The impact of wader predation on benthic macrofauna in Merja Zerga lagoon, Morocco: an exclosure experiment

Wader Study ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 124 (3) ◽  
pp. 225-237 ◽  
Author(s):  
Feirouz Touhami ◽  
Hocein Bazaïri ◽  
Bouabid Badaoui ◽  
Abdelaziz Benhoussa
Keyword(s):  
Benthic Macrofauna ◽  
Exclosure Experiment ◽  
The Impact

Trophic and functional organization of the benthic macrofauna in the lagoon of Boughrara – Tunisia (SW Mediterranean Sea)

2014 ◽  
Vol 95 (4) ◽  
pp. 647-659 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ines Khedhri ◽  
Hanem Djabou ◽  
Ahmed Afli
Keyword(s):  
Functional Organization ◽  
Anthropogenic Activities ◽  
Benthic Macrofauna ◽  
Anthropogenic Factors ◽  
Deposit Feeders ◽  
Trophic Resources ◽  
Open Sea ◽  
Seasonal Monitoring ◽  
Lagoon Environment ◽  
The Impact

The lagoon of Boughrara is the largest lagoon in Tunisia. For several decades it has been subject to the impact of increasing anthropogenic activities, and also to environmental stressors due to climate change and the low renewal of its waters. The present work is a contribution to the study of the functional organization of the benthic macrofauna of the lagoon of Boughrara 3 years after the extension of the channel ‘El Kantra’ which connects this lagoon to the open sea. In total, 13 stations facing the main prospective sources of disturbance and in areas likely to be more polluted were seasonally sampled during 2009–2010. Seasonal monitoring of the abiotic parameters shows a spatial heterogeneity linked to environmental and anthropogenic factors, including hydrodynamics, sedimentary texture and anthropogenic activities. The community of benthic macrofauna is generally poorly diversified at lagoonal-marine stations undergoing influences of both the marine and lagoon environment. The extreme seasons in terms of temperature and salinity seem to have an important role in the reduction of biodiversity in the lagoon of Boughrara. The trophic structure of the macrobenthic community is generally dominated by selective deposit feeders, and seems to be linked more to the availability of trophic resources than to disturbance.

First results from an experiment excluding three sizes classes of herbivores from tundra vegetation in southern Yamal, Russia

2016 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 132-140
Author(s):  
Capucine Baubin ◽  
Dorothée Ehrich ◽  
Virve Ravolainen ◽  
Svetlana Sokovina Abdulmanova ◽  
Svetlana Ektova ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Grazing Pressure ◽  
Yamal Peninsula ◽  
Exclosure Experiment ◽  
Plant Groups ◽  
Tundra Vegetation ◽  
First Results ◽  
Herbivore Faeces ◽  
Growing Conditions ◽  
Plant Herbivore ◽  
The Impact

Plant-herbivore relationships are important for the functioning of tundra ecosystems. Here, we report the first results from an exclosure experiment that, something very few studies have done, separated the impact of three sizes of herbivores (small, medium and large) on nine functional groups of plants in the low arctic tundra of the Yamal Peninsula (Russia). Herbivore faeces counts in the exclosures and pictures from automatic cameras proved that the experimental setup worked. The majority of plant groups did not respond to exclusion of herbivores, supporting our expectation that vegetation responses in tundra are generally too slow to be measured during one growing season. The plant groups with highest growth rates and palatability (forbs and grasses) increased their biomass in meadows associated to tall willow shrubs when reindeer were excluded. This result was expected based on studies from other arctic regions. Our results also suggested that willow meadows and forb tundra, which are focal habitat for herbivores, are resilient and have the capacity to increase their biomass over a short term. We expect this experiment to provide valuable information on how different plant functional types and habitats with different growing conditions and importance to herbivores respond to relaxed grazing pressure from a variety of tundra herbivores.

Seasonal variations in intertidal density of invertebrate prey in a tropical lagoon and effects of shorebird predation

1994 ◽  
Vol 72 (10) ◽  
pp. 1755-1763 ◽  
Author(s):  
Francine Mercier ◽  
Raymond McNeil
Keyword(s):  
Seasonal Variations ◽  
Census Data ◽  
Invertebrate Prey ◽  
Exclosure Experiment ◽  
Tropical Environments ◽  
Energy Demands ◽  
Study Sites ◽  
Intertidal Surface ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Prey Depletion

We analyzed the relationship between the abundance of shorebirds and that of their intertidal invertebrate prey, and attempted to determine if shorebird predation significantly affects prey density. The study was conducted at three sites in the Chacopata Lagoon complex in northeastern Venezuela between January 1985 and September 1986, using shorebird census data, monthly sampling of intertidal invertebrates, and exclosure experiments. The invertebrates collected were divided into three groups: (i) polychaetes (≤50 mm in length), (ii) small bivalves (2 – 3 mm in length), and (iii) other species. The overall density of shorebirds foraging in the Chacopata Lagoon complex was very high, exceeding the densities reported for most other staging and overwintering areas by a wide margin. The abundance of shorebirds in the study area was related primarily to the density of polychaetes, their main prey. At two of the study sites, the arrival of fall migrants followed a significant increase in polychaete numbers. The increase in shorebird numbers in autumn was negligible at the third site, where polychaete density was lower than at the other sites. The impact of shorebird predation on their invertebrate prey varied seasonally, as did the extent of the foraging area available to them. The exclosure experiment revealed significant differences in the density of polychaetes inside and outside the exclosures only during, or shortly after, the fall migration period. The variability in the conclusions drawn from other studies examining prey depletion by shorebirds in tropical environments may be explained by differences in the length of sampling periods and seasonal variations in the numbers of foraging shorebirds, the energy demands of moult, fat deposition, and the intertidal surface area available for feeding. The impact of seasonal variables such as these should be taken into consideration when designing studies to measure prey depletion by shorebirds; such objectives may necessitate long-term studies.

The Impact of Benthic Macrofauna for Nutrient Fluxes from Baltic Sea Sediments

AMBIO ◽  
2007 ◽  
Vol 36 (2) ◽  
pp. 161-167 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karin Karlson ◽  
Erik Bonsdorff ◽  
Rutger Rosenberg
Keyword(s):  
Baltic Sea ◽  
Benthic Macrofauna ◽  
Nutrient Fluxes ◽  
The Impact

The impact of heavy metal pollution gradients in sediments on benthic macrofauna at population and community levels

2011 ◽  
Vol 159 (10) ◽  
pp. 2622-2629 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jongseong Ryu ◽  
Jong Seong Khim ◽  
Seong-Gil Kang ◽  
Daeseok Kang ◽  
Chang-hee Lee ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Heavy Metal ◽  
Metal Pollution ◽  
Heavy Metal Pollution ◽  
Benthic Macrofauna ◽  
The Impact

Measuring the Impact of Parental Foraging by Starlings (Sturnus vulgaris) on Soil Invertebrate Prey Availability: An Exclosure Experiment

Oikos ◽  
1996 ◽  
Vol 76 (3) ◽  
pp. 511 ◽  
Author(s):  
Siân C. Whitehead ◽  
Jonathan Wright ◽  
Peter A. Cotton ◽  
Sian C. Whitehead
Keyword(s):  
Prey Availability ◽  
Sturnus Vulgaris ◽  
Soil Invertebrate ◽  
Invertebrate Prey ◽  
Exclosure Experiment ◽  
The Impact

scholarly journals The impact of harbour sludge disposal on benthic macrofauna communities in the Weser estuary

2004 ◽  
Vol 58 (2) ◽  
pp. 117-128 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jan Witt ◽  
Alexander Schroeder ◽  
Rainer Knust ◽  
Wolf E. Arntz
Keyword(s):  
Benthic Macrofauna ◽  
Weser Estuary ◽  
Sludge Disposal ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Harbour Sludge ◽  
Macrofauna Communities

scholarly journals Effects of fish cage culture on macrobenthic communities in a subtropical river

2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (8) ◽  
Author(s):  
NUSRAT JAHAN TANIA ◽  
M. BELAL HOSSAIN ◽  
Ahasan Habib ◽  
NAJIAH MUSA
Keyword(s):  
Diversity Indices ◽  
Benthic Macrofauna ◽  
Cage Culture ◽  
Macrobenthic Communities ◽  
Faunal Assemblages ◽  
Culture Area ◽  
Pollution Indicator ◽  
Study Sites ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Culture Site

Abstract. Tania NJ, Hossain MB, Habib, A, Musa N. 2020. Effects of fish cage culture on macrobenthic communities in a subtropical river. Biodiversitas 21: 3583-3589. The present study described the impact of freshwater fish cage culture on macrobenthic faunal assemblages in the Dakatia River, Chandpur, Bangladesh. The experimental design involved the establishment of four stations in two study sites, two stations near the culture area, and two stations away from culture area. A total of 23 macrobenthic taxa belonging to annelids, molluscs, arthropods, and other minor phyla were recorded from study sites. Oligochaetes were found to be dominant at all four stations composing 42.34% of the total macrobenthos. Pollution indicator benthic organisms i.e., Naididae (30.32%), Tubificidae (20.16%), and Chironomidae (3.54%) were found most in the cage culture area. The density of benthic macrofauna was higher (28,134 inds./m²) in the cage culture site than the non-cage culture site (4,358 inds./m²) due to high abundance of certain pollution tolerant species. However, the values of diversity indices i.e., Species Richness (SR), Shannon-Wiener (S-W) diversity (H´), Pielou’s evenness (E), and Margalef (J) were consistently higher in non-cage culture area than the cage culture area. One-way ANOVA showed no significant variation (P > 0.05) in diversity values between the sites. The results of the present study revealed effects of cage culture on the abundance, diversity, and composition of benthic macrofauna.

scholarly journals Chronic deer browsing leads to biotic homogenization of minerotrophic peatlands

Botany ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 96 (8) ◽  
pp. 499-509
Author(s):  
Milène Courchesne ◽  
Stéphanie Pellerin ◽  
Marianne Bachand ◽  
Steeve D. Côté ◽  
Monique Poulin
Keyword(s):  
Beta Diversity ◽  
Vascular Plant ◽  
Alpha Diversity ◽  
Large Herbivores ◽  
Alpha And Beta Diversity ◽  
Exclosure Experiment ◽  
Herbivore Exclusion ◽  
Set Up ◽  
Associated Species ◽  
The Impact

Peatlands could become important foraging habitats, and their plant communities threatened, in areas with an overabundance of large herbivores. Peatland response to herbivore exclusion may vary widely according to abiotic conditions and associated species because of a strong minerotrophic gradient. We assessed the impact of white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus Zimm.) on peatland vegetation using an exclosure experiment. A total of 53 pairs of exclosures and unprotected plots were set up in bogs (13 pairs), sedge fens (20), shrub fens (7), and laggs (13), and surveyed prior to exclosure construction as well as three, five, and eight years after. Vascular plant composition of exclosures diverged from that of unprotected plots through time only in shrub fens and laggs. Bryophytes remained constant in all habitats. On average, shrub cover was 30% higher in exclosures in all habitats after five years, whereas herb cover increased only in laggs, by 43%, after eight years. Reclassification of sites by pH showed deer exclusion promoted alpha diversity in low- and high-moderate rich fens (pH 5.3–6.8) and beta diversity in the latter as well as in rich fens (pH 6.3–7.5). Overall, our results suggest that conservation efforts in areas with overabundant large herbivores should target richer peatland habitats since they showed a higher resilience and fostered alpha and beta diversity.

scholarly journals The Impact of Physicochemical Parameters and Heavy Metals on the Biodiversity of Benthic Macrofauna in the Inaouene Wadi (Taza, North East Morocco)

2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (7) ◽  
pp. 231-241
Author(s):  
Rezouki Sanae ◽  
Allali Aimad ◽  
Berady Karim ◽  
Habchaoui Jamaa ◽  
Eloutassi Noureddine ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Heavy Metals ◽  
Physicochemical Parameters ◽  
Benthic Macrofauna ◽  
North East ◽  
The Impact
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