Evaluation of the effects of urbanization and environmental features on sandy beach macrobenthos highlights the importance of submerged zones

Corte, Guilherme Nascimento; Checon, Hélio H.; Esmaeili, Yasmina Shah; Defeo, Omar; Turra, Alexander

doi:10.1016/j.marpolbul.2022.113962

Cited by 17 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 61 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…The composition and the abundance of macrozoobenthos from two sandy beaches along the western coast of the Adriatic Sea were analyzed. The two sampling sites are subjected to comparable morphodynamic conditions [64] and to different levels of anthropic pressure. At both sites, storm events are more frequent in winter (Q1), spring (Q2), and autumn (Q4), while the longest period with calm waters is summer (Q3).…”

Section: Overview Of the Characteristics Of The Two Sitesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In Q3, in concomitance with the peak of presence on the beach, diversity and evenness were higher in Palombina, where the assemblage was dominated by Lentidium mediterraneum. This bivalve is one of the most commonly species found in the Northern-Central Adriatic beaches comprising up to 95% of the community [64]. It is likely that it tolerates the disturbance linked to the touristic season (i.e., trampling, sediment resuspension) probably because of its ability to burrow rapidly [70].…”

Section: Living and Non-living Components In The Collected Sedimentsmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Characterization of Intertidal Macrofaunal Communities of Two Sandy Beaches under Different Anthropogenic Pressures

Camillo

Luzi

Danial

et al. 2022

JMSE

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The macrofauna in the intertidal zone of sandy beaches provides the trophic connectivity between land and sea, by linking microbiome, meiofauna, and megafauna, representing a food source for several terrestrial animals, including shorebirds and mammals. However, the macrozoobenthos in urbanised beaches is subjected to intense disturbances, such as breakwater barriers and tourism, which limit or impede the energy transfer from the marine to the terrestrial habitats. Because the information about diversity and abundance of the macrozoobenthos of the intertidal zone on the Mediterranean sandy coasts is scant, the main objective of this study is to increase the knowledge on the macrofauna living in this habitat and to identify taxa sensitive to cumulative human-induced stresses. To achieve this purpose, the structure and dynamics of macrozoobenthic communities from (1) a highly frequented beach characterized by breakwater barriers and (2) a marine protected area (MPA) in the Adriatic Sea were compared. The hypotheses that macrofauna composition and abundance changed in the two sites and over time were tested. Results highlighted that the macrozoobenthos in the MPA is mainly dominated by juvenile bivalves, which peaked from autumn to winter, and to a lesser extent by ostracods and mysids. Conversely, ostracods and the bivalve Lentidium mediterraneum (O. G. Costa, 1830) are particularly abundant in the highly disturbed beach, while the gastropod Tritia neritea (Linnaeus, 1758) increased only during summer. A possible combined effect of breakwater barriers and intense trampling has been theorized to explain the main differences between the two sites especially in the summer.

show abstract

Section: Overview Of the Characteristics Of The Two Sitesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Living and Non-living Components In The Collected Sedimentsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Characterization of Intertidal Macrofaunal Communities of Two Sandy Beaches under Different Anthropogenic Pressures

Camillo

Luzi

Danial

et al. 2022

JMSE

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…This 'press-press' compound perturbation is responsible for substantial long-term losses of sandy beach ecosystem services and the goods and benefits that they provide (e.g., food, recreation, coastal protection), benefits which have been documented worldwide (Harris and Defeo, 2022). Coastal squeeze also interacts with other pulse or press perturbations to impact sandy shores, producing unpredictable synergistic effects on the social-ecological system (Costa et al, 2020;Fanini et al, 2020;Corte et al, 2022;Costa et al, 2022).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…As mentioned before, among several relevant local factors of anthropogenic origin, increasing urban development and supporting infrastructure, particularly for coastal recreation and tourism, have had deleterious ecological and socioeconomic consequences for sandy beaches (Fanini et al, 2020;. In addition, recent global meta-analyses and spatially intensive studies have revealed that the effects of these co-occurring stressors, associated with urbanization and beach overuse, interact with local beach conditions (e.g., beach slope, grain size, expressed as morphodynamics) to yield specific responses in each beach system (Costa et al, 2020;Corte et al, 2022;Costa et al, 2022).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Global patterns in sandy beach erosion: unraveling the roles of anthropogenic, climatic and morphodynamic factors

Bozzeda,

Ortega,

Costa

et al. 2023

Front. Mar. Sci.

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Beach erosion is a complex process influenced by multiple factors operating at different spatial scales. Local (e.g., waves, tides, grain size, beach width and coastal development) and regional (e.g., sea level rise and mean sea level pressure) factors both shape erosion processes. A comprehensive understanding of how these drivers collectively impact sandy beach erosion is needed. To address this on a global-scale we assembled a database with in-situ information on key physical variables from 315 sandy beaches covering a wide morphodynamic range and complemented by satellite data on regional variables. Our results revealed the combined influence of local and regional factors on beach erosion rates. Primary drivers were regional anomalies in mean sea level pressure and variations in mean sea level, and local factors such as tide range, beach slope and width, and Dean’s parameter. By analyzing morphodynamic characteristics, we identified five distinct clusters of sandy beaches ranging from wave-dominated microtidal reflective beaches to tide-modified ultradissipative beaches. This energy dissipation gradient emerged as a critical factor, with erosion rates increasing with beach width and dissipativeness. Our study also highlighted the tangible impact of climate change on beach erosion patterns. Hotspots were identified, where intensification of regional anomalies in mean sea level pressure, increasing onshore winds and warming rates, and rising sea levels synergistically accelerated erosion rates. However, local variables were found to either amplify the effects of regional factors on erosion or enhance a beach’s resistance, mitigating erosive trends initiated by regional drivers. Our analysis showed that more than one-fifth of the analyzed beaches are experiencing intense, extreme, or severe erosion rates, and highlighted the significant role of human activities in explaining erosion trends, particularly in microtidal reflective and intermediate beaches. This underscores the long-term threat of coastal squeeze faced by sandy beaches worldwide and emphasizes the need to consider both local and regional drivers in order to understand erosion processes. Integrating localized measurements with broader satellite observations is required for a comprehensive understanding of the main drivers behind coastal evolution, which in turn is needed to manage and preserve these fragile ecosystems that are at risk.

show abstract

“…The anthropause provided a unique opportunity to depict the effects of human absence in urban coastal ecosystems ( Soto et al, 2021 ). Existing information show that urbanization has decreased species richness and biomass on sandy beaches worldwide ( Orlando et al, 2020 ; Corte et al, 2022 ). However, as multiple stressors acting simultaneously affect urban beaches, the relative importance of each has been difficult to reveal.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Has the “Covid-19” lockdown an impact on beach faunal communities? The central Atlantic coast of Morocco as a case study

Ben-Haddad

Hajji²,

Abelouah³

et al. 2022

Marine Pollution Bulletin

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Evaluation of the effects of urbanization and environmental features on sandy beach macrobenthos highlights the importance of submerged zones

Cited by 17 publications

References 61 publications

Characterization of Intertidal Macrofaunal Communities of Two Sandy Beaches under Different Anthropogenic Pressures

Characterization of Intertidal Macrofaunal Communities of Two Sandy Beaches under Different Anthropogenic Pressures

Global patterns in sandy beach erosion: unraveling the roles of anthropogenic, climatic and morphodynamic factors

Has the “Covid-19” lockdown an impact on beach faunal communities? The central Atlantic coast of Morocco as a case study

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About