Enhancing marine biodiversity by adding tide-pools on artificial substrata
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1
Universidad de Sevilla, Departamento de Zoología, Spain
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2
Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Italy
It has been shown that the urbanization and construction of commercial structures on coasts causes a significant impact on natural marine ecosystems. However, mitigation of these effects is still a field of study on which there is little information. In this sense, the relatively novel concept of “Ecological Engineering” integrates ecology, economy and the needs of society in the design of artificial marine structures. In the present study, through an experimental design performed along the coast of Ceuta (Strait of Gibraltar), it was demonstrated that marine assemblages had lower diversity and species richness on artificial areas than on natural substrates, in line with many other case studies worldwide. Also, pools of 15.64 cm average diameter were carved on dolomitic artificial boulders at two different intertidal levels, high and low medium-littoral (+0.75 m and +0.25 m over lowest tide respectively) and the colonization pattern over artificial structures community was tested. Tidepools are unique habitats that reduce stress on the intertidal zone, favoring the breeding, feeding and providing shelter and a greater degree of moisture to a certain group of species which may become beneficed by them. The creation of pool microhabitats increased species richness and biodiversity of the artificial substrata and also can help to reduce fragmentation of natural surrounding populations as they favoured settlement of species that previously seemed excluded from artificial substrata such as Pisania striata, Fisurella sp., Osilinus turbinatus, Siphonaria pectinata and Lepidochitona sp. These results may help to set designs that reduce the impact of existing structures or of new constructions.
Acknowledgements
The authors would like to express their gratitude to the students of the faculty of biology and the personnel of the Laboratorio de Biología Marina for his help in the counting processes. The present study was developed under the Marine Biology Station of Ceuta scientific projects, an institution supported by Autoridad Portuaria de Ceuta, Autoridad Portuaria de Sevilla, Ciudad de Ceuta, Aquagestión Sur, Watergames-GranAzul, Marina Hércules and CEPSA.
References
Enrique Ostalé Valriberas
Laboratorio de Biología Marina (LBM), Facultad de Biología, Universidad de Sevilla, Spain.
Juan Sempere Valverde
Laboratorio de Biología Marina (LBM), Facultad de Biología, Universidad de Sevilla, Spain.
Stefania Coppa
Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Istituto per l’Ambiente Marino Costiero (CNR-IAMC), Oristano, Italy.
José C. García Gómez
Laboratorio de Biología Marina (LBM), Facultad de Biología, Universidad de Sevilla, Spain.
Free Espinosa
Laboratorio de Biología Marina (LBM), Facultad de Biología, Universidad de Sevilla, Spain.
Keywords:
Tidepools,
Emergent rock,
Coastal defence,
Artificial systems,
Strait of Gibraltar
Conference:
XIX Iberian Symposium on Marine Biology Studies, Porto, Portugal, 5 Sep - 9 Sep, 2016.
Presentation Type:
Poster Presentation
Topic:
1. ECOLOGY, BIODIVERSITY AND VULNERABLE ECOSYSTEMS
Citation:
Ostalé-Valriberas
E,
Sempere-Valverde
J,
Coppa
S,
García-Gómez
J and
Espinosa
F
(2016). Enhancing marine biodiversity by adding tide-pools on artificial substrata.
Front. Mar. Sci.
Conference Abstract:
XIX Iberian Symposium on Marine Biology Studies.
doi: 10.3389/conf.FMARS.2016.05.00129
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Received:
29 Apr 2016;
Published Online:
03 Sep 2016.
*
Correspondence:
Mr. Enrique Ostalé-Valriberas, Universidad de Sevilla, Departamento de Zoología, Sevilla, Sevilla, 41012, Spain, enriqueostalevalriberas@gmail.com