Intertidal biogenic reefs built by the polychaete Boccardia proboscidea in sewage-impacted areas of Argentina, SW Atlantic
| Autor: | Maria Lourdes Jaubet, María S. Rivero, María A. Sanchez, Eduardo Alberto Vallarino, Rodolfo Elías, Griselda Valeria Garaffo |
|---|---|
| Rok vydání: | 2010 |
| Předmět: |
Polychaete
geography geography.geographical_feature_category Ecology biology business.industry Intertidal zone Sewage Mussel Aquatic Science Boccardia proboscidea biology.organism_classification Monitoring program Oceanography business Reef Ecology Evolution Behavior and Systematics Geology Spionidae |
| Zdroj: | Marine Ecology. 32:188-197 |
| ISSN: | 0173-9565 |
| DOI: | 10.1111/j.1439-0485.2010.00415.x |
| Popis: | The rocky intertidal zone around the city of Mar del Plata (SW Atlantic, 38° S–57° W) is characterized by dense mussel beds of Brachidontes rodriguezii. This intertidal community develops on natural and artificial hard substrates, including abrasion platforms in sewage-impacted areas. A monitoring program, designed to assess the effect of sewage discharge on intertidal macrobenthic communities, has been conducted since 1997. During the spring season of 2008, a new spionid polychaete (Boccardia proboscidea) was found near the sewage outfall, forming large biogenic reefs. This is the first report of biogenic reefs being built by a non reef-forming spionid polychaete in areas organically impacted by sewage discharges. The aim of this work was to evaluate the spatial–temporal dynamics (% cover and density of B. proboscidea) of these reefs. These biogenic reefs covered almost the entire impacted site, reaching a density of 650,000 ind·m−2. This phenomenon is unique in that there is no other record available worldwide of any other biogenic polychaete reefs that could be sewage-induced. The presence and stability of these biogenic reefs is discussed in relation to increased organic contamination as a structuring factor. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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