Benthic foraminifera to assess Ecological Quality Statuses in Italian transitional waters

Bouchet, Vincent M. P.; Goberville, Éric; Frontalini, Fabrizio

doi:10.1016/j.ecolind.2017.07.055

Cited by 65 publications

(61 citation statements)

References 69 publications

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“…It suggests that the area around the Servola sewage pipeline (Ser station) is more problematic than the Reserve (Res station) for the foraminiferal communities. Along the Italian coast lagoons, lakes, and human activities (industries, aquaculture) also induce low diversity in terms of benthic foraminifera (Bouchet et al, 2018). Similarly, in the Saguenay (Canada), benthic foraminiferal diversity was very low due to discharges from a paper mill (Schafer et al 1991).…”

Section: Diversity and Foraminiferal Densitymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Following the suggestions of Bouchet et al (2012Bouchet et al ( , 2018, we used the Exp(H' bc ) index based on benthic foraminifera to evaluate the ecological status of the studied environments (EcoQs). In this study we decided to define the highest expected Exp(H' bc ) to 25 effective species using the complete living assemblage (0-2 cm interval, living foraminifera from cumulative triplicate samples).…”

Section: Benthic Foraminifera Used To Assess the Ecological Status Ofmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Furthermore, a wide range of papers highlights their high potential to serve as relevant bioindicators of anthropogenic pressure in marine ecosystems (e.g. Murray & Alve, 2002;Martínez-Colón et al, 2009;Armynot du Châtelet & Debenay, 2010;Frontalini & Coccioni, 2011;Alve et al, 2016;Bouchet et al, 2018;Jorissen et al, 2018). It has been noted that in stressed and/or polluted environments, diversity and abundances could change, and therefore the structure of the community.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…All this evidence has led to the definition of monitoring methods based on benthic foraminifera (Bouchet et al, 2012;Barras et al, 2014;Schönfeld et al, 2012;Dimiza et al, 2016). Recently, diversity indices based on benthic foraminifera have been proven to be a suitable method to evaluate ecological quality status along the coast of Italy (Bouchet et al, 2018). Hence, benthic foraminifera appear to be a relevant group to compare environmental conditions in two contrasted areas of the Gulf of Trieste: the MPA of Miramare and the area impacted by the Servola sewage outfall.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Seasonal response of benthic foraminifera to anthropogenic pressure in two stations of the Gulf of Trieste (northern Adriatic Sea, Italy): the marine protected area of Miramare versus the Servola water sewage outfall

et al. 2019

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A seasonal survey of living benthic foraminifera was performed in 2013 in the Gulf of Trieste (N Adriatic Sea) to compare two marine coastal sites with different degrees of anthropogenic influence. An assessment of ecological quality statuses showed that the station located near the end of an urban pipeline (Ser station), has worse ecological conditions than the site located in a protected marine area (Res station) all year around. Stressed conditions at Ser station were mainly related to high contents of total organic carbon (TOC) and Zn in the bioavailable fraction, which were a limiting factor for the studied foraminiferal communities. Ammonia tepida, Bolivina spp., and Bulimina spp., which characterised this station, were the most tolerant taxa of the studied assemblage. Conversely, Elphidium spp., H. depressula, N. iridea, Quiqueloculina spp., R. nana and Textularia spp., could be considered less tolerant species as they benefitted from the less stressful conditions recorded at Res station, despite slightly higher concentrations of some potentially toxic elements (PTEs), especially Pb, being recorded in this station in comparison to Ser station. Furthermore, foraminiferal assemblages were found to be quite resilient over an annual cycle, being able to recover from a seasonal unbalanced state to a mature one. The beginning of spring and latest summer would be the best period to assess the ecological quality status to avoid any under- or overestimation of the health of the environment.

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Section: Diversity and Foraminiferal Densitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Benthic Foraminifera Used To Assess the Ecological Status Ofmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Seasonal response of benthic foraminifera to anthropogenic pressure in two stations of the Gulf of Trieste (northern Adriatic Sea, Italy): the marine protected area of Miramare versus the Servola water sewage outfall

et al. 2019

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“…For this reason, they host many human activities (i.e., fisheries, aquaculture, agriculture, industry, and tourism [4]) that, on the other side, have endangered their integrity and ecological quality status as well [5,6]. Therefore, there is general agreement among the scientific community, which is also recognized by legislations worldwide (e.g., the US Clean Water Act, European Water Framework Directive, Marine Strategy Framework Directive, and the National Water Act in South Africa), about the need to assess their health status and ensure proper management of their resources [4,7].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Meiofaunal Dynamics and Heterogeneity along Salinity and Trophic Gradients in a Mediterranean Transitional System

Semprucci

Gravina

Magni

2019

Water

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The spatiotemporal variation in meiofaunal assemblages were investigated for the first time in the Cabras Lagoon, the largest transitional system in the Sardinian Island (W-Mediterranean Sea). Two main environmental (salinity and trophic) gradients highlighted a significant separation of the three study sites across the lagoon, which were consistent through time. The environmental variability and habitat heterogeneity of the Cabras Lagoon influenced the meiofauna. In particular, salinity and dissolved oxygen, primarily, shaped the meiofaunal assemblage structure at the seaward site which was significantly different from both the riverine and the organically enriched sites. On the other hand, the trophic components (e.g., organic matter, Chlorophyll-a, and phaeopigments) and the different degrees of confinement and saprobity among sites were the secondary factors contributing mostly to the separation between the latter two sites. The lack of significant differences in the temporal comparison of the meiofaunal assemblage structure along with the very low contribution of temperature to the meiofaunal ordination indicated that this assemblage was more affected by spatial rather than by temporal variation. This pattern was also supported by significant differences between the three sites in several univariate measures, including total number of individuals, number of taxa, Pielou’s evenness, and the ratio between nematodes and copepods. Thus, the present study corroborates the hypothesis that meiofaunal organisms are good indicators of the spatial heterogeneity in transitional waters (TWs) and could have a greater species richness than that expected. Indeed, the Cabras Lagoon overall showed one of the highest meiofaunal richness values found from both Mediterranean and European TWs.

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Distribution of benthic foraminiferal assemblages in the transitional environment of the Djerba lagoon (Tunisia)

et al. 2018

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The eastern edge of the Djerba Island represents an important tourist pole. However, studies describing the environmental processes affecting this Island are scarce. Although never studied before, the peculiar Djerba lagoon is well known by the local population and by tourists. In July 2014, surface sediment and seawater samples were collected in this lagoon to measure grain size, organic matter content and living foraminiferal assemblages to describe environmental conditions. Seawater samples were also collected and the concentration of 17 chemical elements were measured by ICP-OES. The results show that a salinity gradient along the studied transect clearly impacts seagrass distribution, creating different environmental conditions inside the Djerba lagoon. Biotic and abiotic parameters reflect a transitional environment from hypersaline to normal marine conditions. Living benthic foraminifera show an adaptation to changing conditions within the different parts of the lagoon. In particular, the presence of Ammonia spp. and Haynesina depressula correlates with hypersaline waters, whilst Brizalina striatula characterizes the parts of the lagoon colonized by seagrass. Epifaunal species, such as Rosalina vilardeboana and Amphistegina spp. colonize hard substrata present at the transition between the lagoon and the open sea.

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Benthic foraminifera to assess Ecological Quality Statuses in Italian transitional waters

Cited by 65 publications

References 69 publications

Seasonal response of benthic foraminifera to anthropogenic pressure in two stations of the Gulf of Trieste (northern Adriatic Sea, Italy): the marine protected area of Miramare versus the Servola water sewage outfall

Seasonal response of benthic foraminifera to anthropogenic pressure in two stations of the Gulf of Trieste (northern Adriatic Sea, Italy): the marine protected area of Miramare versus the Servola water sewage outfall

Meiofaunal Dynamics and Heterogeneity along Salinity and Trophic Gradients in a Mediterranean Transitional System

Distribution of benthic foraminiferal assemblages in the transitional environment of the Djerba lagoon (Tunisia)

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