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Effects of artificial reefs on the meiofaunal community and benthic environment - A case study in Bohai Sea, China
Xinyuan Yang1, Chenggang Lin2, Xiaoyue Song2
1CAS Key Laboratory of Marine Ecology and Environmental Sciences, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao 266071, China; Laboratory for Marine Ecology and Environmental Science, Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao 266237, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China; Center for Ocean Mega-Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao 266071, China.
Abstract:
Artificial reefs are widely deployed for fishery enhancement and marine conservation. A comprehensive assessment on the effects of artificial reefs could minimize the negative consequence of blindly developing artificial reefs. We examined the meiofaunal community and benthic environment adjacent to and <5 m from artificial reefs in Xiangyun Bay, Bohai Sea, China. We found the highest total meiofaunal abundance beside the artificial reef. Shannon-Wiener and Pielou indexes had no significant difference among different distances from the artificial reefs. The presence of artificial reefs impeded the surrounding flow and provided additional substrate for bivalves and kelps, which could cause finer sediment and organic enrichment around it. Sediment grain size and total organic matter were the most important parameters influencing the meiofauna. We suggest that the shape, material, configuration and location of artificial reefs should be related with a specific goal to avoid mindless proliferation.
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