Seagrass macrobenthic biodiversity does not vary in conformity with a leaky-lagoonal confinement gradient
1School of Biological Sciences and Centre for Marine Science, University of Queensland, Brisbane, 4072, Queensland, Australia; Department of Zoology and Conservation Research Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.
Marine Environmental Research
|February 4, 2023
Summary
Coastal lagoon ecology is often linked to confinement, but this study found seagrass fauna remained unchanged along a confinement gradient. This suggests seagrass ecosystems may decouple water renewal from local conditions.
Area of Science:
- Marine ecology
- Coastal ecosystem dynamics
- Benthic ecology
Background:
- Coastal lagoon ecology typically shifts from well-flushed mouths to depositional zones due to increasing confinement.
- This ecological shift is often attributed to confinement rather than salinity changes.
- Leaky lagoons, like Moreton Bay, offer unique environments to study these factors.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the impact of increasing confinement on macrobenthic faunal assemblages in intertidal seagrass.
- To test whether faunal changes align with existing confinement models in a salinity-stable environment.
- To explore the role of seagrass systems and leaky lagoons in ecological dynamics.
Main Methods:
- Comparison of macrobenthic faunal assemblages in intertidal *Zostera* seagrass.
- Sampling at strategic points along a 12 km channel with a gradient of increasing confinement.
- Monitoring of water residence time and salinity levels.
Main Results:
- Faunal abundance, species richness, evenness, and composition remained largely unchanged along the confinement gradient.
- Contrary to confinement models, no significant ecological shift was observed.
- A tenfold increase in water residence time correlated with minimal salinity change.
Conclusions:
- Seagrass systems may decouple overlying water renewal from local organic enrichment.
- Leaky lagoons, due to high tidal velocities, might also influence these ecological dynamics.
- Confinement alone may not be the primary driver of faunal assemblage changes in all coastal lagoon systems.
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