Changes in Macrozoobenthos Community after Aquatic Plant Restoration in the Northern Venice Lagoon (IT)

Abstract

Responses of the macrozoobenthic community to an ecological restoration activity in the northern Venice lagoon were studied, within the scope of the project LIFE SEagrass RESTOration aimed at recreating aquatic phanerogam meadows largely reduced in recent decades. Transplants were successful in almost all project areas. Macrozoobenthos was sampled in eight stations before (2014) and after (2015, 2016, 2017) transplanting activities. An increase in abundance and fluctuations in richness and univariate ecological indices (Shannon’s, Margalef’s, Pielou’s indices) resulted during the years. Comparing non-vegetated and vegetated samples in 2017, every index except Pielou’s increased in the latter. Multivariate analysis (hierarchical cluster analysis, MDS, PERMDISP, SIMPER) grouped samples by localization rather than years, with differences between stations due to the abundance of common species. In 2017, results were also grouped by the presence or absence of aquatic plants, with differences in the abundance of grazer and filter-feeding species. Results of ecological index M-AMBI depicted conditions from moderate to good ecological status (sensu Dir.2000/60/EC) with similar fluctuations, as presented by univariate indices from 2014 to 2017. Responses of the macrozoobenthic community were more evident when comparing vegetated and non-vegetated samples, with the vegetated areas sustaining communities with greater abundance and diversity than non-vegetated samples, thus demonstrating the supporting function of aquatic plants to benthic communities.

European LIFE Projects Dedicated to Ecological Restoration in Mediterranean and Black Sea Coastal Lagoons

“…The failures corresponded to sites where water quality was lowest (i.e., highest nutrients and suspended matter concentrations close to tributaries). Another study [25] based on monitoring macrozoobenthos communities compared these communities in 2014 (ante operam) and the following years until 2017, which corresponded to the first years of the post operam period. An increase in the total macrozoobenthos abundance was observed, particularly an increase in the total number of species, from 46 in 2014 to 64 in 2017 in the planted vegetated areas.…”

Effects of Macrobenthos Relative to Floating-Leaved Plants on the Wintering Shorebird Assemblages at Shengjin Lake, China

“…In shallow lakes, aquatic plants play an important role in maintaining macrobenthic diversity [7]. Many aquatic plants directly change the spatial structures of lake ecosystems and increase spatial heterogeneity, not only providing macrobenthos with habitats and living, feeding, and breeding sites but also shelter from predators [7,8]. Macrobenthos Diversity 2022, 14, 1072 2 of 16 in areas with aquatic plants show higher abundance, biomass, and species richness than those in areas characterized by bare sediments [9].…”