How lonely they are? A degree of isolation among macrozoobenthos species in the Marine Protected Area, the Bay of Puck, the Southern Baltic

Abstract

Extensive sampling (450 grabs) was performed all over the inner part of Puck Bay (105 km 2 area) in summers of [2007][2008][2009]. The GIS-based analysis of samples was performed to assess in detail the distribution of 32 benthic species. The minimum area of occurrence was less than 1 km 2 for Lekanosphaera rugicauda and the maximum was 83 km 2 for Cerastoderma glaucum. The material reveals that species with the pelagic larval stage were most widespread, with the least distance between individuals and the highest average density (e.g. Cerastoderma glaucum, Hydrobia ventrosa). The most isolated and the least dense species within the studied area were discretely mobile, non-larval crustaceans (e.g. Gammarus oceanicus and Lekanosphaera rugicauda), present at single sites with the largest distance from each other. We conclude that * Corresponding author e-mail: weslaw@iopan.gda.pl analysis of species distribution helps in understanding the threats to populations of marine invertebrates and marine spatial planning, through locating the isolated species and populations.

Abnormalities in bivalve larvae from the Puck Bay (Gulf of Gdansk, southern Baltic Sea) as an indicator of environmental pollution

“…Four bivalve species dominate in the Puck Bay: Mytilus trossulus, Limecola balthica, Mya arenaria, and Cerastoderma glaucum (e.g., Węsławski et al, 2013). Recent observations reported the occurrence of the non-native Conrad's false mussel Mytilopsis leucophaeata close to the sampling area (Dziubińska 2011, Brzana & Janas 2016 and in the Vistula Delta located in the eastern part of the Gulf of Gdansk (Brzana et al 2017), and the non-native clam Rangia cuneata in the Vistula Delta and Vistula Lagoon further east (Janas et al 2014, Warzocha et al 2016.…”