Influence of a breakwater on nearby rocky intertidal community structure

Martins, Gustavo M.; Amaral, André Furtado; Wallenstein, Francisco; Neto, Ana I.

doi:10.1016/j.marenvres.2009.03.002

Cited by 34 publications

(23 citation statements)

References 54 publications

(56 reference statements)

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“…Also, sheltering of natural rocky shores by infrastructure (i.e. breakwaters) has been shown to cause a shift from assemblages dominated by consumers to those dominated by primary producers, implying a substantial alteration in the functioning of the system (Martins et al. 2009).…”

Section: Ecological Consequences Of the Introduction Of Artificial Stmentioning

confidence: 99%

The introduction of coastal infrastructure as a driver of change in marine environments

Bulleri

Chapman

2010

Journal of Applied Ecology

809

547

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Summary1. Coastal landscapes are being transformed as a consequence of the increasing demand for urban infrastructure to sustain commercial, residential and tourist activities. A variety of man-made structures, such as breakwaters, jetties and seawalls have thus become ubiquitous features of intertidal and shallow subtidal habitats. This transformation will accelerate in response to the exponential growth of human populations and to global changes, such as sea-level rise and increased frequency of extreme meteorological events (e.g. storms). Here, we provide a critical overview of the major ecological effects of increasing infrastructure to marine habitats, we identify future research directions for advancing our understanding of marine urban ecosystems and we highlight how alternative management options might mitigate their impacts. 2. Urban infrastructure supports different epibiota and associated assemblages and does not function as surrogate of natural rocky habitats. Its introduction in the intertidal zone or in nearshore waters can cause fragmentation and loss of natural habitats. Furthermore, the provision of novel habitat (hard substrata) along sedimentary shores can alter local and regional biodiversity by modifying natural patterns of dispersal of species, or by facilitating the establishment and spread of exotic species. 3. Attempts to use ecological criteria to solve problems of urban infrastructure are promising. Incorporating natural elements of habitat (e.g. wetland vegetation; seagrass) into shoreline stabilization can reduce ecological impacts, without impinging on its efficacy in halting erosion. Likewise, improving the ecological value of artificial structures by adding features of habitat that are generally missing from such structures (e.g. rock-pools) can contribute to mitigation of the detrimental effects of urbanization on biodiversity. Management of anthropogenic disturbances (e.g. maintenance works; harvesting) to artificial habitat is, however, necessary if such attempts are to be successful. 4. Synthesis and applications. Increasing our understanding of the ecological functioning of marine habitats created by urban infrastructure and incorporating ecological criteria into coastal engineering are crucial for preserving biodiversity in the face of the growth of human populations in coastal areas and of forecasted global changes. Achieving this goal will need strong collaboration between engineers, managers and ecologists.

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Section: Ecological Consequences Of the Introduction Of Artificial Stmentioning

confidence: 99%

The introduction of coastal infrastructure as a driver of change in marine environments

Bulleri

Chapman

2010

Journal of Applied Ecology

809

547

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“…The original biota as well as those from adjacent areas are affected by concomitant changes in hydrodynamics and water quality (Davis et al, 1982;Jonsson et al, 2006;Martins et al, 2009). As existing coastal defence structures are unlikely to be removed, their value as biological habitats could be increased instead via 'ecological engineering' (Chapman and Underwood 2011).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Enhancing the biodiversity of coastal defence structures: transplantation of nursery-reared reef biota onto intertidal seawalls

Lim

Ong

et al. 2015

Ecological Engineering

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“…However, studies from different regions of the world and from different types of artificial infrastructures suggest that artificial surfaces do not function as natural rocky habitats [12]–[15], and often introduce surfaces and species that are extraneous to the natural environments [16]–[18]. These studies document differences in the structure of assemblages inhabiting artificial infrastructures compared to nearby natural rocky shores [15], [19]–[22], including low species and genetic diversity [23]–[25], rarity of particular functional groups, such as large grazers and predators [24], different ecological processes [15], [26]–[30], and assemblages representative of the early stages of succession, comprising opportunistic, weedy, and invasive species [15], [17], [31]–[34].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Anthropogenic Disturbance Can Determine the Magnitude of Opportunistic Species Responses on Marine Urban Infrastructures

2011

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BackgroundCoastal landscapes are being transformed as a consequence of the increasing demand for infrastructures to sustain residential, commercial and tourist activities. Thus, intertidal and shallow marine habitats are largely being replaced by a variety of artificial substrata (e.g. breakwaters, seawalls, jetties). Understanding the ecological functioning of these artificial habitats is key to planning their design and management, in order to minimise their impacts and to improve their potential to contribute to marine biodiversity and ecosystem functioning. Nonetheless, little effort has been made to assess the role of human disturbances in shaping the structure of assemblages on marine artificial infrastructures. We tested the hypothesis that some negative impacts associated with the expansion of opportunistic and invasive species on urban infrastructures can be related to the severe human disturbances that are typical of these environments, such as those from maintenance and renovation works.Methodology/Principal FindingsMaintenance caused a marked decrease in the cover of dominant space occupiers, such as mussels and oysters, and a significant enhancement of opportunistic and invasive forms, such as biofilm and macroalgae. These effects were particularly pronounced on sheltered substrata compared to exposed substrata. Experimental application of the disturbance in winter reduced the magnitude of the impacts compared to application in spring or summer. We use these results to identify possible management strategies to inform the improvement of the ecological value of artificial marine infrastructures.Conclusions/SignificanceWe demonstrate that some of the impacts of globally expanding marine urban infrastructures, such as those related to the spread of opportunistic, and invasive species could be mitigated through ecologically-driven planning and management of long-term maintenance of these structures. Impact mitigation is a possible outcome of policies that consider the ecological features of built infrastructures and the fundamental value of controlling biodiversity in marine urban systems.

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Influence of a breakwater on nearby rocky intertidal community structure

Cited by 34 publications

References 54 publications

The introduction of coastal infrastructure as a driver of change in marine environments

The introduction of coastal infrastructure as a driver of change in marine environments

Enhancing the biodiversity of coastal defence structures: transplantation of nursery-reared reef biota onto intertidal seawalls

Anthropogenic Disturbance Can Determine the Magnitude of Opportunistic Species Responses on Marine Urban Infrastructures

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