Seagrass colonization: Knock-on effects on zoobenthic community, populations and individual health
Language
EN
Article de revue
This item was published in
Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science. 2011-12-20, vol. 95, n° 4, p. 458-469
English Abstract
This study provided evidence that Zostera noltii presence affects macrofauna community structure independently from median sediment grain-size and that the notion of ecosystem health is rather subjective: in the present ...Read more >
This study provided evidence that Zostera noltii presence affects macrofauna community structure independently from median sediment grain-size and that the notion of ecosystem health is rather subjective: in the present case, we recorded “good health” in terms of seagrass development, “no impact” in terms of macrobenthic biotic indices and “negative effect” for a given key-population. The occurrence and development of a Z. noltii seagrass bed was surveyed at Banc d’Arguin, Arcachon Bay (France), to estimate the modification of the macrozoobenthic community and of the dynamics of a key-population for the local ecosystem, – the cockle Cerastoderma edule. Even though median grain-size of the sediment decreased only at the very end of the survey, i.e. when seagrass totally invaded the area, most of the macrofauna community characteristics (such as abundance and biomass) increased as soon as Z. noltii patches appeared. The structure of the macrofauna community also immediately diverged between sand and seagrass habitats, without however modifying the tested biotic indices (BENTIX, BOPA, AMBI). The health of the cockle population (growth, abundance, recruitment) was impacted by seagrass development. Related parasite communities slowly diverged between habitats, with more parasites in the cockles from seagrass areas. However, the number of parasites per cockle was always insufficient to alter cockle fitness.Read less <
English Keywords
Zostera noltii seagrass
WFD
macrozoobenthic community
Cerastoderma edule
parasite