Understanding the effects of coastal defence structures on marine biota: The role of substrate composition and roughness in structuring sessile, macro- and meiofaunal communities. (August 2020)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Sedano, F.; Navarro-Barranco, C.; Guerra-García, J.M.; Espinosa, F.
• Is Part Of: Marine pollution bulletin. Volume 157(2020)
• Publication Date: 2020-08
• Subjects: Artificial structures -- Ocean sprawl -- Concrete -- Ecological engineering -- Cascading effects -- Meiofauna; Marine pollution -- Periodicals; Marine Biology -- Periodicals; Water Pollution -- Periodicals; Mer -- Pollution -- Périodiques; Publications périodiques; Pollution des mers; Lutte antipollution; Electronic journals; 363.7394
• DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2020.111334
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0025-326X

Abstract

Abstract: The increasing deployment of artificial structures into the marine environment is creating new hard substrates that differ from natural ones in physical and biological aspects. However, studies of macrofaunal and meiofaunal communities associated with artificial structures are very limited. Seawalls, cubes, acropods and rip-raps in Algeciras Bay (southern Spain) were each compared with the nearest natural hard substrate and their community structure was related to substrate roughness, composition, carbonates content, crystallinity and age, using db-RDA. The results showed clear differences between substrates for the three community levels (sessile, macro- and meiofauna). Overall, rip-raps were the most similar to natural substrates. Under similar environmental conditions, substrate roughness, composition (only for sessile) and age of the structures seemed to play important roles in structuring those communities. They especially affected the sessile community, initiating strong cascading effects that were detectable at high taxonomic level in the associated fauna. Highlights: Vagile macrofauna and meiofauna are neglected when comparing artificial structures. Each substrate was different for the three community levels studied. Rip-raps were the most similar to natural hard substrates. Physical attributes, composition (for sessile) and age structured the communities. Sessile community initiated cascading effects detectable at other community levels.