Natural Recovery and Planned Intervention in Coastal Wetlands: Venice Lagoon (Northern Adriatic Sea, Italy) as a Case Study

Facca, Chiara; Ceoldo, Sonia; Pellegrino, Nicola; Sfriso, Adriano

doi:10.1155/2014/968618

Cited by 19 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 42 publications

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“…This makes eutrophication and dystrophic crises common threats in coastal lagoons, as widely described in literature (Amanieu et al, 1975;Boutiere et al, 1982;Reyes and Merino, 1991;Ferrari et al, 1993;Sfriso et al, 1995;Boynton et al, 1996;Viaroli et al, 1996Viaroli et al, , 2008Viaroli et al, , 2015Giordani et al, 1997Giordani et al, , 2009Guyoneaud et al, 1998;Taylor et al, 1999;Bachelet et al, 2000;Lenzi et al, 2003Lenzi et al, , 2010Newton et al, 2003;Sakka Hlaili et al, 2007;Specchiulli et al, 2009;Giusti et al, 2010;Solidoro et al, 2010;Facca et al, 2014;Kralj et al, 2016;Leruste et al, 2016;Martelloni et al, 2016;Rodríguez-Gallego et al, 2017;Vybernaite-Lubiene et al, 2017;Ménesguen and Lacroix, 2018).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 86%

Long-Term Dynamic in Nutrients, Chlorophyll a, and Water Quality Parameters in a Coastal Lagoon During a Process of Eutrophication for Decades, a Sudden Break and a Relatively Rapid Recovery

et al. 2019

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Coastal lagoons are considered among the marine habitats with the highest biological productivity, and support a great variety of human activities and pressures that make them especially vulnerable to trophic imbalances. While dystrophic crises are common in many lagoons, others like the Mar Menor show homeostatic mechanisms, high resilience, and clear waters. This paper analyses the water column descriptors dynamic during the last 22 years in this coastal lagoon, in the context of a eutrophication process produced by an increase in nutrient inputs, mainly derived from agriculture. Despite water column nitrate concentration increased by one order of magnitude, the lagoon maintained homeostatic regulation for two decades, keeping the water transparency and relatively low levels of nutrients and chlorophyll a (Prebreak phase), followed by a sudden change of state in 2016 with an abrupt increase in average nutrients and chlorophyll a concentration and loss of water transparency (Break phase), and a relatively rapid recovery after the reduction of nutrient discharges (Recovery phase). The activation of the regulation mechanisms seems to manifest through an ammonium production in the water column, as a consequence of the activity in the trophic web. The low correlation between chlorophyll a and nutrients concentration, mainly at small spatio-temporal scales, is in disagreement with eutrophication traditional models, and suggests a rapid response of primary producers to nutrient inputs and a zooplankton control in the short-term, which in turn is controlled by the rest of the trophic web components. Homeostatic properties that in the Mar Menor lagoon have provided resistance to eutrophication are based on several mechanisms: channeling its production toward the benthic system (maintaining high biomasses of primary producers, filter feeders, and detritivores), a top-down control of the pelagic trophic web exerted by ichthyoplankton and jellyfish, and exporting surplus production outside

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 86%

Long-Term Dynamic in Nutrients, Chlorophyll a, and Water Quality Parameters in a Coastal Lagoon During a Process of Eutrophication for Decades, a Sudden Break and a Relatively Rapid Recovery

et al. 2019

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“…An understanding of the mechanisms controlling the capacity of an ecosystem to 101 recover after disturbances and of the ways in which human activities can alter this capacity is 102 crucial to the success of ecosystem restoration (Folke et al, 2004). A pronounced degradation 103 of trophic state and decrease in macroalgal biomass has been recorded in Venice lagoon, 104 together with a progressive expansion of seagrass meadows (Facca et al, 2014). Excess 105 nutrients are thought to induce the shift between the two alternative states (Viaroli et al, 106 2008), both of which are thought to be resilient, due to the existence of feedback mechanisms 107 .…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Spatiotemporal dynamics of submerged macrophyte status and watershed exploitation in a Mediterranean coastal lagoon: Understanding critical factors in ecosystem degradation and restoration

Pasqualini

Derolez

Garrido

et al. 2017

Ecological Engineering

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Increases in the intensity of disturbances in coastal lagoons can lead to shifts in vegetation from aquatic angiosperms to macroalgal or phytoplankton communities. Such abrupt and discontinuous responses are facilitated by instability in the equilibrium controlling the trajectory of the community response. We hypothesized that the shift in macrophyte populations is reversible, and that this reversibility is dependent on changes in the pressures exerted on the watershed and lagoon functioning. Biguglia lagoon (Mediterranean Sea, Corsica) is an interesting case study for the evaluation of long-term coastal lagoon ecosystem functioning and the trajectory of submerged macrophyte responses to disturbances, to facilitate the appropriate restoration of ecosystems. We used historical data for a two hundred-year period to assess changes in human activities on the watershed of the Biguglia lagoon. Macrophyte mapping (from 1970) and monitoring data for dynamics (from 1999) were used to investigate the trajectory of the community response. The changes observed in this watershed included a large number of hydrological developments affecting salinity and resulting in changes in macrophyte distribution. Nutrient inputs over the last 40 years have led to a shift in the aquatic vegetation from predominantly aquatic angiosperm community to macroalgae and phytoplankton in 2007 (dystrophic crisis). Changes in hydrological management and improvements in sewage treatment after 2007 led to a significant increase of aquatic angiosperms over a relatively short period of time (4-5 years), particularly for Ruppia cirrhosa and Stuckenia pectinata. There has been a significant resurgence of Najas marina, due to changes in salinity. The observed community shift suggests that Biguglia lagoon is resilient and that the transition may be reversible. The restored communities closely resemble those present before Please note that this is an author-produced PDF of an article accepted for publication following peer review. The definitive publisher-authenticated version is available on the publisher Web site.disturbance. These findings demonstrate the need to understand watershed exploitation and ecosystem variability in lagoon restoration.

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“…18.9 times the concentration measured in 1948-1949. In the following years, P tot mean concentration decreased slightly, showing average values between 339 and 375 µg g -1 (Cossu and De Fraja-Frangipane 1985;Sfriso et al 2003, Facca et al 2014. The maximum value was recorded by Cossu and De Fraja-Frangipane (1985): 1102 µg g -1 .…”

Section: Nutrient Concentrationsmentioning

confidence: 96%

“…Regarding the macrophytes, nutrients and the main physico-chemical parameters of water and sediments, dozens of works are available. Maps of the macroalgal distribution and density have been drawn since 1980 (Sfriso and Facca 2007) whereas maps of nutrients in the water column and environmental parameters in the surface sedi-ments date back to 1983 (Battaglia et al 1983, Cossu and De Fraja-Frangipane 1985, Sfriso et al 1995, 2003 for the central lagoon and to 1985 for the whole lagoon (Cossu and De Fraja-Frangipane 1985, Sfriso et al 1988, Sfriso et al 2003, Facca et al 2014.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Long-term changes of the trophic status in transitional ecosystems of the northern Adriatic Sea, key parameters and future expectations: The lagoon of Venice as a study case

Sfriso¹,

Buosi²,

Mistri³

et al. 2019

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The determination of the trophic status of transitional ecosystems from the physico-chemical and biological point of view is one of the requirements of the European Water Framework Directive (WFD 2000/60/EC). In Italy, its determination is implemented by the Regional Agencies for Environmental Protection (ARPAs) that have activated multi-annual monitoring programs. However, as the availability of funds is increasingly scarce, the number of environmental parameters to detect environmental changes should be conveniently managed. The high number of environmental parameters, nutrient and macrophyte datasets available for the LTER-Italia site “Venice lagoon” can be an useful tool to analyze the trophic changes over recent years and to foresee environmental evolutions. Nutrient data on a spatial basis have been available since 1948, whereas macroalgal maps date back to 1980. The aim of this paper is to highlight the changes of the trophic status of the lagoon since the middle of the 20th century by considering the concentrations of nutrients in the surface sediments and in the water column, the variation of some physico-chemical parameters and the biomass of macroalgae and also to foresee the way it will possibly evolve. In fact, after many anthropogenic impacts that in the second half of the 20th century affected the lagoon, starting from the year 2010, the ecological status is progressively improving. Nutrients show a significant reduction both in the water column and in surface sediments, and the macrophytes are represented by species of higher ecological value while the opportunistic species such as the Ulvaceae are in strong regression.

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Natural Recovery and Planned Intervention in Coastal Wetlands: Venice Lagoon (Northern Adriatic Sea, Italy) as a Case Study

Cited by 19 publications

References 42 publications

Long-Term Dynamic in Nutrients, Chlorophyll a, and Water Quality Parameters in a Coastal Lagoon During a Process of Eutrophication for Decades, a Sudden Break and a Relatively Rapid Recovery

Long-Term Dynamic in Nutrients, Chlorophyll a, and Water Quality Parameters in a Coastal Lagoon During a Process of Eutrophication for Decades, a Sudden Break and a Relatively Rapid Recovery

Spatiotemporal dynamics of submerged macrophyte status and watershed exploitation in a Mediterranean coastal lagoon: Understanding critical factors in ecosystem degradation and restoration

Long-term changes of the trophic status in transitional ecosystems of the northern Adriatic Sea, key parameters and future expectations: The lagoon of Venice as a study case

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