Effects of recreational diving on early colonization stages of an artificial reef in North-East Atlantic
| Autor: | João Encarnação, Gonçalo Calado |
|---|---|
| Rok vydání: | 2018 |
| Předmět: |
0106 biological sciences
geography geography.geographical_feature_category Ecology biology ved/biology 010604 marine biology & hydrobiology Leptogorgia sarmentosa ved/biology.organism_classification_rank.species Coral reef Oceanography biology.organism_classification 010603 evolutionary biology 01 natural sciences Scuba diving Fishery Benthic zone Eunicella Marine ecosystem Artificial reef Reef Nature and Landscape Conservation |
| Zdroj: | Journal of Coastal Conservation. 22:1209-1216 |
| ISSN: | 1874-7841 1400-0350 |
| DOI: | 10.1007/s11852-018-0630-0 |
| Popis: | Increasing interest for recreational SCUBA diving worldwide is raising the concern about its potential effects on marine ecosystems. Available literature is still much focused either on impacts on coral reefs of tropical regions or on diver’s behaviour underwater. In this study we analysed, through photo-quadrats, the benthic community composition in a section of a decommissioned Portuguese navy ship that was sunk for touristic purposes. The ship broke down and became separated in two sections enabling a Control versus Impact sampling design, as one section is less attractive for diving. Gorgonians (mainly belonging to the species Leptogorgia sarmentosa and Eunicella verrucosa) were the taxa more negatively affected in the dived ship section, with smaller coverage and size. More resilient species such as the acorn barnacle Amphibalanus amphitrite were positively correlated with the Impact samples. In the case of the study area, according to the available data, 70% or more of the total amount of dives are now on the sunken ships. From these results, lessons can be taken to apply on natural reefs and related management plans. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
| Externí odkaz: |
|
Full text from SpringerLink