Long-term changes (1979–89) in the intertidal macrozoobenthos of the Oosterschelde estuary: are patterns in total density, biomass and diversity induced by the construction of the storm-surge barrier?

Seys, J.; Meire, Patrick; Coosen, J.; Craeymeersch, J.A.M.

doi:10.1007/978-94-011-1174-4_19

Cited by 12 publications

(16 citation statements)

References 31 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…For that reason much research has been devoted to the structure of the soft bottom macrozoobenthos communities Seys et al ., 1994), to the fluctuations in standing stock, growth rates and mortality rates of blue mussels (Mytilus edulis) and cockles (Cerastoderma edule) Van Stralen & Dijkema, 1994), and to the nutrient regeneration capacity of filter feeders (Prins & Smaal, 1994) . Filter feeders act as a driving force in the turnover of phytoplankton biomass and nutrients in the estuary .…”

Section: Responses At the Ecosystem Levelmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Oosterschelde estuary, a case-study of a changing ecosystem: an introduction

Nienhuis

Smaal²

1994

Hydrobiologia

121

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

During the period 1980-1990 long-term physical, chemical and ecological studies were carried out, to study the changes induced by the building of a storm-surge barrier in the mouth of the Oosterschelde estuary and two large auxiliary compartment dams in the rear ends of the estuary . The storm-surge barrier was constructed in the mouth of Oosterschelde estuary (SW Netherlands) during the period 1979-1986 . The barrier allows the tides to enter the estuary freely, and, on the other hand, the barrier guarantees safety for the human population and their properties when a stormflood threatens the area .Oosterschelde estuary is isolated from the river input, the rear ends of the ecosystem were separated from the estuary by sea-walls and the strongly decreased tidal exchange with the North Sea induced sheltered circumstances . The Oosterschelde changed from a turbid estuary into a tidal bay, and yet primary production responses appear to be robust and resilient, and the biological communities showed only quantitative shifts from the dominance of specific species assemblages to other assemblages . In many cases predicted changes in the structure of the biological communities could not be verified owing to the large natural variability mainly caused by physical factors (e .g . temperature) . The Delta Project -Storm flood protection in the OosterscheldeThe Netherlands Delta Project covers the socalled Delta area, created by the rivers Rhine, Meuse and Scheldt . Like most delta-estuarine environments, this area represents, in its natural state, complicated ecosystems consisting of a complex hydrodynamic regime, with fast-flowing water masses in tidal channels, changing estuarine configurations, inhomogeneous tidal and subtidal sediments, and salt-marsh areas subject to periodic flooding . The history of the SW Netherlands is marked by a continuous struggle between man and the sea . Since the year 1000 man reclaimed salt-marsh areas and transformed those into agricultural land . But irregularly occurring stormfloods broke the man-built seawalls and recaptured parts of the gained land. On February 1, 1953, a northwesterly storm induced tides to 3 m above normal levels, breached approximately 180 km of coastal-defense dikes and flooded 160000 hectares of polderland . 1835 people lost their lives in this large storm flood, more than 46000 farms and buildings were destroyed or damaged, and approximately 200000 farm animals were lost .The Delta Project, formalized in 1957 by an act

show abstract

Section: Responses At the Ecosystem Levelmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Oosterschelde estuary, a case-study of a changing ecosystem: an introduction

Nienhuis

Smaal²

1994

Hydrobiologia

121

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…For the study of the macrozoobenthos we had access to three different databases, two which were focused on temporal patterns (Seys et al, 1994 ;Coosen et al, 1994a) and one on spatial patterns . The 'Interecos' campaign aimed at a description of the large scale spatial distribution before and after the construction of the barrier and formed the basis for this paper .…”

Section: Databasementioning

confidence: 99%

“…(1994) describe the temporal pattern of some overall parameters of the benthic populations (density, biomass and species composition) . Coosen et al (1994) focus on the temporal pattern, distribution and habitat preference of some individual species . The cockle and mussel populations of the Oosterschelde are treated separately (Coosen et al, 1994b ;Van Stralen & Dijkema, 1994) .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Spatial and temporal patterns of intertidal macrobenthic populations in the Oosterschelde: are they influenced by the construction of the storm-surge barrier?

et al. 1994

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The construction of a storm-surge barrier in the mouth of the Oosterschelde caused important hydrodynamical and morphological changes that could influence the macrobenthic populations . This paper is one in a series of five all dealing with the effects of the storm-surge barrier on macrozoobenthos and analyses the spatial and temporal distribution of macrozoobenthos in the Oosterschelde and its relationship with some environmental parameters, based on two large scale sampling campaigns, one before and one after the completion of the barrier .The sediment of the sampling stations was fine, well sorted sand, with an average mud content of about 2.5 % . Only in the Krabbenkreek the sediment was coarser in 1989 . The tidal elevation of the sampling sites decreased significantly in 1989 .The density of macrozoobenthos was significantly lower, the biomass higher in 1989. The density was dominated by deposit feeders, the biomass by filter feeders . The difference in biomass between both years was mainly due to a substantial increase of the biomass of filter feeders in 1989 . The number of species per station was significantly smaller in 1989 than in 1985 . Between 1985 and 1989, frequency of occurrence decreased in 34 versus 13 which increased, density increased in 13 species and decreased in 34 species, biomass increased in 18 species and decreased in 29 species .Based on TWINSPAN several clusters of stations, each with a different faunal composition, were identified . These clusters did not form distinct zones on the tidal flats but were dispersed widely .The relationship between density and biomass of different trophic groups and the mud content of the sediment and the depth was analysed . This relationship sometimes differed clearly between years . The correlation coefficient of a multiple regression between density and biomass of individual species and environmental factors, although significant in most cases, was very low, indicating that only a small proportion of the species variability was explained . The relationship between benthos and environmental factors was further analysed by canonical correlation analysis and multivariate discriminant analysis that gave different results for the 1985 and 1989 data . This is probably due to the broad tolerance of the species to the range of the environmental variables found in our study area . From a TWINSPAN of the density data. of 1985 and 1989 together we could conclude that, although the environmental parameters in a group of stations, showing a large faunal similarity in one year, did not change, the faunal composi-157 1 5 8 tion did . This indicates that faunal changes are not necessarily linked to changes in the measured environmental parameters .In the discussion the different factors affecting macrobenthic populations are situated and it is suggested that the macrobenthic populations are probably more towards the nonequilibrium end of the continuum between nonequilibrium and equilibrium communities as defined by Wiens (1984) .Although the impact of the construct...

show abstract

“…Where submersion does not seem to affect strongly benthic organisms, emersion can cause serious mortality in most species studied depending on temperature and other factors . Seys et al (1994) describe the temporal pattern of some overall parameters of the benthic populations (density, biomass and species composition), while Coosen et al (1994) focus on the temporal pattern, distribution and habitat preference of some individual species . Meire et al .…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Shellfisheries, especially the cockle fishery which increased dramatically in recent years (see e .g . Meire et al, 1994) might add to this .…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Theme III: The structure of the benthic system

Meire

1994

Hydrobiologia

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Long-term changes (1979–89) in the intertidal macrozoobenthos of the Oosterschelde estuary: are patterns in total density, biomass and diversity induced by the construction of the storm-surge barrier?

Cited by 12 publications

References 31 publications

The Oosterschelde estuary, a case-study of a changing ecosystem: an introduction

The Oosterschelde estuary, a case-study of a changing ecosystem: an introduction

Spatial and temporal patterns of intertidal macrobenthic populations in the Oosterschelde: are they influenced by the construction of the storm-surge barrier?

Theme III: The structure of the benthic system

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About