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Francescangeli F, Ferraro L, Frontalini F, Da Prato S, Rubino F. Exploring the underwater life in transitional environments: Benthic foraminifera, ostracods, and dinoflagellate cysts - Biotic trends and EcoQS assessment in the Mar Piccolo of Taranto (Ionian sea, southern Italy). MARINE ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2024; 198:106545. [PMID: 38749196 DOI: 10.1016/j.marenvres.2024.106545] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2023] [Revised: 05/03/2024] [Accepted: 05/06/2024] [Indexed: 06/11/2024]
Abstract
Coastal areas have historically thrived as centers of human activities due to their resources, economic opportunities, and natural allure. The rapid growth of coastal populations has however brought forth a multitude of challenges to tackle, with pollution emerging as a significant and far-reaching issue. Our study focuses on the Mar Piccolo of Taranto (Ionian Sea, Southern Italy), a lagoon-like coastal basin (separated in two sub-basins) that, since decades, has been heavily affected by human activities and aquaculture, leading to environmental deterioration. Although past studies have looked at environmental conditions in the Mar Piccolo from a chemical perspective, the biological component (e.g., biological indicators) has been mostly neglected. In this study, we firstly aim to examine the distribution and diversity of foraminifera, ostracods, and dinoflagellate cysts in December 2016 and compare our findings with data collected in December 2011. Foraminiferal and ostracod communities exhibit similar patterns in the two sampling campaigns, while the communities of encysted dinoflagellates show differences concerning both densities and diversity. Then, we evaluate the Ecological Quality Status (EcoQS) using ecological indices. While the indices in the inner basin appear to reflect an actual ecological degradation, they yield conflicting results in the outer basin. In the outer basin, indeed, the indices overestimate the EcoQS. This study highlights the potential of these indices for characterizing the EcoQS but emphasizes the need for improvements in their reliability. This research also contributes to a more holistic understanding of environmental condition in the Mar Piccolo and underscores the importance of integrating biological quality elements into ecosystem management and remediation strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- F Francescangeli
- Department of Geosciences, University of Fribourg, Chemin du Musée 6, 1700, Fribourg/Freiburg, Switzerland
| | - L Ferraro
- Institute of Marine Sciences, CNR Calata Porta di Massa, 80133, Naples, Italy.
| | - F Frontalini
- Department of Pure and Applied Sciences, Urbino University, 61029, Urbino, Italy
| | - S Da Prato
- Institute of Geosciences and Earth Resources, CNR Via Moruzzi 1, 56124, Pisa, Italy
| | - F Rubino
- Institute for Water Research, CNR, via Roma 3, 74123, Taranto, Italy
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2
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Nunes M, Alves Martins MV, Frontalini F, Bouchet VMP, Francescangeli F, Hohenegger J, Figueira R, Senez-Mello TM, Louzada Castelo WF, Damasceno FL, Laut L, Duleba W, Mello E Sousa SHD, Antonioli L, Geraldes MC. Inferring the ecological quality status based on living benthic foraminiferal indices in transitional areas of the Guanabara bay (SE Brazil). ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION (BARKING, ESSEX : 1987) 2023; 320:121003. [PMID: 36623785 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2023.121003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2022] [Revised: 12/28/2022] [Accepted: 01/02/2023] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Using benthic foraminifera, we evaluate the ecological quality status (EcoQS) of transitional waters of the Guanabara Bay (SE Brazil) by applying the diversity-based index exp (H'bc) and the sensitivity-based Foram-AMBI for the first time in South America. The Guanabara Bay was selected for this study as it is one of the largest transitional ecosystems in the State of Rio de Janeiro and has been severely impacted by anthropogenic activities. Concentrations of potentially toxic elements (PTEs) were assessed by sequential chemical extraction in three phases (i.e., dissolved in water, adsorbed on organic matter, and Mn oxy-hydroxides). Total organic carbon, total nitrogen, and stable isotope (δ13C and δ15N) signatures of organic matter were analyzed to trace environmental stress. The Ammonia/Elphidium ratio suggests hypoxic conditions at most of the sampled sites. Principal component analysis identifies the first component as environmental stress underlying organic matter and PTE enrichment (in all three phases), which is positively related to Foram-AMBI and negatively to exp (H'bc). The exp (H'bc) and Foram-AMBI indices reveal that stations near the Governador Island and Niterói margin have the worst EcoQS, showing medium to extreme pollution. Additionally, Foram-AMBI and exp (H'bc) provide a congruent EcoQS classification for ∼64% of the sites. Although these results are promising, they suggest that a significant effort should be made to obtain better knowledge of foraminiferal ecological requirements to employ benthic foraminifera as a biomonitoring and management method.
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Affiliation(s)
- Márcia Nunes
- Universidade Do Estado Do Rio de Janeiro, UERJ, Faculdade de Geologia, Av. São Francisco Xavier, 524, Sala 2020A, Maracanã, 20550-013, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil.
| | - Maria Virgínia Alves Martins
- Universidade Do Estado Do Rio de Janeiro, UERJ, Faculdade de Geologia, Av. São Francisco Xavier, 524, Sala 2020A, Maracanã, 20550-013, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil; Universidade de Aveiro, GeoBioTec, Departamento de Geociências, Campus de Santiago, 3810-193, Aveiro, Portugal.
| | - Fabrizio Frontalini
- Department of Pure and Applied Sciences, Università degli Studi di Urbino "Carlo Bo", 61029, Urbino, Italy.
| | - Vincent M P Bouchet
- Univ. Lille, CNRS, Univ. Littoral Côte D'Opale, IRD, UMR8187, LOG, Laboratoire D'Océanologie et de Géosciences, Station Marine de Wimereux, F 59000, Lille, France.
| | - Fabio Francescangeli
- Department of Geosciences, University of Fribourg, Chemin Du Musée 6, 1700 Fribourg/Freiburg, Switzerland.
| | - Johann Hohenegger
- Universität Wien, Institut für Paläontologie, Althanstrasse 17, A 1090, Wien, Austria.
| | - Rubens Figueira
- Instituto Oceanográfico, Universidade de São Paulo (IOUSP), Address: Pça. Do Oceanográfico, 191, Butantã, São Paulo, 05508 120, Brazil.
| | - Thaise M Senez-Mello
- Universidade Do Estado Do Rio de Janeiro, UERJ, Faculdade de Geologia, Av. São Francisco Xavier, 524, Sala 2020A, Maracanã, 20550-013, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil; Marine Geology Lab, LAGEMAR, Federal Fluminense University (UFF), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
| | - Wellen Fernanda Louzada Castelo
- Universidade Do Estado Do Rio de Janeiro, UERJ, Faculdade de Geologia, Av. São Francisco Xavier, 524, Sala 2020A, Maracanã, 20550-013, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil.
| | - Fabrício Leandro Damasceno
- Universidade Do Estado Do Rio de Janeiro, UERJ, Faculdade de Geologia, Av. São Francisco Xavier, 524, Sala 2020A, Maracanã, 20550-013, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil.
| | - Lazaro Laut
- Universidade Federal Do Estado Do Rio de Janeiro, UNIRIO, Laboratório de Micropaleontologia, Av. Pasteur 458, S. 500, Urca, Rio de Janeiro, 22290-240, Brazil.
| | - Wania Duleba
- Escola de Artes, Ciências e Humanidades da Universidade de São Paulo, Rua Arlindo Bettio, 1000, Vila Guaraciaba, São Paulo - SP, Brazil.
| | - Silvia Helena de Mello E Sousa
- Instituto Oceanográfico, Universidade de São Paulo (IOUSP), Address: Pça. Do Oceanográfico, 191, Butantã, São Paulo, 05508 120, Brazil.
| | - Luzia Antonioli
- Universidade Do Estado Do Rio de Janeiro, UERJ, Faculdade de Geologia, Av. São Francisco Xavier, 524, Sala 2020A, Maracanã, 20550-013, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil.
| | - Mauro César Geraldes
- Universidade Do Estado Do Rio de Janeiro, UERJ, Faculdade de Geologia, Av. São Francisco Xavier, 524, Sala 2020A, Maracanã, 20550-013, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil.
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Equbal J, Lakra RK, Savurirajan M, Satyam K, Thiruchitrambalam G. Assessing the benthic quality status of three fine sand tropical beaches from the Andaman Islands through the application of marine biotic indices. ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING AND ASSESSMENT 2022; 194:479. [PMID: 35666327 DOI: 10.1007/s10661-022-10132-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2022] [Accepted: 05/23/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
The rapid coastal development in the Andaman Islands has resulted in littoral habitat degradation. Understanding the performances of marine biotic indices and the interpretation and translation of those results into coastal health assessment could become an integral tool in future monitoring and management policies. In this line of efforts, the ecological quality status of three sandy beaches, two urban and one nonurban, was evaluated by using three marine biotic indices. The faunal community belonged to moderately well-sorted fine sand biocenosis. The relatively high species richness (15.9 ± 0.80 taxa sample-1) and moderate abundance (563 ± 38.8 ind.m-2) were features of the benthic fauna. The urban beaches (Aberdeen Bay and Carbyn's Cove) corresponded to tolerant benthic communities. Malacoceros indicus, Grandidierella megnae and Scolelepis squamata (tolerant species), and Ampelisca diadema (indifferent species) were the major constituents of urban beaches, while Scoloplos capensis, Urothoe grimaldii, and Urothoe platydactyla (sensitive species) were important at the nonurban beach (Wandoor). The high-good quality status prevailed across the spatial and temporal scales except for Carbyn's cove beach, where good-poor status was noticed. The M-AMBI appeared to be the most robust measure in distinguishing the impact between the urban and nonurban beaches. The constrained ordinations revealed a gradient of disturbance across the beaches. The distinct patterns of sample segregation were the result of the ecological response. This attempt should be considered a comprehensive measure of quality assessment of beaches under human pressure and draw a parallel line of evidence to global studies on sandy beaches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jawed Equbal
- Department of Ocean Studies and Marine Biology, Pondicherry University, Brookshabad Campus, Port Blair, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Puducherry, 744112, India
| | - Raj Kiran Lakra
- Department of Ocean Studies and Marine Biology, Pondicherry University, Brookshabad Campus, Port Blair, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Puducherry, 744112, India
| | - M Savurirajan
- Department of Ocean Studies and Marine Biology, Pondicherry University, Brookshabad Campus, Port Blair, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Puducherry, 744112, India
- National Centre for Coastal Research, NIOT Campus, Velacherry-Tambaram Main Road, Pallikaranai, Chennai - 600100, India
| | - Kunal Satyam
- Department of Ocean Studies and Marine Biology, Pondicherry University, Brookshabad Campus, Port Blair, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Puducherry, 744112, India
| | - Ganesh Thiruchitrambalam
- Department of Ocean Studies and Marine Biology, Pondicherry University, Brookshabad Campus, Port Blair, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Puducherry, 744112, India.
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Rostami MA, Frontalini F, Giordano P, Francescangeli F, Alves Martins MV, Dyer L, Spagnoli F. Testing the applicability of random forest modeling to examine benthic foraminiferal responses to multiple environmental parameters. MARINE ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2021; 172:105502. [PMID: 34638002 DOI: 10.1016/j.marenvres.2021.105502] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2021] [Revised: 09/25/2021] [Accepted: 10/07/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
The main environmental variables controlling benthic foraminiferal distributions were identified and used to assess their influence on ecological indices developed as predictors of Ecological Quality Status (EcoQS) in marine ecosystems. Gradient forest and random forest models were applied to assess the predictive value of a selection of abiotic (environmental) and biotic (foraminifera) variables in a costal marine area in the central Adriatic Sea (Italy). This approach yields evidence that the predictor variables sand, silt, Pollution Load Index, and TN have the greatest influence on the distribution of benthic foraminifera in this area. In addition, we identify thresholds for the most important environmental variables that influence ecological indices. These findings contribute to efforts to determine how to best improve sediment quality and environmental stability for marine conservation. Further application of these approaches represents a useful tool for policymakers to survey the diversity of marine organisms and to improve the ability to protect and restore marine ecosystems by identifying predictors of diversity and identifying key thresholds in these predictors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Masoud A Rostami
- Department of Biology, University of Nevada, Reno, Reno, NV, 89557, USA.
| | - Fabrizio Frontalini
- Department of Pure and Applied Sciences, Università degli Studi di Urbino "Carlo Bo", 61029, Urbino, Italy
| | - Patrizia Giordano
- Istituto di Scienze Polari, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, 40129, Bologna, Italy
| | - Fabio Francescangeli
- University of Hamburg, Institute for Geology, Centre for Earth System Research and Sustainability, Bundesstraße, 55, 20146, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Maria Virginia Alves Martins
- Rio de Janeiro State University (UERJ), R. São Francisco Xavier, 524, LabMicro 4037F, Maracanã, Rio de Janeiro, 20550-900, Brazil; Aveiro University, Department of Geosciences, GeoBioTec, Campus de Santiago, 3810-197, Aveiro, Portugal
| | - Lee Dyer
- Department of Biology, University of Nevada, Reno, Reno, NV, 89557, USA
| | - Federico Spagnoli
- Istituto per le Risorse Biologiche e le Biotecnologie Marine, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, 60125, Ancona, Italy; School of Science and Technology, Geology division, University of Camerino, 62032, Camerino, Italy
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5
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Cavaliere M, Barrenechea Angeles I, Montresor M, Bucci C, Brocani L, Balassi E, Margiotta F, Francescangeli F, Bouchet VMP, Pawlowski J, Frontalini F. Assessing the ecological quality status of the highly polluted Bagnoli area (Tyrrhenian Sea, Italy) using foraminiferal eDNA metabarcoding. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2021; 790:147871. [PMID: 34098278 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.147871] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2021] [Revised: 05/14/2021] [Accepted: 05/14/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Morphology-based benthic foraminifera indices are increasingly used worldwide for biomonitoring the ecological quality of marine sediments. The recent development of foraminiferal eDNA metabarcoding offers a reliable, time-, and cost-effective alternative to morphology-based foraminiferal biomonitoring. However, the practical applications of these new tools are still highly limited. In the present study, we evaluate the response of benthic foraminifera and define the ecological quality status (EcoQS) in the Bagnoli area (Tyrrhenian Sea, Italy) based on a traditional morphology-based approach and eDNA metabarcoding. The geochemical data show that several sites in front of the former industrial plant contain higher concentrations of potentially toxic elements than the effect range median and are characterized by the highest total organic carbon (TOC) content, whereas the distantly located sites can be considered relatively low- to unpolluted. Significant differences (i.e., diversity and assemblage composition) in both morphological and molecular datasets were found between the relatively low- to unpolluted and the most polluted areas. Similarly, the selected ecological indices of both morphological and molecular datasets strikingly and congruently resulted in a clear separation following the environmental stress gradient. The molecular indices (i.e., g-exp(H'bc), g-Foram AMBI, and g-Foram AMBI-MOTUs) reliably identified poor-to-bad EcoQS in the polluted area in front of the former industrial plant. On the other hand, the Foram-AMBI based on morphology well identified an overall trend but seemed to overestimate the EcoQS if the traditional class boundaries were considered. The congruent and complementary trends between morphological and metabarcoding data observed in the case of the Bagnoli site further support the application of foraminiferal metabarcoding in routine biomonitoring to assess the environmental impacts of heavily polluted marine areas.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Cavaliere
- Dipartimento di Scienze Pure e Applicate, Università degli Studi di Urbino "Carlo Bo", 61029 Urbino, Italy.
| | - I Barrenechea Angeles
- Department of Genetics and Evolution, University of Geneva, 1205 Geneva, Switzerland; Department of Earth Sciences, University of Geneva, 1205 Geneva, Switzerland
| | - M Montresor
- Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, 80122 Naples, Italy
| | - C Bucci
- Dipartimento di Scienze Pure e Applicate, Università degli Studi di Urbino "Carlo Bo", 61029 Urbino, Italy
| | - L Brocani
- Dipartimento di Scienze Pure e Applicate, Università degli Studi di Urbino "Carlo Bo", 61029 Urbino, Italy
| | - E Balassi
- Dipartimento di Scienze Pure e Applicate, Università degli Studi di Urbino "Carlo Bo", 61029 Urbino, Italy
| | - F Margiotta
- Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, 80122 Naples, Italy
| | - F Francescangeli
- University of Hamburg, Institute for Geology, Centre for Earth System Research and Sustainability, 20146 Hamburg, Germany
| | - V M P Bouchet
- University of Lille, CNRS, Univ. Littoral Côte d'Opale, UMR 8187, LOG, Laboratoire d'Océanologie et de Géosciences, Station Marine de Wimereux, F 59000 Lille, France
| | - J Pawlowski
- Department of Genetics and Evolution, University of Geneva, 1205 Geneva, Switzerland; ID-Gene ecodiagnostics, Campus Biotech Innovation Park, 1202 Geneva, Switzerland; Institute of Oceanology, Polish Academy of Sciences, 81-712 Sopot, Poland
| | - F Frontalini
- Dipartimento di Scienze Pure e Applicate, Università degli Studi di Urbino "Carlo Bo", 61029 Urbino, Italy
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Benthic Foraminiferal Indices and Environmental Quality Assessment of Transitional Waters: A Review of Current Challenges and Future Research Perspectives. WATER 2021. [DOI: 10.3390/w13141898] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Transitional waters straddle the interface between marine and terrestrial biomes and, among others, include fjords, bays, lagoons, and estuaries. These coastal systems are essential for transport and manufacturing industries and suffer extensive anthropogenic exploitation of their ecosystem services for aquaculture and recreational activities. These activities can have negative effects on the local biota, necessitating investigation and regulation. As a result of this, EcoQS (ecological quality status) assessment has garnered great attention as an essential aspect of governmental bodies’ legislative decision-making process. Assessing EcoQS in transitional water ecosystems is problematic because these systems experience high natural variability and organic enrichment and often lack information about their pre-human impact, baseline, or “pristine” reference conditions, knowledge of which is essential to many commonly used assessment methods. Here, foraminifera can be used as environmental sentinels, providing ecological data such as diversity and sensitivity, which can be used as the basis for EcoQS assessment indices. Fossil shells of foraminifera can also provide a temporal aspect to ecosystem assessment, making it possible to obtain reference conditions from the study site itself. These foraminifera-based indices have been shown to correlate not only with various environmental stressors but also with the most common macrofaunal-based indices currently employed by bodies such as the Water Framework Directive (WFD). In this review, we firstly discuss the development of various foraminifera-based indices and address the challenge of how best to implement these synergistically to understand and regulate human environmental impact, particularly in transitional waters, which have historically suffered disproportionate levels of human impact or are difficult to assess with standard EcoQS methods. Further, we present some case studies to exemplify key issues and discuss potential solutions for those. Such key issues include, for example, the disparate performance of multiple indices applied to the same site and a proper assignment of EcoQS class boundaries (threshold values) for each index. Disparate aptitudes of indices to specific geomorphologic and hydrological regimes can be leveraged via the development of a site characteristics catalogue, which would enable the identification of the most appropriate index to apply, and the integration of multiple indices resulting in more representative EcoQS assessment in heterogenous transitional environments. In addition, the difficulty in assigning threshold values to systems without analogous unimpacted reference sites (a common issue among many transitional waters) can be overcome by recording EcoQS as an ecological quality ratio (EQR). Lastly, we evaluate the current status and future potential of an emerging field, genetic biomonitoring, focusing on how these new techniques can be used to increase the accuracy of EcoQS assessment in transitional systems by supplementing more established morphology-based methods.
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Bouchet VMP, Frontalini F, Francescangeli F, Sauriau PG, Geslin E, Martins MVA, Almogi-Labin A, Avnaim-Katav S, Di Bella L, Cearreta A, Coccioni R, Costelloe A, Dimiza MD, Ferraro L, Haynert K, Martínez-Colón M, Melis R, Schweizer M, Triantaphyllou MV, Tsujimoto A, Wilson B, Armynot du Châtelet E. Indicative value of benthic foraminifera for biomonitoring: Assignment to ecological groups of sensitivity to total organic carbon of species from European intertidal areas and transitional waters. MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN 2021; 164:112071. [PMID: 33549924 DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2021.112071] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2020] [Revised: 01/15/2021] [Accepted: 01/16/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
This work contributes to the ongoing work aiming at confirming benthic foraminifera as a biological quality element. In this study, benthic foraminifera from intertidal and transitional waters from the English Channel/European Atlantic coast and the Mediterranean Sea were assigned to five ecological groups using the weighted-averaging optimum with respect to TOC of each species. It was however not possible to assign typical salt marsh species due to the presence of labile and refractory organic matter that hampers TOC characterization. Tests of this study species' lists with Foram-AMBI on two independent datasets showed a significant correlation between Foram-AMBI and TOC, confirming the strong relation between foraminifera and TOC. For one of the validation datasets, associated macrofaunal data were available and a significant correlation was found between the foraminiferal Foram-AMBI and the macrofaunal AMBI. The here proposed lists should be further tested with sensitivity-based indices in different European regional settings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vincent M P Bouchet
- Univ. Lille, CNRS, Univ. Littoral Côte d'Opale, UMR 8187, LOG, Laboratoire d'Océanologie et de Géosciences, Station Marine de Wimereux, F 59000 Lille, France.
| | - Fabrizio Frontalini
- Univ. Urbino Dipartimento di Scienze Pure e Applicate (DiSPeA), Università degli Studi di Urbino "Carlo Bo", Campus Scientifico Enrico Mattei, Località Crocicchia, 61029 Urbino, Italy
| | - Fabio Francescangeli
- University of Hamburg, Institute for Geology, Centre for Earth System Research and Sustainability, Bundesstraße, 5520146 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Pierre-Guy Sauriau
- La Rochelle Université, CNRS, Littoral Environnement et Sociétés, UMR 7266 LIENSs, 2 rue Olympe de Gouges, 17000 La Rochelle, France
| | - Emmanuelle Geslin
- UMR 6112 LPG-BIAF, Univ. Angers, Univ. Nantes, CNRS, 2 Bd Lavoisier, F 49000 Angers, France
| | - Maria Virginia Alves Martins
- Rio de Janeiro State University (UERJ), R. São Francisco Xavier, 524, Lab 1006, Maracanã, Rio de Janeiro 20550-900, Brazil; Aveiro University, Department of Geosciences, GeoBioTec, Campus de Santiago, 3810-197 Aveiro, Portugal
| | - Ahuva Almogi-Labin
- Geological Survey of Israel, Yesha'yahu Leibowitz 32, Jerusalem 9692100, Israel
| | | | - Letizia Di Bella
- Dipartimento di Scienze Della Terra, Sapienza Università di Roma, Italy
| | - Alejandro Cearreta
- Departamento de Geología, Universidad del País Vasco UPV/EHU, Apartado 644, 48080 Bilbao, Spain
| | - Rodolfo Coccioni
- Univ. Urbino Dipartimento di Scienze Pure e Applicate (DiSPeA), Università degli Studi di Urbino "Carlo Bo", Campus Scientifico Enrico Mattei, Località Crocicchia, 61029 Urbino, Italy
| | - Ashleigh Costelloe
- BioStratigraphic Associates (Trinidad) Limited, 113 Frederick Settlement, Old Southern Main Rd., Caroni, Trinidad and Tobago
| | - Margarita D Dimiza
- National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Faculty of Geology and Geoenvironment, Panepistimioupolis, 15784 Athens, Greece
| | - Luciana Ferraro
- CNR, Institute of Marine Sciences, National Research Council of Italy, Calata Porta di Massa, Naples, Italy
| | - Kristin Haynert
- University of Göttingen, J.F. Blumenbach Institute of Zoology and Anthropology, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Michael Martínez-Colón
- Florida A&M University, School of the Environment, FSH Science Research Center, RM306B, 1515 South MLK Blvd, Tallahassee, FL 32307, USA
| | - Romana Melis
- Department of Mathematics and Geosciences, 34127 Trieste, Italy
| | - Magali Schweizer
- UMR 6112 LPG-BIAF, Univ. Angers, Univ. Nantes, CNRS, 2 Bd Lavoisier, F 49000 Angers, France
| | - Maria V Triantaphyllou
- National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Faculty of Geology and Geoenvironment, Panepistimioupolis, 15784 Athens, Greece
| | - Akira Tsujimoto
- Faculty of Education, Shimane University, 1060 Nishikawatsucho, Matsue, Shimane 690-8504, Japan
| | - Brent Wilson
- Cedar Lodge, Maenygroes, Cei Newydd, Ceredigion, Wales SA45 9RL, UK
| | - Eric Armynot du Châtelet
- Univ. Lille, CNRS, Univ. Littoral Côte d'Opale, UMR 8187, LOG, Laboratoire d'Océanologie et de Géosciences, F 59000 Lille, France
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8
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Francescangeli F, Quijada M, Armynot du Châtelet E, Frontalini F, Trentesaux A, Billon G, Bouchet VMP. Multidisciplinary study to monitor consequences of pollution on intertidal benthic ecosystems (Hauts de France, English Channel, France): Comparison with natural areas. MARINE ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2020; 160:105034. [PMID: 32907737 DOI: 10.1016/j.marenvres.2020.105034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2020] [Revised: 05/25/2020] [Accepted: 05/26/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
The intertidal areas of the Hauts-de-France (English Channel - France) stand out for the occurrence of fragile ecosystems that are exposed to natural and human-induced stress. Over the last two centuries, the northern part of this region has experienced a strong human pressure, with the settlement of numerous activities (i.e., metallurgic factories, harbors, embankments). On the contrary, the southern part includes mostly natural areas. The whole region is influenced by a macrotidal regime. A multidisciplinary approach based on sedimentological (grain-size), geochemical (trace metals, biomarkers) and biological (foraminifera) proxies was used to unravel the contrasting environmental conditions in the Hauts-de-France. Three foraminiferal-types communities, which reflect different ecological characteristics at regional scale, were identified: 1) estuarine macrotidal assemblages (Haynesina germanica associated to Elphidiidae) in low impacted estuaries; 2) industrial-perturbed assemblages (H. germanica and Cribroelphidium excavatum) in harbor areas; and 3) infaunal-dominant assemblages (Bolivina variabilis and B. pseudoplicata) in embankment areas. The outcomes of this study show that a multiproxy procedure needs to be adopted for properly characterizing intertidal ecosystems, where human impacts and natural stresses overlap and are hard to disentangle.
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Affiliation(s)
- F Francescangeli
- University of Lille, CNRS, Univ. Littoral Côte D'Opale, UMR 8187, LOG, Laboratoire D'Océanologie et de Géosciences, F 59 000, Lille, France; University of Hamburg, Institute for Geology, Centre for Earth System Research and Sustainability, Germany.
| | - M Quijada
- University of Lille, CNRS, Univ. Littoral Côte D'Opale, UMR 8187, LOG, Laboratoire D'Océanologie et de Géosciences, F 59 000, Lille, France
| | - E Armynot du Châtelet
- University of Lille, CNRS, Univ. Littoral Côte D'Opale, UMR 8187, LOG, Laboratoire D'Océanologie et de Géosciences, F 59 000, Lille, France
| | - F Frontalini
- University of Urbino, Dipartimento di Scienze Pure e Applicate (DiSPeA), 61029, Urbino, Italy
| | - A Trentesaux
- University of Lille, CNRS, Univ. Littoral Côte D'Opale, UMR 8187, LOG, Laboratoire D'Océanologie et de Géosciences, F 59 000, Lille, France
| | - G Billon
- University of Lille, CNRS, UMR 8516 - LASIRE - Laboratoire de Spectroscopie pour Les Interactions, La Réactivité et L'Environnement, F-59000, Lille, France
| | - V M P Bouchet
- University of Lille, CNRS, Univ. Littoral Côte D'Opale, UMR 8187, LOG, Laboratoire D'Océanologie et de Géosciences, F 62 930, Wimereux, France
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9
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Zwerschke N, Eagling L, Roberts D, O'Connor N. Can an invasive species compensate for the loss of a declining native species? Functional similarity of native and introduced oysters. MARINE ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2020; 153:104793. [PMID: 31582298 DOI: 10.1016/j.marenvres.2019.104793] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2019] [Revised: 09/23/2019] [Accepted: 09/24/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
The widespread introduction of the Pacific oyster, Magallana gigas, has raised concerns regarding its potential impact on the functioning of invaded ecosystems. Concurrently, populations of the European oyster, Ostrea edulis, are in decline. We quantified the functional role of the native oyster, O. edulis, in terms of nutrient cycling and associated infaunal biodiversity and compared it directly to that of the invading oyster, M. gigas. The presence and density of both species were manipulated in the field and we tested for differences in concentration of ammonium, phosphate, total oxidised nitrogen and silicate in pore-water; total organic nitrogen and carbon in sediment; microbial activity; chlorophyll concentration; and the assemblage structure and richness of associated benthic taxa. No differences in nutrient cycling rates or associated benthic assemblages were identified between both oyster species. Nutrient concentrations were mostly affected by differences in oyster density and their significance varied among sampling events. Our findings suggest that M. gigas could compensate for the loss of ecosystem functions performed by O. edulis in areas where native oysters have been extirpated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nadescha Zwerschke
- Queen's University Marine Laboratory, 12-13 the Strand, Portaferry, BT22 1PF, UK.
| | - Lawrence Eagling
- Queen's University Marine Laboratory, 12-13 the Strand, Portaferry, BT22 1PF, UK
| | - Dai Roberts
- Queen's University Marine Laboratory, 12-13 the Strand, Portaferry, BT22 1PF, UK; Queen's University Belfast, School of Biological Science, Belfast, BT9 7BL, UK
| | - Nessa O'Connor
- Queen's University Belfast, School of Biological Science, Belfast, BT9 7BL, UK
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10
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Borja A, Chust G, Muxika I. Forever young: The successful story of a marine biotic index. ADVANCES IN MARINE BIOLOGY 2019; 82:93-127. [PMID: 31229151 DOI: 10.1016/bs.amb.2019.05.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
In 2000, the AZTI's Marine Biotic Index (AMBI) was published and was one of a number of marine benthic indices development to assess the ecological status of soft-bottom macroinvertebrates. This index, and its derivatives, has been very successful in its application to different geographical areas, across the world, as well as to different environments, from the intertidal to the abyssal, or from tidal freshwater to offshore habitats. In this review, we explain the story behind the AMBI development, and look for an explanation of the index's success. For doing that, we comment on the current practicalities of the index, we present the new AMBI species list, with 9251 taxa, we dismantle six myths around this index, and examine the past and the future of the index. We show that the solid ecological roots of the index make it a robust tool to assess the status of marine benthic communities, at any time and environment. Hence, we think that it will be 'forever young' helping managers in taking informed decisions to improve benthic marine systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Angel Borja
- AZTI, Marine Research Division, Pasaia, Spain.
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11
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Armynot du Châtelet E, Francescangeli F, Bouchet VMP, Frontalini F. Benthic foraminifera in transitional environments in the English Channel and the southern North Sea: A proxy for regional-scale environmental and paleo-environmental characterisations. MARINE ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2018; 137:37-48. [PMID: 29503106 DOI: 10.1016/j.marenvres.2018.02.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2017] [Revised: 02/12/2018] [Accepted: 02/18/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
On the basis of the available databases including 700 sampling stations from subtidal to salt marsh areas, the purpose of this paper is to synthesise the regional distribution of living benthic foraminifera in transitional environments along the English Channel and southern North Sea. Indicator species analyses assign 37 foraminiferal taxa to high salt marsh, middle salt marsh, low salt marsh, tidal flat, tidal channel, and subtidal environmental units. Species are indicator of a single unit (e.g., Elphidium gunteri for tidal flat) up to four units (e.g., Haynesina germanica from tidal flat to middle marsh). The outcomes of the present study enhance future high-resolution paleo-environmental interpretations based on benthic foraminifera in transitional environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- E Armynot du Châtelet
- Univ. Lille, CNRS, Univ. Littoral Côte d'Opale, UMR 8187, LOG, Laboratoire d'Océanologie et de Géosciences, F 59 000, Lille, France.
| | - F Francescangeli
- Univ. Lille, CNRS, Univ. Littoral Côte d'Opale, UMR 8187, LOG, Laboratoire d'Océanologie et de Géosciences, F 59 000, Lille, France; Univ. Lille, CNRS, Univ. Littoral Côte d'Opale, UMR 8187, LOG, Laboratoire d'Océanologie et de Géosciences, F 62 930, Wimereux, France.
| | - V M P Bouchet
- Univ. Lille, CNRS, Univ. Littoral Côte d'Opale, UMR 8187, LOG, Laboratoire d'Océanologie et de Géosciences, F 62 930, Wimereux, France.
| | - F Frontalini
- Univ. Urbino Dipartimento di Scienze Pure e Applicate (DiSPeA), Università degli Studi di Urbino "Carlo Bo", Campus Scientifico Enrico Mattei, Località Crocicchia, 61029, Urbino, Italy.
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12
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Bouchet VMP, Telford RJ, Rygg B, Oug E, Alve E. Can benthic foraminifera serve as proxies for changes in benthic macrofaunal community structure? Implications for the definition of reference conditions. MARINE ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2018; 137:24-36. [PMID: 29503108 DOI: 10.1016/j.marenvres.2018.02.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2018] [Revised: 02/16/2018] [Accepted: 02/18/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Benthic macrofauna is one of the most widely used biological groups to assess the ecological status of marine systems. Lately, attention has been paid to similar use of benthic foraminifera. In this study, distribution patterns of benthic foraminiferal and macrofaunal species were investigated simultaneously in 11 fjords in southeastern Norway in order to assess correlations and responses to environmental conditions. Selected fjords allowed to investigate contrasted environmental conditions from low total organic carbon (TOC) content (sediment TOC < 2.7%) in normoxia (bottom-water [O2] > 2 mL O2.L-1) up to high TOC content (> 3.4%) in severe hypoxia (< 0.5 mL O2.L-1). Environmental parameters comprised bottom-water dissolved oxygen, grain size, total organic carbon, total nitrogen (TN), pigments and depth below threshold (DBT). Foraminiferal and macrofaunal community data were significantly correlated (Procrustes analysis m2 = 0.66, p = 0.001). Hence, benthic foraminiferal distribution patterns mirror those of benthic macrofauna. However, as opposed to the foraminifera, macrofauna was not recorded at the most oxygen-depleted stations and, hence, was more sensitive to severe oxygen depletion. With regard to assigning species to ecological groups for ecological quality status assessment, the results suggest that species, e.g. Spiroplectammina biformis (foraminifera), Scalibregma inflatum (macrofauna), may exhibit different ecological requirements depending on their habitat. Considering the observed congruent patterns of benthic foraminifera and macrofauna, palaeo-communities of benthic foraminifera could be used as indicators of reference conditions for benthic macrofaunal community structure. This would however need further developments of algorithms to perform such a translation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vincent M P Bouchet
- Department of Geosciences, University of Oslo, PO Box 1047, Blindern 0316 Oslo, Norway; Univ. Lille, CNRS, Univ. Littoral Côte d'Opale, UMR 8187, LOG, Laboratoire d'Océanologie et de Géosciences, F 62930 Wimereux, France.
| | - Richard J Telford
- Department of Biology, University of Bergen, Bjerknes Centre for Climate Research, Allegaten 41, 5007 Bergen, Norway
| | - Brage Rygg
- Norwegian Institute for Water Research (NIVA), Gaustadallèen 21, 0349 Oslo, Norway
| | - Eivind Oug
- Norwegian Institute for Water Research (NIVA), Region South, Jon Lilletuns vei 3, 4879 Grimstad, Norway
| | - Elisabeth Alve
- Department of Geosciences, University of Oslo, PO Box 1047, Blindern 0316 Oslo, Norway
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13
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O'Carroll JPJ, Quinn C, Forde J, Patterson A, O'Beirn FX, Kennedy R. Impact of prolonged storm activity on the Ecological Status of intertidal benthic habitats within oyster (Crassostrea gigas) trestle cultivation sites. MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN 2016; 110:460-469. [PMID: 27373942 DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2016.06.014] [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: 10/30/2015] [Revised: 05/31/2016] [Accepted: 06/02/2016] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
The Ecological Status (ES; sensu the Water Framework Directive) of intertidal benthic communities within six oyster trestle cultivation sites was found to be negatively impacted along the access routes to trestles in a 2013 study. All cultivation sites occur within Natura 2000 sites. The current study revisited four of the 2013 cultivation sites in February 2014 one month after the storm activity of winter 2013/14 to test if the compaction effect along access routes persisted after the storms. Three levels of the fixed factor treatment were sampled; immediately below the trestles, along the access route and 300m away from any anthropogenic activity. The compaction effect at the Access treatment persisted in spite of the major storm activity. The current study showed the IQI to be effective for assessing the impacts of aquaculture and highlights the IQI as a tool for monitoring Conservation Status of intertidal communities under the Habitats Directive.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jack P J O'Carroll
- Marine Ecosystems Research Laboratory, Zoology, Ryan Institute, National University of Ireland, Galway, University Rd., Galway, Ireland.
| | - Christina Quinn
- Marine Ecosystems Research Laboratory, Zoology, Ryan Institute, National University of Ireland, Galway, University Rd., Galway, Ireland
| | - James Forde
- RPS Group, Lyrr 2, IDA Business and Technology Park, Mervue, Galway, Ireland
| | - Adrian Patterson
- Marine Ecosystems Research Laboratory, Zoology, Ryan Institute, National University of Ireland, Galway, University Rd., Galway, Ireland
| | - Francis X O'Beirn
- Benthos Ecology, Marine Environment and Food Safety Services, Marine Institute, Rinville, Oranmore, Co. Galway, Ireland
| | - Robert Kennedy
- Marine Ecosystems Research Laboratory, Zoology, Ryan Institute, National University of Ireland, Galway, University Rd., Galway, Ireland
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14
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Francescangeli F, Armynot du Chatelet E, Billon G, Trentesaux A, Bouchet VMP. Palaeo-ecological quality status based on foraminifera of Boulogne-sur-Mer harbour (Pas-de-Calais, Northeastern France) over the last 200 years. MARINE ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2016; 117:32-43. [PMID: 27074196 DOI: 10.1016/j.marenvres.2016.04.002] [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: 01/13/2016] [Revised: 03/30/2016] [Accepted: 04/03/2016] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
Over the last centuries, coastal areas have experienced dramatic degradations of their environmental quality, which has led to a huge reduction of marine biodiversity. The objective of the present study was to use geochemical parameters and benthic fossil foraminifera to assess environmental changes that have occurred over the last 200 years in a harbour area (Boulogne-sur-Mer, Northern France) heavily modified by human activities. A multidisciplinary approach including major and trace metals, grain-size, total organic carbon and benthic fossil foraminifera, has been performed on a 33-cm long core. The dating was carried out using the activity of (210)Pb and (137)Cs. Embayment of the area and increase of trace metals concentrations induced a shift in benthic communities. Human activities modified a sandy nearshore bank, colonized by typical marine foraminiferal species, such as Cribroelphiudium excavatum, into a sheltered environment, dominated by brackish end-members, such as Haynesina germanica. Along the sedimentary record, the interaction between meiofaunal and geochemical elements made it possible to distinguish between a pre-impacted period and an industrial period. The upper part of the core reflects better ecological conditions, indicating an environmental recovery. Our results provide baselines for future environmental bio-monitoring in the area.
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Affiliation(s)
- F Francescangeli
- Univ. Lille, CNRS, Univ. Littoral Cote d'Opale, UMR 8187, LOG, Laboratoire d'Océanologie et de Géosciences, F 59 000, Lille, France; Univ. Lille, CNRS, Univ. Littoral Cote d'Opale, UMR 8187, LOG, Laboratoire d'Océanologie et de Géosciences, F 62930, Wimereux, France.
| | - E Armynot du Chatelet
- Univ. Lille, CNRS, Univ. Littoral Cote d'Opale, UMR 8187, LOG, Laboratoire d'Océanologie et de Géosciences, F 59 000, Lille, France
| | - G Billon
- Univ. Lille, CNRS, UMR 8516, LASIR, Laboratoire de Spectrochimie Infrarouge et Raman, F 59 000, Lille, France
| | - A Trentesaux
- Univ. Lille, CNRS, Univ. Littoral Cote d'Opale, UMR 8187, LOG, Laboratoire d'Océanologie et de Géosciences, F 59 000, Lille, France
| | - V M P Bouchet
- Univ. Lille, CNRS, Univ. Littoral Cote d'Opale, UMR 8187, LOG, Laboratoire d'Océanologie et de Géosciences, F 62930, Wimereux, France
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15
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Sigamani S, Perumal M, Arumugam S, Preetha Mini Jose HM, Veeraiyan B. AMBI indices and multivariate approach to assess the ecological health of Vellar-Coleroon estuarine system undergoing various human activities. MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN 2015; 100:334-343. [PMID: 26323865 DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2015.08.028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2015] [Revised: 07/27/2015] [Accepted: 08/10/2015] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
Estuaries receive a considerable amount of pollutants from various sources. Presently an attempt has been made to assess whether the aquaculture discharges and dredging activities alter the ecological conditions of Vellar-Coleroon estuarine complex. The European Water Framework Directive (WFD) established a framework for the protection of marine waters. In this commission, a variety of indices were used, among them, AMBI (AZTI Marine Biotic Index) indices along with multivariate statistical approach is unique, to assess the ecological status by using macrobenthic communities. Keeping this in view, stations VE-1 and VE-4 in Vellar; CE-6 and CE-7 in Coleroon estuaries showed moderately disturbed with the AMBI values ranging between 3.45 and 3.72. The above said stations were situated near the shrimp farm discharge point and sites of dredging activities. The present study proves that various statistical and biotic indices have great potential in assessing the nature of the ecosystem undergoing various human pressures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sivaraj Sigamani
- Centre of Advanced Study in Marine Biology, Faculty of Marine Sciences, Annamalai University, Parangipettai 608 502, Tamilnadu, India.
| | - Murugesan Perumal
- Centre of Advanced Study in Marine Biology, Faculty of Marine Sciences, Annamalai University, Parangipettai 608 502, Tamilnadu, India
| | - Silambarasan Arumugam
- Centre of Advanced Study in Marine Biology, Faculty of Marine Sciences, Annamalai University, Parangipettai 608 502, Tamilnadu, India
| | - H M Preetha Mini Jose
- Centre of Advanced Study in Marine Biology, Faculty of Marine Sciences, Annamalai University, Parangipettai 608 502, Tamilnadu, India
| | - Bharathidasan Veeraiyan
- Centre of Advanced Study in Marine Biology, Faculty of Marine Sciences, Annamalai University, Parangipettai 608 502, Tamilnadu, India
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16
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Forde J, O'Beirn FX, O'Carroll JP, Patterson A, Kennedy R. Impact of intertidal oyster trestle cultivation on the Ecological Status of benthic habitats. MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN 2015; 95:223-233. [PMID: 25960277 DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2015.04.013] [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: 10/08/2014] [Revised: 04/10/2015] [Accepted: 04/11/2015] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
A considerable number of Ireland's shellfish production areas co-occur with or are adjacent to Natura 2000 sites which are protected under European legislation. To investigate the general interaction between trestle oyster cultivation and the surrounding intertidal environment, six sites were selected within designated Natura 2000 sites. At each trestle site three Treatment areas were sampled. One Treatment area corresponded to potential impacts associated with cultivation activities occurring at trestle structures (designated the Trestle Treatment) while one Treatment area corresponded to potential impacts due to cultivation activities occurring along access routes (the Access Treatment). An area not subject to any known anthropogenic activity was used as a control (the Control Treatment). Potential impacts associated with Trestle Treatment areas included changes in sediment total organic matter (TOM) levels underneath trestles due to the bio-deposition of faecal/pseudofaecal material while the predominant impact associated with Access Treatment areas was compaction of sediments due to heavy vehicle traffic. In this study, macrobenthic communities at the sites were highly variable and exhibited low levels of diversity which prevented the detection of general effects of cultivation activity on community structure, diversity and secondary production. To overcome this variability, the Infaunal Quality Index (IQI) was used to assess impacts on Ecological Status (ES) of benthic communities (sensu Water Framework Directive). Relative to Control and Trestle Treatment areas, activities occurring at Access Treatment areas had a significant negative impact on ES. This study highlights the potential of the IQI for the management of aquaculture activity and provides validation for the use of the IQI in Irish intertidal environments. This study also highlights the IQI as a potential tool for assessing the conservation status of designated habitats in Natura 2000 sites.
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Affiliation(s)
- James Forde
- RPS Group, Lyrr 2, IDA Business and Technology Park, Mervue, Galway, Ireland.
| | - Francis X O'Beirn
- Marine Environment & Food Safety Services, Marine Institute, Rinville, Oranmore, Galway, Ireland
| | - Jack Pj O'Carroll
- Marine Ecosystems Research Laboratory, Zoology, Ryan Institute, National University of Ireland, Galway, University Rd., Galway, Ireland
| | - Adrian Patterson
- Marine Ecosystems Research Laboratory, Zoology, Ryan Institute, National University of Ireland, Galway, University Rd., Galway, Ireland
| | - Robert Kennedy
- Marine Ecosystems Research Laboratory, Zoology, Ryan Institute, National University of Ireland, Galway, University Rd., Galway, Ireland
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17
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Aguado-Giménez F, Gairín JI, Martinez-Garcia E, Fernandez-Gonzalez V, Ballester Moltó M, Cerezo-Valverde J, Sanchez-Jerez P. Application of "taxocene surrogation" and "taxonomic sufficiency" concepts to fish farming environmental monitoring. Comparison of BOPA index versus polychaete assemblage structure. MARINE ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2015; 103:27-35. [PMID: 25460059 DOI: 10.1016/j.marenvres.2014.10.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2014] [Revised: 10/27/2014] [Accepted: 10/31/2014] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
"Taxocene surrogation" and "taxonomic sufficiency" concepts were applied to the monitoring of soft bottoms macrobenthic assemblages influenced by fish farming following two approaches. Polychaete assemblage evaluation through multivariate analysis and the benthic index BOPA were compared. Six fish farms along the Spanish Mediterranean coast were monitored. Polychaete assemblage provided a suitable picture of the impact gradient, being correlated with total free sulphides. BOPA did not support the impact gradient described by the polychaete assemblage, providing erroneous categorizations. The inclusion of several polychaete families, which were locally identified as indicative of affection to recalculate BOPA, resulted in an improved diagnosis and correlation with the impact gradient. Nevertheless, frequent misclassifications occurred. These results suggest that the structure of polychaete families, sulphides and granulometry conform an appropriate strategy for fish farming monitoring. Biotic indices need to be specifically designed for concrete activities, and regionally validated, because of the environmental plasticity of benthic invertebrates.
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Affiliation(s)
- F Aguado-Giménez
- Instituto Murciano de Investigación y Desarrollo Agrario y Alimentario (IMIDA), Estación de Acuicultura Marina, Puerto de San Pedro del Pinatar, 30740, Murcia, Spain.
| | - J I Gairín
- IRTA Investigación y Tecnología Agroalimentaria, Ctra, De Poblenou Km 5.5, 43450, Sant Carlos de la Rápita, Tarragona, Spain
| | - E Martinez-Garcia
- Departamento de Ciencias del Mar y Biología Aplicada, Universidad de Alicante, Ap. 99, 03080, Alicante, Spain
| | - V Fernandez-Gonzalez
- Departamento de Ciencias del Mar y Biología Aplicada, Universidad de Alicante, Ap. 99, 03080, Alicante, Spain
| | - M Ballester Moltó
- Instituto Murciano de Investigación y Desarrollo Agrario y Alimentario (IMIDA), Estación de Acuicultura Marina, Puerto de San Pedro del Pinatar, 30740, Murcia, Spain
| | - J Cerezo-Valverde
- Instituto Murciano de Investigación y Desarrollo Agrario y Alimentario (IMIDA), Estación de Acuicultura Marina, Puerto de San Pedro del Pinatar, 30740, Murcia, Spain
| | - P Sanchez-Jerez
- Departamento de Ciencias del Mar y Biología Aplicada, Universidad de Alicante, Ap. 99, 03080, Alicante, Spain
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18
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Fitch JE, Cooper KM, Crowe TP, Hall-Spencer JM, Phillips G. Response of multi-metric indices to anthropogenic pressures in distinct marine habitats: the need for recalibration to allow wider applicability. MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN 2014; 87:220-229. [PMID: 25127499 DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2014.07.056] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2013] [Revised: 07/23/2014] [Accepted: 07/24/2014] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Abstract
Sustainable exploitation of coastal ecosystems is facilitated by tools which allow reliable assessment of their response to anthropogenic pressures. The Infaunal Quality Index (IQI) and Multivariate-AMBI (M-AMBI) were developed to classify the ecological status (ES) of benthos for the Water Framework Directive (WFD). The indices respond reliably to the impacts of organic enrichment in muddy sand habitats, but their applicability across a range of pressures and habitats is less well understood. The ability of the indices to predict changes in response to pressures in three distinct habitats, intertidal muddy sand, maerl and inshore gravel, was tested using pre-existing datasets. Both responded following the same patterns of variation as previously reported. The IQI was more conservative when responding to environmental conditions so may have greater predictive value in dynamic habitats to provide an early-warning system to managers'. Re-calibration of reference conditions is necessary to reliably reflect ES in different habitats.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jayne E Fitch
- Environment Agency, Kingfisher House, Goldhay Way, Peterborough PE2 5ZR, UK.
| | - Keith M Cooper
- The Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science, Lowestoft Laboratory, Pakefield Road, Suffolk NR33 0HT, UK.
| | - Tasman P Crowe
- Earth Institute and School of Biology and Environmental Science, Science Centre West, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland.
| | - Jason M Hall-Spencer
- Marine Biology and Ecology Research Centre, Plymouth University, Plymouth PL4 8AA, UK.
| | - Graham Phillips
- Environment Agency, Kingfisher House, Goldhay Way, Peterborough PE2 5ZR, UK.
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19
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Carregosa V, Velez C, Pires A, Soares AMVM, Figueira E, Freitas R. Physiological and biochemical responses of the Polychaete Diopatra neapolitana to organic matter enrichment. AQUATIC TOXICOLOGY (AMSTERDAM, NETHERLANDS) 2014; 155:32-42. [PMID: 24973779 DOI: 10.1016/j.aquatox.2014.05.029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2014] [Revised: 05/26/2014] [Accepted: 05/29/2014] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Abstract
Several studies have demonstrated that organic matter enrichment may be associated to aquaculture, leading to impoverished benthic communities and species succession with loss of biodiversity, but very few studies have investigated biochemical and physiological alterations that species affected by aquaculture activities undergo. Thus, in the present study, the effects of the organic enrichment originating from an oyster culture were studied in the Polychaete Diopatra neapolitana, a species already shown to be sensitive to inorganic contamination. For this, physiological responses and biochemical alterations were evaluated. The results obtained revealed that individuals from highly organically enriched areas presented lower capacity to regenerate their body but higher glycogen and protein levels. Furthermore, with increasing organic matter D. neapolitana increased the lipid peroxidation (LPO), the oxidized glutathione content (GSSG) and Glutathione S-transferase activity (GSTs) content, and the activity of the antioxidant enzymes catalase (CAT) and superoxide dismutase (SOD). This study evidenced that organic matter enrichment induced biochemical and physiological alterations in D. neapolitana. Thus, this species was shown to be a good sentinel species to monitor organic contamination.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vanessa Carregosa
- Departamento de Biologia, Universidade de Aveiro, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal
| | - Cátia Velez
- Departamento de Biologia & CESAM, Universidade de Aveiro, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal
| | - Adília Pires
- Departamento de Biologia & CESAM, Universidade de Aveiro, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal
| | - Amadeu M V M Soares
- Departamento de Biologia & CESAM, Universidade de Aveiro, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal
| | - Etelvina Figueira
- Departamento de Biologia & CESAM, Universidade de Aveiro, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal
| | - Rosa Freitas
- Departamento de Biologia & CESAM, Universidade de Aveiro, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal.
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de-la-Ossa-Carretero JA, Del-Pilar-Ruso Y, Giménez-Casalduero F, Sánchez-Lizaso JL. Assessing reliable indicators to sewage pollution in coastal soft-bottom communities. ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING AND ASSESSMENT 2012; 184:2133-2149. [PMID: 21617967 DOI: 10.1007/s10661-011-2105-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2010] [Accepted: 04/26/2011] [Indexed: 05/30/2023]
Abstract
Physicochemical characteristics of sediment and benthic communities were studied in the proximity of seven sewage outfalls with differences in flow and wastewater treatment in the Western Mediterranean Sea. Redox potential was the only abiotic parameter which showed a pattern related with distance to outfalls, whereas granulometry, percentage of organic matter, metal concentrations or pH did not show changes related with outfall presence. Benthic community analysis proved to be the most suitable monitoring tool. The results showed that the highest impacted stations corresponded with those closest to outfall with the highest flow and only pre-treatment, whilst a decrease of this tendency was detected in the locations where secondary treatment takes place. Meta-analysis showed a decrease of amphipods and tanaids abundance as well as redox potential, as the indicators with the clearest response to sewage presence.
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21
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Paganelli D, Forni G, Marchini A, Mazziotti C, Occhipinti-Ambrogi A. Critical appraisal on the identification of Reference Conditions for the evaluation of ecological quality status along the Emilia-Romagna coast (Italy) using M-AMBI. MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN 2011; 62:1725-1735. [PMID: 21683420 DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2011.05.027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2010] [Revised: 05/11/2011] [Accepted: 05/20/2011] [Indexed: 05/30/2023]
Abstract
According to the European Water Framework Directive, the ecological status (ES) of a water body is determined by comparing observation data with undisturbed Reference Conditions (RCs). Defining RCs is crucial when evaluating the ES of a water body as it strongly affects the final outcome of any index application. Identifying RCs by observing real sites is not feasible in many marine environments, such as the Emilia-Romagna coast (Italy, N-Adriatic Sea). We used a statistical approach on a large dataset to derive RCs for the application of the benthic index M-AMBI in this area. We then applied M-AMBI to samples collected along a gradient of presumed environmental disturbance. The results put 14.8% of the Emilia-Romagna samples in "High" ES, 60.2% in "Good", 23.0% in "Moderate" and 2.0% in "Poor", showing a spatial gradient of improving quality. These results are in agreement with the extensive ecological knowledge available for this area.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniele Paganelli
- Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra e dell' Ambiente, University of Pavia, Via S. Epifanio 14, 27100 Pavia, Italy
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22
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Fitch JE, Crowe TP. Effective methods for assessing ecological quality in intertidal soft-sediment habitats. MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN 2010; 60:1726-1733. [PMID: 20619424 DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2010.06.027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2010] [Revised: 06/16/2010] [Accepted: 06/18/2010] [Indexed: 05/29/2023]
Abstract
Impacts of anthropogenic pollution on marine ecosystems are being addressed by legislation to protect and restore coastal and transitional waters. A range of biological measures have been investigated for their ability to indicate anthropogenic disturbance in subtidal soft-sediment habitats, but little work to date has focussed in intertidal habitats. This study investigated the sensitivity of communities, individual taxa, diversity indices and biotic indices to nutrient and organic enrichment in intertidal soft-sediment habitats. Variation in macrofaunal communities was more strongly associated with anthropogenic stressors than with natural environmental variation. Two multimetric indices, M-AMBI and IQI, were more closely associated with nutrient and organic pollution than the AMBI and ITI indices. Intertidal monitoring based on existing monitoring tools offers a cost effective alternative to subtidal monitoring and has potential to form the basis for an ecosystem level approach.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jayne E Fitch
- School of Biology and Environmental Science, Science Centre West, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland.
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23
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de-la-Ossa-Carretero JA, Del-Pilar-Ruso Y, Giménez-Casalduero F, Sánchez-Lizaso JL. Sensitivity of tanaid Apseudes latreillei (Milne-Edwards) populations to sewage pollution. MARINE ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2010; 69:309-317. [PMID: 20074793 DOI: 10.1016/j.marenvres.2009.12.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2009] [Revised: 12/02/2009] [Accepted: 12/11/2009] [Indexed: 05/28/2023]
Abstract
Apseudes latreillei (Milne-Edwards) is a common and abundant tanaid in soft-bottom communities from waters off East Atlantic and Mediterranean coasts. Its sensitivity to pollution is not clear despite being an abundant and widely distributed crustacean, since it has been reported as both a tolerant and sensitive species. This paper tests the sensitivity of A. latreillei to sewage discharges in fine-sand communities along the Castellon coast (W. Mediterranean). We analysed variation in tanaid populations between sites at varying distances from sewage outfalls with respect to population density, size distribution, sex ratio and their correlation with different abiotic factors of waste water and sediment. Results showed clearly that A. latreillei populations were affected by the presence of sewage outfalls, to such an extent that sewage disposal outlets produced a decrease in population density and changes in size spectra.
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Alve E, Lepland A, Magnusson J, Backer-Owe K. Monitoring strategies for re-establishment of ecological reference conditions: possibilities and limitations. MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN 2009; 59:297-310. [PMID: 19726064 DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2009.08.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/28/2023]
Abstract
The ecological status of an environment should be evaluated by comparison with local "reference conditions", here defined as the pre-industrial ecological status of the 19th century. This pilot study illustrates how micropalaeontological monitoring, using benthic foraminifera (protists) and associated geochemical parameters preserved in inner Oslofjord (Norway) sediments, characterise local reference conditions. In order to optimise the usefulness of the ecological information held by foraminifera and enable characterisation of temporal changes in environmental quality beyond time intervals covered by biological time-series, the Norwegian governmental macrofauna-based classification system is applied on fossil benthic foraminiferal assemblages. Quantitative comparisons demonstrate deteriorating ecological status in response to increased anthropogenic forcing (eutrophication, micropollutants), including a 73% loss in number of foraminiferal species. Despite reduced pollution during the past decades and, at one site, capping of polluted sediments with clean clay, the reference conditions are far from re-established. Micropalaeontological monitoring requires net sediment accumulation basins and careful considerations of taphonomic processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elisabeth Alve
- Department of Geosciences, University of Oslo, Blindern, 0316 Oslo, Norway.
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25
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de-la-Ossa-Carretero JA, del-Pilar-Ruso Y, Giménez-Casalduero F, Sánchez-Lizaso JL. Testing BOPA index in sewage affected soft-bottom communities in the north-western Mediterranean. MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN 2009; 58:332-340. [PMID: 19095270 DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2008.10.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/13/2008] [Revised: 10/23/2008] [Accepted: 10/29/2008] [Indexed: 05/27/2023]
Abstract
The implementation of the European directive (ELD) 2000/60/EC has produced the development of several biotic indices based in benthic communities. These indices try to summarise ecological quality status of different communities. However, a universal index that works in all situations is difficult to establish, because there are several sources of variation. Therefore, there is the need for testing and validation of these indices which is required for making management decisions on different scales, and in different regions and communities. In this study we test one of these indices, BOPA index, developed by Dauvin and Ruellet [Dauvin, J.C., Ruellet, T., 2007. Polychaete/amphipod ratio revisited. Marine Pollution Bulletin 55, 215-224] in five locations affected by sewage disposal. These disposals are often released via outfall into shallow subtidal habitats, leading to a common source of pollution in coastal marine environments. BOPA index provides a valuable overview of the gradient status of a benthic environment, discriminating between stations more affected by discharge. Nevertheless, BOPA index, used to establish the ecological quality status, seemed to overestimate the status and hence there is the need to calibrate the thresholds between EcoQs classes as defined for these medium-to-fine sand communities, which are characteristics of shallow sublittoral soft-bottoms of the north-western Mediterranean Sea.
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Affiliation(s)
- J A de-la-Ossa-Carretero
- Department of Marine Sciences and Applied Biology, University of Alicante, Ap 99 E-03080 Alicante, Spain.
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