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Sediment-benthos relationships as a tool to assist in conservation practices in a coastal lagoon subjected to sediment change

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Abstract

This study explores the relation between sediment composition and intertidal macrobenthos populations in the Zwin nature reserve (Belgium and The Netherlands), a tidal lagoon that is included in the Ramsar list of wetlands of international importance and has been designated as Natura 2000 area, among others due to its function as wintering habitat for shorebirds that feed upon macrobenthic invertebrates. Species response models show highest biomass of these prey species in organically enriched cohesive sediments and a distinct decline in probability of occurrence for most species in coarse sediments. Further, the biomass of macrobenthos declined between 2003 and 2010 in the extensive low intertidal inlet channel concurrent with the coarsening of the sediment over time in this hydrodynamically stressed habitat. In contrast, macrobenthos biomass increased in a sheltered shallow intertidal habitat that acted as a catchment area for finer sediments, therefore facilitating the succession towards a higher elevated habitat with salt marsh vegetation establishment. Hence, spatio-temporal sediment dynamics decreased site quality for intertidal predators due to a reduction in feeding areas over time, and a change in physical sediment properties that alter the macrobenthos species occurrence and population biomass. This study thus illustrates that sediment transport dynamics may affect the functioning of coastal shallow soft-sediment habitats, like coastal lagoons. The presented macrobenthos species response models provide a tool to assist in management actions that enable the conservation of cohesive low intertidal habitats that provide a high food supply to shorebirds, fish and macrocrustaceans.

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Acknowledgments

C.V.C. acknowledges a postdoctoral fellowship provided by the Flemish Fund for Scientific Research (FWO-1.2.380.11.N.00). We thank L. De Middeleer, F. Snoeck, R. Vanhulle, B. Beuselinck and N. Viane for collecting and processing of the benthic samples. Bird counts were obtained from Mergus (vogelwerkgroep Natuurpunt —Noord-West-Vlaanderen). We especially want to thank G. Burggraeve, F. De Scheemaeker, J. De Buck, and R. Deman for performing the bird censuses. Parts of the data used for this study were obtained in the framework of the project BBSea (BOF-GOA 01600705) and “Understanding biodiversity effects on the functioning of marine benthic ecosystems” (BOF GOA 01GA1911 W).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biology, Marine Biology Research Group, Ghent University, Krijgslaan 281/S8, 9000, Ghent, Belgium

    Carl Van Colen, Laure Agten, Joke Van Tomme, Magda Vincx & Steven Degraer

  2. Natuurpunt Studie, Coxiestraat 11, 2800, Mechelen, Belgium

    Dominique Verbelen

  3. Research Institute for Nature and Forest, Kliniekstraat 25, 1070, Brussels, Belgium

    Koen Devos

  4. Operational Directorate Natural Environment (OD Nature), Marine Ecology and Management (MARECO), Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences, Gulledelle 100, 1200, Brussels, Belgium

    Steven Degraer

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  1. Carl Van Colen
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  2. Dominique Verbelen
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  4. Laure Agten
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  5. Joke Van Tomme
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  6. Magda Vincx
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  7. Steven Degraer
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Correspondence to Carl Van Colen.

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Communicated by Elizabeth Masden.

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Van Colen, C., Verbelen, D., Devos, K. et al. Sediment-benthos relationships as a tool to assist in conservation practices in a coastal lagoon subjected to sediment change. Biodivers Conserv 23, 877–889 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10531-014-0638-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10531-014-0638-1

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