Changes in benthic community structure due to clam dredging on the Algarve coast and the importance of seasonal analysis

Alves, Filipe; Chícharo, Luís; Nogueira, António; Regala, J.

http://hdl.handle.net/10400.1/5036

Use this identifier to reference this record.

Name:	Description:	Size:	Format:
Changes in benthic community structure.pdf		155.74 KB	Adobe PDF	Download

Send Feedback

Authors

Abstract(s)

Patterns in community structure of meiofauna and macrofauna in relation to Portuguese clam dredging were compared during a 2-y-period o¡ Lagos and Vilamoura, south Portugal. SCUBA divers randomly sampled corer and quadrat samples before and immediately after simulating commercial dredge ¢shery. Univariate measures (abundance, number of taxa, evenness, diversity and biomass) and multivariate analyses (Cluster, MDS and SIMPER) revealed changes in the meio- and macro-benthic community structure caused by dredge disturbance (short-term e¡ects), with a general decrease in all measures.Macrofauna were found to be more sensitive to dredge disturbance, and aggressive predatory behaviour was observed after disturbance in the continuously dredged area. Nevertheless, higher signi¢cant natural changes were found between seasonal periods, indicating that dredging may only cause a small-scale and short-term impact.

URI

http://hdl.handle.net/10400.1/5036

Citation

Alves, Filipe; Chícharo, Luís; Nogueira, António; Regala, Joo. Changes in benthic community structure due to clam dredging on the Algarve coast and the importance of seasonal analysis, Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the UK, 83, 4, 719-729, 2003.