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Browsing CCMAR by Field of Science and Technology (FOS) "Ciências Naturais::Ciências Biológicas"
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- Comparing Zostera and Spartina environments in relation to carbon burial: a sedimentary and geochemical approach from Ria FormosaPublication . Duque Núñez, Natalia; Veiga-Pires, C.; Santos, RuiCarbon sinks are natural or artificial reservoirs in which carbon can be accumulated for a certain length of time. Mangroves, salt marshes and seagrasses beds are habitats that have an important role on the carbon budget of the oceans and thus influence the oceanic cycle. In this study we aimed is to evaluate C storage capacity of two different intertidal environments, Zostera noltii vs Spartina maritima from Ria Formosa, as well as to evaluate the influence of hydrodynamics and sediment grain size in the C storage. This multidisciplinary and integrated approach includes biological, geological and chemical analyses in order to better understand the processes leading to Carbon accumulation in sediments. For such a purpose, we analyzed and measured the granulometry, color and mineral composition of the sediment, as well as the organic matter, calcium carbonate contents and the elemental composition. The results obtained reflect that the carbon sequestration (organic carbon content), is related to practically all the studied variables, Furthermore, there are significant differences between both biological communities. Spartina maritima shows nearly twice the organic carbon content than Zostera noltii. On the other hand, the distance to the main navigation channel, a proxy to hydrodynamics, affected all parameters, strongly affected C accumulation, with higher variability in Zostera than Spartina. C accumulation and sediment grain size were related to this gradient, as expected, where both parameters increased from the first station, close to the main channel, to last station the most remote. The carbon accumulation rate for Spartina environment was twice as high as those for Zostera environment, 131.8 g OC.m-2.year-1, 83.9 g OC.m-2.year-1, respectively, these differences were related to the influence to all the parameters analyzed in this study.
- The impact of the Arrábida Marine Park (Portugal) on the decapod crustacean Eualus cranchii: a case studyPublication . Reis, Joana Rita Rebelo dos; Castro, Margarida; Bartilotti, CátiaMarine protected areas (MPAs) have been widely suggested as a tool for fisheries management, conservation goals and mitigation of other negative impacts of humans on the oceans. Within MPAs, sub-areas can be considered including Fully Protected Areas (FPA) and Partially Protected Areas (PPA), each one with different restrictions regarding anthropogenic activities. They can contribute to the increase of abundance and biodiversity of marine species and habitat improvement. This study aims to observe the abundance of the decapod crustacean Eualus cranchii at two different depths (surface and bottom) within fully- and partially- protected areas of the Arrábida Marine Park on the west coast of Portugal, in order to understand the effect of a protected area on the abundance of this species. Samples were collected every two weeks, from April to September 2013 at a fixed location in the FPA and PPA using Standard Monitoring Units for Recruitment of Fish (SMURFs), a tool that measures recruitment and settlement patterns in a repeatable way, helping to determine fish larval sources and sinks. A Three-Way ANOVA was performed to observe the existence of differences in abundance of E. cranchii as a function of protection type (FPA and PPA), depth (surface and bottom) and time (April, July and September). All level interactions were considered. The results showed that all three main factors were significant. Higher abundances are associated with FPA with about 77 % of the total number of individuals of E. cranchii present. With respect to depth 88 % of the individuals were found on the bottom. The highest larval abundance was recorded in July, representing 77 % of the total individuals analyzed in this study. Additionally, there was a significant interaction of time with protection level indicating that there were different trends along time in each area. Overall, MPAs can be viewed as a valuable tool to protect species abundance and diversity, yet they should not be considered as a final solution as other large-scale effects and subsequent community changes in coastal areas may also influence the abundance and distribution of marine species.