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Bradshaw C, Iburg S, Morys C, Sköld M, Pusceddu A, Ennas C, Jonsson P, Nascimento FJA. Effects of bottom trawling and environmental factors on benthic bacteria, meiofauna and macrofauna communities and benthic ecosystem processes. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 921:171076. [PMID: 38382611 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.171076] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2023] [Revised: 02/01/2024] [Accepted: 02/16/2024] [Indexed: 02/23/2024]
Abstract
Soft sediment marine benthic ecosystems comprise a diverse community of bacteria, meiofauna and macrofauna, which together support a range of ecosystem processes such as biogeochemical cycling. These ecosystems are also fishing grounds for demersal species that are often caught using bottom trawling. This fishing method can have deleterious effects on benthic communities by causing injury or mortality, and through alteration of sediment properties that in turn influence community structure. Although the impacts of bottom trawling on macrofauna are relatively well studied, less is known about the responses of meiofauna and bacteria to such disturbances, or how bottom trawling impacts benthic ecosystem processes. Quantifying trawling impacts against a background of natural environmental variability is also a challenge. To address these questions, we examined effects of bottom trawling and a range of environmental variables (e.g. water chemistry and physical and biochemical surface sediment properties) on a) bacterial, meiofaunal and macrofaunal community structure and b) benthic ecosystem processes (nutrient fluxes, extracellular enzyme activities and carbon turnover and degradation rates). We also investigated the link between the benthic macrofauna community and the same ecosystem processes. While there was a significant effect of bottom trawling intensity on macrofaunal community structure, the same was not seen for bacterial or meiofaunal community composition, which were more affected by environmental factors, such as surface sediment properties. The labile component of the surface sediment carbon pool was higher at highly trawled sites. Carbon degradation rates, extracellular enzyme activities, oxygen fluxes and some nutrient fluxes were significantly affected by trawling, but ecosystem processes were also strongly linked to the abundance of key bioturbators (Macoma balthica, Halicryptus spinulosus, Scoloplos armiger and Pontoporeia femorata). Although benthic ecosystems were affected by a combination of trawling and natural variability, disentangling these showed that the anthropogenic effects were clearest on the larger component of the community, i.e. macrofauna composition, and on ecosystem processes related to sedimentary carbon.
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Affiliation(s)
- Clare Bradshaw
- Stockholm University, Department of Ecology, Environment and Plant Sciences, Stockholm, Sweden.
| | - Sven Iburg
- Stockholm University, Department of Ecology, Environment and Plant Sciences, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Claudia Morys
- Stockholm University, Department of Ecology, Environment and Plant Sciences, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Mattias Sköld
- Department of Aquatic Resources, Institute of Marine Research, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Lysekil, Sweden
| | - Antonio Pusceddu
- University of Cagliari, Department of Life and Environmental Sciences, Cagliari, Sardinia, Italy
| | - Claudia Ennas
- University of Cagliari, Department of Life and Environmental Sciences, Cagliari, Sardinia, Italy
| | - Patrik Jonsson
- Department of Aquatic Resources, Institute of Marine Research, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Lysekil, Sweden
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Grinham A, Costantini T, Deering N, Jackson C, Klein C, Lovelock C, Pandolfi J, Eyal G, Linde M, Dunbabin M, Duncan B, Hutley N, Byrne I, Wilson C, Albert S. Nitrogen loading resulting from major floods and sediment resuspension to a large coastal embayment. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 918:170646. [PMID: 38325481 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.170646] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2023] [Revised: 01/28/2024] [Accepted: 01/31/2024] [Indexed: 02/09/2024]
Abstract
Major floods pose a severe threat to coastal receiving environments, negatively impacting environmental health and ecosystem services through direct smothering with sediment and nutrient loading. This study examined the short and long-term impacts of the February 2022 major flood event on mud extent and sediment nitrogen flux in Moreton Bay (the Bay), a large, sub-tropical embayment in Southeast Queensland, Australia. Short-term impacts were assessed three days after the flood peak by sampling surface water at 47 sites in the direction of the predominant circulation pattern. Longer-term impacts were assessed by undertaking an intensive sediment survey of 223 sites and a nutrient flux experiment using sediment core incubations to simulate calm and resuspension conditions for the four key sediment classes. Short-term impacts revealed elevated turbidity levels extended across the Bay but were highest at the Brisbane River mouth, ammonium concentrations varied inversely with surface turbidity, whereas nitrate concentrates closely tracked surface turbidity. The sediment survey confirmed fine sediment deposition across 98 % of the Bay. Porewater within the upper 10 cm contained a standing pool of 280 t of ammonium, with concentrations more than three orders of magnitude higher than overlying surface waters. The nutrient flux experiment revealed an order of magnitude higher sediment ammonium flux rate in the sandy mud sediment class compared to the other sediment classes; and for simulated resuspension conditions compared to calm conditions for sand, muddy sand, and mud sediment classes. Scaling across the whole Bay, we estimated a mean annual sediment flux of 17,700 t/year ammonium, with a range of 13,500 to 21,900 t/year. Delivery of fine sediments by major floods over the last 50 years now impact >98 % of the benthic zone and provide a major loading pathway of available nitrogen to surface waters of Moreton Bay; representing a significant threat to ecosystem health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alistair Grinham
- School of Civil Engineering, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia.
| | | | - Nathaniel Deering
- School of Civil Engineering, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia
| | | | - Carissa Klein
- School of the Environment, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia
| | - Catherine Lovelock
- School of the Environment, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia
| | - John Pandolfi
- School of the Environment, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia
| | - Gal Eyal
- School of the Environment, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia; The Mina & Everard Goodman Faculty of Life Sciences, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat Gan 5290002, Israel
| | - Michael Linde
- Port of Brisbane Pty Ltd., Brisbane, QLD 4178, Australia
| | - Matthew Dunbabin
- Biopixel Oceans Foundation, Fortitude Valley, QLD 4006, Australia
| | - Brendon Duncan
- School of Civil Engineering, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia
| | - Nicholas Hutley
- School of Civil Engineering, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia
| | - Ilha Byrne
- School of the Environment, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia
| | - Craig Wilson
- Port of Brisbane Pty Ltd., Brisbane, QLD 4178, Australia
| | - Simon Albert
- School of Civil Engineering, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia
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Bonthond G, Beermann J, Gutow L, Neumann A, Barboza FR, Desiderato A, Fofonova V, Helber SB, Khodami S, Kraan C, Neumann H, Rohde S, Schupp PJ. Benthic microbial biogeographic trends in the North Sea are shaped by an interplay of environmental drivers and bottom trawling effort. ISME COMMUNICATIONS 2023; 3:132. [PMID: 38102238 PMCID: PMC10724143 DOI: 10.1038/s43705-023-00336-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2023] [Revised: 11/09/2023] [Accepted: 11/16/2023] [Indexed: 12/17/2023]
Abstract
Microbial composition and diversity in marine sediments are shaped by environmental, biological, and anthropogenic processes operating at different scales. However, our understanding of benthic microbial biogeography remains limited. Here, we used 16S rDNA amplicon sequencing to characterize benthic microbiota in the North Sea from the top centimeter of 339 sediment samples. We utilized spatially explicit statistical models, to disentangle the effects of the different predictors, including bottom trawling intensity, a prevalent industrial fishing practice which heavily impacts benthic ecosystems. Fitted models demonstrate how the geographic interplay of different environmental and anthropogenic drivers shapes the diversity, structure and potential metabolism of benthic microbial communities. Sediment properties were the primary determinants, with diversity increasing with sediment permeability but also with mud content, highlighting different underlying processes. Additionally, diversity and structure varied with total organic matter content, temperature, bottom shear stress and bottom trawling. Changes in diversity associated with bottom trawling intensity were accompanied by shifts in predicted energy metabolism. Specifically, with increasing trawling intensity, we observed a transition toward more aerobic heterotrophic and less denitrifying predicted metabolism. Our findings provide first insights into benthic microbial biogeographic patterns on a large spatial scale and illustrate how anthropogenic activity such as bottom trawling may influence the distribution and abundances of microbes and potential metabolism at macroecological scales.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guido Bonthond
- Institute for Chemistry and Biology of the Marine Environment (ICBM), Carl von Ossietzky University Oldenburg, Schleusenstrasse 1, 26382, Wilhelmshaven, Germany.
| | - Jan Beermann
- Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research, Am Handelshafen 12, 27570, Bremerhaven, Germany
| | - Lars Gutow
- Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research, Am Handelshafen 12, 27570, Bremerhaven, Germany
| | | | | | - Andrea Desiderato
- Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research, Am Handelshafen 12, 27570, Bremerhaven, Germany
- Department of Invertebrate Zoology and Hydrobiology, University of Lodz, 90-136, Lodz, Poland
| | - Vera Fofonova
- Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research, Am Handelshafen 12, 27570, Bremerhaven, Germany
| | - Stephanie B Helber
- Institute for Chemistry and Biology of the Marine Environment (ICBM), Carl von Ossietzky University Oldenburg, Schleusenstrasse 1, 26382, Wilhelmshaven, Germany
| | - Sahar Khodami
- Senckenberg am Meer Wilhelmshaven, German Centre for Marine Biodiversity Research, Südstrand 44, 26382, Wilhelmshaven, Germany
| | - Casper Kraan
- Thünen Institute of Sea Fisheries, Herwigstraße 31, 27572, Bremerhaven, Germany
| | - Hermann Neumann
- Thünen Institute of Sea Fisheries, Herwigstraße 31, 27572, Bremerhaven, Germany
| | - Sven Rohde
- Institute for Chemistry and Biology of the Marine Environment (ICBM), Carl von Ossietzky University Oldenburg, Schleusenstrasse 1, 26382, Wilhelmshaven, Germany
| | - Peter J Schupp
- Institute for Chemistry and Biology of the Marine Environment (ICBM), Carl von Ossietzky University Oldenburg, Schleusenstrasse 1, 26382, Wilhelmshaven, Germany
- Helmholtz Institute for Functional Marine Biodiversity at the University of Oldenburg (HIFMB), Ammerländer Heerstrasse 231, D-26129, Oldenburg, Germany
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Epstein G, Middelburg JJ, Hawkins JP, Norris CR, Roberts CM. The impact of mobile demersal fishing on carbon storage in seabed sediments. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2022; 28:2875-2894. [PMID: 35174577 PMCID: PMC9307015 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.16105] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2021] [Accepted: 12/17/2021] [Indexed: 05/26/2023]
Abstract
Subtidal marine sediments are one of the planet's primary carbon stores and strongly influence the oceanic sink for atmospheric CO2 . By far the most widespread human activity occurring on the seabed is bottom trawling/dredging for fish and shellfish. A global first-order estimate suggested mobile demersal fishing activities may cause 0.16-0.4 Gt of organic carbon (OC) to be remineralized annually from seabed sediment carbon stores (Sala et al., 2021). There are, however, many uncertainties in this calculation. Here, we discuss the potential drivers of change in seabed sediment OC stores due to mobile demersal fishing activities and conduct a literature review, synthesizing studies where this interaction has been directly investigated. Under certain environmental settings, we hypothesize that mobile demersal fishing would reduce OC in seabed stores due to lower production of flora and fauna, the loss of fine flocculent material, increased sediment resuspension, mixing and transport and increased oxygen exposure. Reductions would be offset to varying extents by reduced faunal bioturbation and community respiration, increased off-shelf transport and increases in primary production from the resuspension of nutrients. Studies which directly investigated the impact of demersal fishing on OC stocks had mixed results. A finding of no significant effect was reported in 61% of 49 investigations; 29% reported lower OC due to fishing activities, with 10% reporting higher OC. In relation to remineralization rates within the seabed, four investigations reported that demersal fishing activities decreased remineralization, with three reporting higher remineralization rates. Patterns in the environmental and experimental characteristics between different outcomes were largely indistinct. More evidence is urgently needed to accurately quantify the impact of anthropogenic physical disturbance on seabed carbon in different environmental settings and to incorporate full evidence-based carbon considerations into global seabed management.
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Affiliation(s)
- Graham Epstein
- Centre for Ecology and ConservationUniversity of ExeterCornwallUK
| | | | - Julie P. Hawkins
- Centre for Ecology and ConservationUniversity of ExeterCornwallUK
| | - Catrin R. Norris
- Centre for Ecology and ConservationUniversity of ExeterCornwallUK
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5
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Morys C, Brüchert V, Bradshaw C. Impacts of bottom trawling on benthic biogeochemistry in muddy sediments: Removal of surface sediment using an experimental field study. MARINE ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2021; 169:105384. [PMID: 34233256 DOI: 10.1016/j.marenvres.2021.105384] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2020] [Revised: 05/24/2021] [Accepted: 05/29/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Experimental benthic dredging was conducted in an unfished, muddy area in the Baltic Proper to mimic the impact of trawling by removing surface sediment, with a focus on benthic biogeochemical processes. Sediment cores were taken on the track and compared to undisturbed controls. Benthic fluxes were immediately affected and an upward shift in pore water DIC profiles was detected. The time needed for the sediment to readjust to a new biogeochemical state seemed to be nutrient-specific. Sediment properties (profiles of chlorophyll, organic carbon and water content) were found to change significantly. Macrofauna was removed completely by the dredge pointing out the potential loss of highly valuable functions that are associated with them. In the Baltic Sea, in areas which were previously the most heavily fished, the frequency of trawling may have left little time for readjustment and potentially kept the seabed in a permanent state of transient biogeochemical cycling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claudia Morys
- Stockholm University, Department of Ecology, Environment and Plant Sciences, Svante Arrhenius väg 20 A, 114 18, Stockholm, Sweden.
| | - Volker Brüchert
- Stockholm University, Department of Geological Sciences, Svante Arrhenius väg 8 C, 106 91, Stockholm, Sweden.
| | - Clare Bradshaw
- Stockholm University, Department of Ecology, Environment and Plant Sciences, Svante Arrhenius väg 20 A, 114 18, Stockholm, Sweden.
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6
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Sciberras M, Tait K, Brochain G, Hiddink JG, Hale R, Godbold JA, Solan M. Mediation of nitrogen by post-disturbance shelf communities experiencing organic matter enrichment. BIOGEOCHEMISTRY 2017; 135:135-153. [PMID: 32009695 PMCID: PMC6961516 DOI: 10.1007/s10533-017-0370-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2016] [Accepted: 08/15/2017] [Indexed: 05/26/2023]
Abstract
Microbes and benthic macro-invertebrates interact in sediments to play a major role in the biogeochemical cycling of organic matter, but the extent to which their contributions are modified following natural and anthropogenic changes has received little attention. Here, we investigate how nitrogen transformations, ascertained from changes in archaeal and bacterial N-cycling microbes and water macronutrient concentrations ([NH4-N], [NO2-N], [NO3-N]), in sand and sandy mud sediments differ when macrofaunal communities that have previously experienced contrasting levels of chronic fishing disturbance are exposed to organic matter enrichment. We find that differences in macrofaunal community structure related to differences in fishing activity affect the capacity of the macrofauna to mediate microbial nitrogen cycling in sand, but not in sandy mud environments. Whilst we found no evidence for a change in ammonia oxidiser community structure, we did find an increase in archaeal and bacterial denitrifier (AnirKa, nirS) and anammox (hzo) transcripts in macrofaunal communities characterized by higher ratios of suspension to deposit feeders, and a lower density but higher biomass of sediment-reworking fauna. Our findings suggest that nitrogen transformation in shelf sandy sediments is dependent on the stimulation of specific nitrogen cycling pathways that are associated with differences in the composition and context-dependent expression of the functional traits that belong to the resident bioturbating macrofauna community.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marija Sciberras
- School of Ocean Sciences, Bangor University, Askew St, Menai Bridge, Anglesey LL59 5AB UK
| | - Karen Tait
- Plymouth Marine Laboratory, Prospect Place, The Hoe, Plymouth, PL1 3DH UK
| | - Guillaume Brochain
- Plymouth Marine Laboratory, Prospect Place, The Hoe, Plymouth, PL1 3DH UK
| | - Jan G. Hiddink
- School of Ocean Sciences, Bangor University, Askew St, Menai Bridge, Anglesey LL59 5AB UK
| | - Rachel Hale
- Ocean and Earth Science, National Oceanography Centre Southampton, University of Southampton Waterfront Campus, European Way, Southampton, SO14 3ZH UK
| | - Jasmin A. Godbold
- Ocean and Earth Science, National Oceanography Centre Southampton, University of Southampton Waterfront Campus, European Way, Southampton, SO14 3ZH UK
| | - Martin Solan
- Ocean and Earth Science, National Oceanography Centre Southampton, University of Southampton Waterfront Campus, European Way, Southampton, SO14 3ZH UK
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Gu XZ, Chen KN, Zhang L, Fan CX. Preliminary evidence of nutrients release from sediment in response to oxygen across benthic oxidation layer by a long-term field trial. ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION (BARKING, ESSEX : 1987) 2016; 219:656-662. [PMID: 27376989 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2016.06.044] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2016] [Revised: 06/12/2016] [Accepted: 06/21/2016] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
In aquatic ecosystems, ecological processes such as organic matter mineralization and nutrient cycling are regulated by benthic O2 in sediments, and application of in situ techniques in field environments has the potential to better define the links between O2 dynamics and the unique biogeochemical phenomena occurring in these regions. The effects of benthic O2 on sediment nutrients release were identified on the basis of field specific observations conducted over one and a half years at Taihu Lake. Sediment dredging (SD) practices have sharply reworked the benthic boundary oxidation layer, and the oxygen penetration depth (OPD) in the SD responded as expected to the new-born surface, increasing immediately (7.5 ± 0.8 - 10.5 ± 0.6 mm) after dredging, then further increasing with an unusually high heterogeneity when a significant submersed macrophytes (SM) coverage of about 40% was implemented. Multiple correlation analysis revealed that OPD was responsible for PO43- and NH4+ release. A lower benthic oxygen flux was immediately observed in dredging-related sediments in the case of dredging compared to SM or the control (CK), which suggested that oxygen demand is low in the uppermost sediments because of the degradable fresh organic carbon removal. SD and SDSM implementation was most successful at continuously reducing the size of PO43- released from sediments over one and a half years, and a significant seasonal-dependent release was also observed. The direction of flux was consistent among SD and SDSM, suggesting the potential to reduce internal PO43- release even further with the invasion of SM communities. Our results indicated that ecological engineering practices could alleviate internal nutrient loads from the contaminated bottom sediment, which was probably in positive response to benthic oxygen changes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiao-Zhi Gu
- State Key Laboratory of Lake Science and Environment, Nanjing Institute of Geography and Limnology, Chinese Academy of Science, Nanjing, 210008, China.
| | - Kai-Ning Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Lake Science and Environment, Nanjing Institute of Geography and Limnology, Chinese Academy of Science, Nanjing, 210008, China
| | - Lei Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Lake Science and Environment, Nanjing Institute of Geography and Limnology, Chinese Academy of Science, Nanjing, 210008, China
| | - Cheng-Xin Fan
- State Key Laboratory of Lake Science and Environment, Nanjing Institute of Geography and Limnology, Chinese Academy of Science, Nanjing, 210008, China
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Toupoint N, Barbier P, Tremblay R, Archambault P, McKindsey CW, Winkler G, Meziane T, Olivier F. Influence of intertidal recreational fisheries and 'bouchot' mussel culture on bivalve recruitment. MARINE ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2016; 117:1-12. [PMID: 27039134 DOI: 10.1016/j.marenvres.2016.03.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2015] [Revised: 03/22/2016] [Accepted: 03/22/2016] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
In coastal environments, fishing and aquaculture may be important sources of disturbance to ecosystem functioning, the quantification of which must be assessed to make them more sustainable. In the Chausey Archipelago, France, recreational fishing and commercial shellfish farming are the only two evident anthropogenic activities, dominated by bivalve hand-raking and 'bouchot' mussel culture, respectively. This study evaluates the impact of both activities on bivalve recruitment dynamics by comparing primary recruitment intensity (short-term effect) and recruitment efficiency (medium-term effect) by sampling bivalves in reference (undisturbed) and disturbed (i.e. subjected to hand-raking or in 'bouchot' mussel culture areas) parcels throughout and at the end of the recruitment season, respectively. Specific hypotheses evaluated were that (H1) bivalve hand-raking negatively affects bivalve recruitment and that (H2) 'bouchot' mussel culture promotes bivalve recruitment. Patterns in bivalve community structure in reference parcels (i.e. natural pattern) differed between initial and final recruitment, underlining the great importance of early post-settlement processes, particularly secondary dispersal. Primary recruitment intensity was inhibited in hand-raking parcels whereas it was promoted in 'bouchot' mussel culture parcels, but the effect on recruitment efficiency was muted for both activities due to post-settlement processes. Nevertheless, the importance of effects that occur during the first step of recruitment should not be ignored as they may affect bivalve communities and induce immediate consequences on the trophic web through a cascade effect. Finally, it is highlighted that hand-raking damages all life stages of the common cockle Cerastoderma edule, one of the major target species, suggesting that this activity should be managed with greater caution than is currently done.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicolas Toupoint
- Institut des Sciences de la Mer (ISMER), Université du Québec à Rimouski (UQAR), 310, Allée des Ursulines, Rimouski, Québec G5L3A1, Canada.
| | - Pierrick Barbier
- Unité Mixte de Recherche 'Biologie des organismes et écosystèmes aquatiques' (BOREA, UMR 7208), Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Université Pierre et Marie Curie, Université de Caen Basse-Normandie, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Institut de Recherche pour le Développement-207, Université des Antilles, CP53, 61 rue Buffon, 75005 Paris, France
| | - Réjean Tremblay
- Institut des Sciences de la Mer (ISMER), Université du Québec à Rimouski (UQAR), 310, Allée des Ursulines, Rimouski, Québec G5L3A1, Canada
| | - Philippe Archambault
- Institut des Sciences de la Mer (ISMER), Université du Québec à Rimouski (UQAR), 310, Allée des Ursulines, Rimouski, Québec G5L3A1, Canada; Hopkins Marine Station of Stanford University, 120 Ocean View Blvd., Pacific Grove, CA 93950, USA
| | - Christopher W McKindsey
- Demersal and Benthic Sciences Branch, Maurice-Lamontagne Institute, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, P.O. Box1000, Mont-Joli, QC G5H 3Z4, Canada
| | - Gesche Winkler
- Institut des Sciences de la Mer (ISMER), Université du Québec à Rimouski (UQAR), 310, Allée des Ursulines, Rimouski, Québec G5L3A1, Canada
| | - Tarik Meziane
- Unité Mixte de Recherche 'Biologie des organismes et écosystèmes aquatiques' (BOREA, UMR 7208), Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Université Pierre et Marie Curie, Université de Caen Basse-Normandie, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Institut de Recherche pour le Développement-207, Université des Antilles, CP53, 61 rue Buffon, 75005 Paris, France
| | - Frédéric Olivier
- Unité Mixte de Recherche 'Biologie des organismes et écosystèmes aquatiques' (BOREA, UMR 7208), Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Université Pierre et Marie Curie, Université de Caen Basse-Normandie, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Institut de Recherche pour le Développement-207, Université des Antilles, CP53, 61 rue Buffon, 75005 Paris, France
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Yu J, Fan C, Zhong J, Zhang L, Zhang L, Wang C, Yao X. Effects of sediment dredging on nitrogen cycling in Lake Taihu, China: Insight from mass balance based on a 2-year field study. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2016; 23:3871-3883. [PMID: 26499196 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-015-5517-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/16/2015] [Accepted: 09/28/2015] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
Sediment dredging can permanently remove pollutants from an aquatic ecosystem, which is considered an effective approach to aquatic ecosystem restoration. In this work, a 2-year field simulation test was carried out to investigate the effect of dredging on nitrogen cycling across the sediment-water interface (SWI) in Lake Taihu, China. The results showed that simulated dredging applied to an area rich in total organic carbon (TOC) and total nitrogen (TN) slightly reduced the NH4(+)-N release from sediments while temporarily enhanced the NH4(+)-N release in an area with lower TOC and/or TN (in the first 180 days), although the application had a limited effect on the fluxes of NO2(-)-N and NO3(-)-N in both areas. Further analysis indicated that dredging induced decreases in nitrification, denitrification, and anaerobic ammonium oxidation (anammox) in sediments, notably by 76.9, 49.0, and 89.9%, respectively, in the TOC and/or TN-rich area. Therefore, dredging slowed down nitrogen cycling rates in sediments but did not increase N loading to overlying water. The main reason for the above phenomenon could be attributed to the removal of the surface sediments enriched with more TOC and/or TN (compared with the bottom sediments). Overall, to minimize internal N pollution, dredging may be more applicable to nutrient-rich sediments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juhua Yu
- State Key Laboratory of Lake Science and Environment, Nanjing Institute of Geography and Limnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Number 73 Beijing East Road, 210008, Nanjing, People's Republic of China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Chengxin Fan
- State Key Laboratory of Lake Science and Environment, Nanjing Institute of Geography and Limnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Number 73 Beijing East Road, 210008, Nanjing, People's Republic of China
| | - Jicheng Zhong
- State Key Laboratory of Lake Science and Environment, Nanjing Institute of Geography and Limnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Number 73 Beijing East Road, 210008, Nanjing, People's Republic of China.
| | - Lu Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Lake Science and Environment, Nanjing Institute of Geography and Limnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Number 73 Beijing East Road, 210008, Nanjing, People's Republic of China
| | - Lei Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Lake Science and Environment, Nanjing Institute of Geography and Limnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Number 73 Beijing East Road, 210008, Nanjing, People's Republic of China
| | - Changhui Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Lake Science and Environment, Nanjing Institute of Geography and Limnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Number 73 Beijing East Road, 210008, Nanjing, People's Republic of China
| | - Xiaolong Yao
- State Key Laboratory of Lake Science and Environment, Nanjing Institute of Geography and Limnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Number 73 Beijing East Road, 210008, Nanjing, People's Republic of China
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Liu C, Shao S, Shen Q, Fan C, Zhou Q, Yin H, Xu F. Use of multi-objective dredging for remediation of contaminated sediments: a case study of a typical heavily polluted confluence area in China. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2015; 22:17839-17849. [PMID: 26162442 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-015-4978-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2015] [Accepted: 06/29/2015] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
Sediments in confluence areas are typically contaminated by various pollutants that have been transported there by inflowing rivers. In this study, we evaluated the pollution status of a confluence area in Lake Chaohu (China). Both the nutrients and hazardous pollutants were analysed. Most sediment cores showed large variations in nutrient concentrations at depths of 10 to 18 cm. Positive release rates of NH4(+)-N and PO4(3-)-P were detected in sediment cores. Hg and Cd were the most typical problematic metal contaminants encountered, and their contamination levels extended to depths of 20 and 25 cm, respectively. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (mostly acenaphthene and fluorine) were the primary persistent organic pollutants (POPs) present in sediments, and contamination levels frequently could be detected up to a depth of 16 cm. Simulated dredging operations were implemented in the laboratory, with a dredging depth of 15 cm found to be suitable for nutrient suppression. With the goal of suppressing nutrients release and removing high-risk metals and POPs, a multi-objective dredging plan was developed. This plan subdivides the confluence area into five parts that were treated with different dredging depths. A demonstration area was dredged in the most heavily polluted part, and the observed dredging effects were consistent with those expected on the basis of the plan. Such an approach to dredging might also be useful in other areas in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cheng Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Lake Science and Environment, Nanjing Institute of Geography and Limnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing, 210008, People's Republic of China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, People's Republic of China
| | - Shiguang Shao
- College of Hydrology and Water Resources, Hohai University, Nanjing, 210098, People's Republic of China
| | - Qiushi Shen
- State Key Laboratory of Lake Science and Environment, Nanjing Institute of Geography and Limnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing, 210008, People's Republic of China
| | - Chengxin Fan
- State Key Laboratory of Lake Science and Environment, Nanjing Institute of Geography and Limnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing, 210008, People's Republic of China.
| | - Qilin Zhou
- State Key Laboratory of Lake Science and Environment, Nanjing Institute of Geography and Limnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing, 210008, People's Republic of China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, People's Republic of China
| | - Hongbin Yin
- State Key Laboratory of Lake Science and Environment, Nanjing Institute of Geography and Limnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing, 210008, People's Republic of China
| | - Fuliu Xu
- MOE Laboratory for Earth Surface Processes, College of Urban and Environmental Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, People's Republic of China
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11
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Capello M, Cutroneo L, Ferranti MP, Budillon G, Bertolotto RM, Ciappa A, Cotroneo Y, Castellano M, Povero P, Tucci S. Simulations of dredged sediment spreading on a Posidonia oceanica meadow off the Ligurian coast, Northwestern Mediterranean. MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN 2014; 79:196-204. [PMID: 24369883 DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2013.12.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/24/2012] [Revised: 11/20/2013] [Accepted: 12/03/2013] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Abstract
The sandy deposits from dredging can have negative effects on the environment such as increase in suspended solids in the water column and their consequent transport. An experimental study was conducted to characterize water masses, dynamics, and sedimentation rates on the Ligurian continental shelf (Italy), where both a sand deposit, that could be used for beach nourishment, and a nearby Posidonia oceanica meadow coexist. The environmental plan provides a mathematical simulation of the sediment-dispersion to evaluate the possible impact on the meadow. It has been calculated that the dredging could double the concentration of suspended particles, but its scheduling will preclude a sediment accumulation. All the information obtained from this work will be used to study the environmental feasibility of the sand deposit exploitation and as starting point for drawing up the monitoring plan in case of dredging.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Capello
- DISTAV, University of Genoa, 26 Corso Europa, 16132 Genoa, Italy.
| | - L Cutroneo
- DISTAV, University of Genoa, 26 Corso Europa, 16132 Genoa, Italy
| | - M P Ferranti
- DISTAV, University of Genoa, 26 Corso Europa, 16132 Genoa, Italy
| | - G Budillon
- DIST, University of Naples "Parthenope", Centro Direzionale di Napoli, Isola C4, 80133 Naples, Italy
| | - R M Bertolotto
- ARPAL, Ligurian Environmental Protection Agency, 8 Via Bombrini, 16149 Genoa, Italy
| | - A Ciappa
- egeos, Earth Observation, 71 Via Cannizzaro, 00156 Rome, Italy
| | - Y Cotroneo
- DIST, University of Naples "Parthenope", Centro Direzionale di Napoli, Isola C4, 80133 Naples, Italy
| | - M Castellano
- DISTAV, University of Genoa, 26 Corso Europa, 16132 Genoa, Italy
| | - P Povero
- DISTAV, University of Genoa, 26 Corso Europa, 16132 Genoa, Italy
| | - S Tucci
- DISTAV, University of Genoa, 26 Corso Europa, 16132 Genoa, Italy
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12
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Bradshaw C, Tjensvoll I, Sköld M, Allan IJ, Molvaer J, Magnusson J, Naes K, Nilsson HC. Bottom trawling resuspends sediment and releases bioavailable contaminants in a polluted fjord. ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION (BARKING, ESSEX : 1987) 2012; 170:232-241. [PMID: 22842052 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2012.06.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2012] [Revised: 06/11/2012] [Accepted: 06/14/2012] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Abstract
Sediments are sinks for contaminants in the world's oceans. At the same time, commercial bottom trawling is estimated to affect around 15 million km(2) of the world's seafloor every year. However, few studies have investigated whether this disturbance remobilises sediment-associated contaminants and, if so, whether these are bioavailable to aquatic organisms. This field study in a trawled contaminated Norwegian fjord showed that a single 1.8 km long trawl pass created a 3-5 million m(3) sediment plume containing around 9 t contaminated sediment; ie. 200 g dw m(-2) trawled, equivalent to c. 10% of the annual gross sedimentation rate. Substantial amounts of PCDD/Fs and non-ortho PCBs were released from the sediments, likely causing a semi-permanent contaminated sediment suspension in the bottom waters. PCDD/Fs from the sediments were also taken up by mussels which, during one month, accumulated them to levels above the EU maximum advised concentration for human consumption.
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Affiliation(s)
- C Bradshaw
- Department of Systems Ecology, Stockholm University, S-10691 Stockholm, Sweden.
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13
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Roberts DA. Causes and ecological effects of resuspended contaminated sediments (RCS) in marine environments. ENVIRONMENT INTERNATIONAL 2012; 40:230-243. [PMID: 22244126 DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2011.11.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 113] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2011] [Revised: 11/21/2011] [Accepted: 11/28/2011] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
Sediments act as a net sink for anthropogenic contaminants in marine ecosystems and contaminated sediments may have a range of toxicological effects on benthic fauna and associated species. When resuspended, however, particulate-bound contaminants may be remobilised into the water column and become bioavailable to an additional assemblage of species. Such resuspension occurs through a range of natural and anthropogenic processes each of which may be thought of as pulsed disturbances resulting in pulsed exposures to contaminants. Thus, it is important to understand not only the toxicological responses of organisms to resuspended contaminated sediments (RCS), but also the frequency, magnitude and duration of sediment disturbance events. Such information is rarely collected together with toxicological data. Rather, the majority of published studies (>50% of the articles captured in this review) have taken the form of fixed-duration laboratory-based exposures with individual species. While this research has clearly demonstrated that resuspension of contaminated sediments can liberate sediment-bound contaminants leading to toxicity and bioaccumulation under controlled conditions, the potential for ecological effects in the field is often unclear. Monitoring studies suggest that recurrent natural disturbances such as tides and waves may cause the majority of contaminant release in many environments. However, various processes also act to limit the spatial and temporal scales across which contaminants are remobilised to the most toxic dissolved state. Various natural and anthropogenic disturbances of contaminated sediments have been linked to both community-level and sub-lethal responses in exposed populations of invertebrates and fish in the field. Together these findings suggest that resuspension of contaminated sediments is a frequently recurring ecological threat in contaminated marine habitats. Further consideration of how marine communities respond to temporally variable exposures to RCS is required, as well as research into the relative importance of various disturbances under field conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- David A Roberts
- Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (Cefas), Pakefield Rd, Lowestoft, Suffolk, NR33 0HT, United Kingdom.
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Jicheng ZHONG, Guofeng LIU, Chengxin FAN, Xiuling BAI, Bao LI, Hongbin YIN. Environmental effect of sediment dredging in lake:IV influences of dredging on microbial activity and functional diversity of microbial community in sediments and its significance. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2010. [DOI: 10.18307/2010.0103] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/01/2022]
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Jicheng ZHONG, Chengxin FAN. Advance in the study on the effectiveness and environmental impact of sediment dredging. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2007. [DOI: 10.18307/2007.0101] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/01/2022]
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Sfriso A, Adriano S, Facca C, Chiara F, Marcomini A, Antonio M. Sedimentation rates and erosion processes in the lagoon of Venice. ENVIRONMENT INTERNATIONAL 2005; 31:983-92. [PMID: 16083960 DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2005.05.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
Since the early 1990s in the lagoon of Venice, especially in the central basin, the surface sediment underwent high re-suspension and sedimentation changes and water turbidity increased both because of the disappearance of the macroalgal coverage and the harvesting of the Manila clam Tapes philippinarum Adams and Reeve, which had rapidly colonised the bottom free of macrophytes. Clams are harvested with hydraulic and mechanical dredges which remove and re-suspend surface sediments causing the transport and loss of the finest materials. Sediment transport and re-deposition in the lagoon have been monitored with sediment traps placed onto the bottoms near the Malamocco mouth (st. A), the Lido watershed (st. B) and the mainland (sts. C and D). From 1989-1993 to 1998-1999 sedimentation rates increased significantly at st. A (from 41 to 228 kg DW m(-2) year(-1)), st. B (from 65 to 760 kg DW m(-2) year(-1)) and st. C (from 140 to 721 kg DW m(-2) year(-1)), while at st. D sedimentation rates increased only by ca. 20%. In parallel sediment grain-size changed with a loss of the finest fraction especially near the mainland. The erosion or sedimentation status, acquired by utilizing sedimentation devices placed onto the bottoms, showed that sts. B, C, D were affected by sediment losses, while st. A, populated by seagrasses and characterised by seasonal variations which depend on the shoot development, did not show any significant bathymetric change on an annual basis. The highest sediment erosion was recorded at st. D (ca. 3.6 cm year(-1)) whereas a loss of ca. 1.5 and 0.5 cm year(-1) was found at sts. C and B, respectively, which accounted for a mean loss in the central lagoon of ca. 1.2 million tonnes year(-1). Those data agree with the previous indirect estimation of sediment loss which was based on the number of fishing boats operating in the lagoon on an annual basis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adriano Sfriso
- Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Venice, Calle Larga, Santa Marta 2137, 30123, Venice, Italy.
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Sfriso A, Adriano S, Facca C, Chiara F, Ceoldo S, Sonia C, Marcomini A, Antonio M. Recording the occurrence of trophic level changes in the lagoon of Venice over the '90s. ENVIRONMENT INTERNATIONAL 2005; 31:993-1001. [PMID: 16014311 DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2005.05.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
Four areas of the Venice lagoon, placed near the Malamocco mouth (Alberoni, st. A), in the Lido watershed (Sacca Sessola, st. B) and near the mainland under the influence of freshwater and urban (San Giuliano, st. C) or industrial (Fusina, st. D) effluents were monitored in two periods: 1989-92 and 1998-99 in order to quantify some environmental changes (macroalgal and phytoplankton biomass, nutrient concentrations, physico-chemical variables) occurred in both the water column and the surface sediment over the '90s. Stations B and C, two areas particularly affected by macroalgae exhibited a biomass of ca. 20 and 8 kg WW m(-2), respectively, during 1989-90. In 1998-99 maximum densities decreased to ca. 0.3 and 0.01 kg WW m(-2). During that period, phytoplankton also decreased significantly both in peaks (Chl a: from 58-86 to 4.0-3.5 microg dm(-3)) and mean values (Chl a: from 9.1-10.3 to 1.3-1.4 microg dm(-3)), especially at sts. C and D. As far as nutrient concentrations are concerned, a different trend was observed in the water column and in the surface sediment, mainly because of the reduction of the primary producers and the disappearance of anoxic crises. In 1998-99 reactive phosphorus (RP) in the water column was up to ca. 3 times as high as in 1989-92. Conversely, dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) was not significantly changed. In 1998-99 the 5 cm sediment top layer at sts. B, C, displayed a significant total nitrogen (TN) and total phosphorus (TP) decrease (TN annual mean: from 1.29 and 2.79 mg DW g(-1) to 0.69 and 1.47 mg DW g(-1), respectively; TP: from 401 and 626 microg DW g(-1) to 360 and 455 microg DW g(-1)). A different result was found at st. A which in 1998-99 was colonised by the seagrass Zostera marina L. That station showed a TN sediment increase from 0.25 to 0.67 mg DW g(-1) and a TP decrease from 455 to 350 microg DW g(-1). Station D, which did not show any macrophyte biomass coverage either in 1992-93 or in 1998-99, exhibited negligible differences. Besides the monitoring of biomasses and nutrients, significant changes related to oxygen concentration, water transparency, pH and E(h) and sediment rates were also recorded.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adriano Sfriso
- Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Venice, Calle Larga, Santa Marta 2137, 30123, Venice, Italy.
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