Isolation and connectivity: Relationships between periodic connection to the ocean and environmental variables in intermittently closed estuaries

Meiobenthic communities in permanently open estuaries and open/closed coastal lagoons of Uruguay (Atlantic coast of South America)

“…Coastal lagoons are shallow bodies of water, which remain temporarily closed from the ocean by a sandbar, while estuaries are permanently opened to the sea (Mitsch and Gosselink, 1993;Giller and Malmqvist, 1998). Open systems are characterized by higher salinity and lower temperature than intermittently closed estuaries (Lill et al, 2013) and estuarine meiofauna may respond according to species-specific patterns of tolerance to thermal or osmotic conditions. Alternatively, meiofauna responses may depend on life history.…”

Temporal variability of larval drift of tropical amphidromous gobies along a watershed in Réunion Island

“…Larval survival can also be severely impaired by dams since an important part of the drifting larvae can be entrained within the diverted waters (Benstead et al, 1999). Moreover, alteration of downstream flow regime can increase the risk of river droughts, the duration of these droughts, and can also result in the closure of the river mouth (Lill et al, 2013). The consequences of these flow D r a f t alterations can lead to a total loss of the larvae drifting downstream (McDowall, 1995).…”

Connectivity between coastal lagoons and sea: Asymmetrical effects on assemblages' and populations' structure

“…At the same time, the importance of connectivity between coastal lagoons and the sea is just starting to be investigated (Lemaire et al, 2000;Webster, 2011;Milana et al, 2012;Qu er e et al, 2012;Thomas et al, 2012;Lill et al, 2013;Xueping et al, 2013;Morat et al, 2014;Ramos Guimaraes et al, 2014;Ghezzo et al, 2015), but genetic fluxes have never been tested against hydrodynamic connectivity in these ecosystems.…”