Composition, biomass and secondary production of the macrobenthic invertebrate assemblages in a coastal lagoon exploited for extensive aquaculture: Valle Smarlacca (northern Adriatic Sea)

doi:10.1016/j.ecss.2007.01.021

Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science

Volume 75, Issues 1–2, October 2007, Pages 79-89

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecss.2007.01.021 Get rights and content

Abstract

Macrobenthic invertebrate assemblages were investigated monthly, from June 1998 to October 1999, at four sites in Valle Smarlacca pond, a north-western Adriatic coastal lagoon, in order to estimate secondary production exploitable for extensive fish aquaculture and to investigate the factors affecting this production. Benthic assemblages comprised 28 taxa, of which Hydrobia sp., Chironomus salinarius and Abra segmentum were the main contributors to both overall biomass and secondary production. Annual secondary production varied from 102.7 g_AFDM m⁻² y⁻¹, in the unvegetated perimeter channel, to 152.6 g_AFDM m⁻² y⁻¹ in the shallowest area where a Ruppia cirrhosa meadow was present. Multivariate correlations between environmental variables and the macrobenthic assemblage biomass highlighted the role of the water level, temperature, sediment organic carbon content and dissolved oxygen in the differentiation of the communities in the pond. Composition, biomass and secondary annual production of macrobenthic communities were dramatically affected by summer dystrophic crises. The isolation of this habitat limits the recovery of the invertebrate benthic assemblages. Only populations of two species, Hydrobia sp. and C. salinarius, seemed to be able to recover quickly after the dystrophic crises, which, in turn, could compromise the overall secondary production, with negative effects on the aquaculture activities. Water renewal and nutrient inputs should be regulated in this pond to reduce the risk of zoobenthic mass mortality and to ensure a sustainable extensive aquaculture based on natural primary and secondary production.

Introduction

Temperate coastal lagoons are very unpredictable systems characterised by marked seasonal and daily variations of several chemico-physical parameters. Under these conditions only highly adaptable invertebrate species can survive and grow. Thus, brackish water benthic assemblages include euryhaline species which prefer a shallow, sheltered environment, and opportunistic species with a high tolerance to stress and to disturbance (Cognetti and Maltagliati, 2000).

Macroinvertebrate benthic communities in estuaries and coastal lagoons may show high secondary production that can be exploited by fish and shorebirds (Wilson, 2002). For this reason many coastal lagoons are used worldwide for extensive and semi-intensive aquaculture (Barnes, 1991). Northwestern Adriatic coastal lagoons have traditionally been exploited for aquaculture for centuries. In recent decades they have been increasingly subjected to human intervention and greatly affected by eutrophication (Pugnetti et al., 1992, Rinaldi et al., 1992, Ceccherelli et al., 1994, Sorokin et al., 1996). The Valli di Comacchio lagoon complex, located south of the Po River Delta (Fig. 1), is characterised by hypereutrophic conditions and dense blooms of picocyanobacteria which result in a drastic depletion of zooplankton, mass mortality of benthic fauna and loss of seagrasses (Sorokin et al., 1996, Heijs et al., 2000). In spite of their reduced environmental quality, some areas are still exploited for extensive aquaculture. Fish are stocked in ponds, allowed to grow during summer and then harvested in autumn, at the end of the growing season. This kind of aquaculture does not require an external food supply, a high capital investment or specialized skills. The success of extensive fish aquaculture depends on the natural primary and secondary production. Composition, biomass and production of macrobenthic assemblages can provide useful information on the sustainability of this kind of aquaculture practices.

The aims of the present study were to: (1) analyse variations in the composition and biomass of the macrobenthic assemblages in a coastal lagoon exploited for extensive aquaculture; (2) estimate the annual secondary production; and (3) investigate factors affecting this production.

Section snippets

Study area

This study was carried out in Valle Smarlacca, a brackish shallow pond (1.9 km²) in the southeastern corner of the Valli di Comacchio coastal lagoon system (northern Adriatic Sea, Fig. 1). Valle Smarlacca has a mean water depth of 0.8 m and a maximum depth of about 2 m in the perimeter and inner channels. The bottom is mainly covered by organically enriched silty-clay sediments (Heijs et al., 2000). The pond is completely separated from the sea by the 2.5 km wide relict dune system and from the

Sediment and water variables

During the study period site A was unvegetated while sites B, C and D showed extended patches of Ruppia cirrhosa meadow, densest at site B. Trends of water depths of the four sites are shown in Fig. 2. The maximum range of variation of water in the level was about 70 cm (Fig. 2). Apart from the impact of precipitation and evaporation, water level varies according to the human-regulated water fluxes. The water level was artificially lowered in May 1999 to promote water renewal, which led to the

Discussion

In Valle Smarlacca, according to Azzoni et al. (2001), the wide availability of organic matter in the sediment, coupled with low water exchange and high temperatures during the summer may promote dystrophic crises. In addition, the water from the adjacent small ponds, used for intensive aquaculture, is very likely to be enriched by remains of food, faeces and nutrients (Sorokin et al., 1999). This leads to an increase in primary and secondary production, and may contribute to the establishment

Acknowledgements

The authors wish to thank Mr Giovanni Salami and the staff of the Valle Smarlacca fish farm for the support on the field and for providing data on fish. Simona Maccaferri and Chiara Cristoni helped in the field, while Michela Marchi gave valuable assistance in the laboratory. Roberto Argano and Bruno Rossaro gave advice on the taxonomy of Isopods and Chironomids, respectively. Discussion of secondary production estimation with Tom Brey was extremely valuable. We also thank Andrea Pasteris and

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Composition, biomass and secondary production of the macrobenthic invertebrate assemblages in a coastal lagoon exploited for extensive aquaculture: Valle Smarlacca (northern Adriatic Sea)

Abstract

Introduction

Section snippets

Study area

Sediment and water variables

Discussion

Acknowledgements

Journal of Sea Research

Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology

Marine Pollution Bulletin

Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology

Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology

Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology

Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology

Aquaculture

Marine Chemistry

Acta Oecologica-International Journal of Ecology

Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science

Netherlands Journal of Sea Research

Science of the Total Environment

Science of the Total Environment

Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science

Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science

Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science

A new method for non-parametric multivariate analysis of variance

Austral Ecology

Canonical analysis of principal coordinates: a new ecologically meaningful approach for constrained ordination

Ecology

Structure and production of the benthic macroinvertebrate community in a shallow lagoon in the Bay of Cádiz

Marine Ecology Progress Series

European estuaries and lagoons, a personal overview of problems and possibilities for conservation and management

Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems

What determines the distribution of coastal hydrobiid mudsnails within north-western Europe

Marine Ecology – Pubblicazioni della Stazione Zoologica di Napoli I

Reproductive behavior of Nereis diversicolor (Annelida, Polychaeta)

Marine Biology

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Meeresforsch