofauna variations throughout the study period. These results are partially explained by differences in current velocity between both sampling areas. The Ne/Co index showed the same trend and it seems to be a reliable index in sediment slightly affected by aquaculture wastes. This index is especially recommended in oligotrophic areas (e.g. Canary Islands) where meiofaunal assemblages are poorly represented in terms of abundances.     

Importance of habitat structure as a determinant of the taxonomic and functional composition of lentic macroinvertebrate assemblages

Variation in habitat structure provided by macrophytes is regarded as one of the determinants of macroinvertebrate species composition in lentic ecosystems, but mechanisms underlying this relationship appear to be confounded with site-specific factors, such as physicochemical factors, epiphyton and composition of the vegetation. To better understand the relationship between structural complexity of a macrophyte stand and its macroinvertebrate assemblage composition, it is essential to determine the ecological role of different components of habitat structure for the phytomacrofauna. Using artificial structures as macrophyte mimics, representing three growth forms (stems, broad-leaved, finely dissected) and three structure surface areas (0.1, 0.2, 0.3 m²), a full factorial field experiment was conducted in a series of drainage ditches. We investigated if macroinvertebrate assemblages colonizing the structures were affected by an increase in macrophyte structure surface area, structural complexity, or by a combination of both, and if the observed patterns were consistent among sites differing in physicochemical and habitat characteristics. Assemblages were characterized both in terms of taxonomic and functional composition, because we expected that non-taxonomic aggregation of species into functional categories would give a different insight in habitat complexity-macroinvertebrate relationships in comparison to approaches based on the taxonomic assemblage composition. Ditch intrinsic factors, in part reflected in the periphyton on the structures, explained the major proportion of the variance in both the taxonomical macroinvertebrate assemblages and functional groups among structures. Contrary to our expectation, patterns in the taxon-based and functional dataset resembled each other. Only a minor contribution of growth form to the explained variance was observed in the taxonomical dataset, whilst differences in functional composition were unrelated to habitat structure. In conclusion, processes operating on larger spatial scales overrode the micro-scale effects of habitat structural complexity and surface area on macroinvertebrates.