Zoobenthic Communities of a High-Density Mat of the Chlorophyta Chaetomorpha linum, in a Hypertrophic Lagoon

Abstract

In a non-tidal Mediterranean lagoon, quality and quantity of the zoobenthic communities present in a vast high-density mat of Chaetomorpha linum and the biomass and standing crops of the same mat were estimated seasonally between 2017 and and 2019. The quantity of zoobentos that developed in the mat was very high, with numbers of individuals between 760 ± 397 and 1135 ± 277 per kg of alga, in winter and early summer, respectively. The most abundant species in all seasons were those of gammarids and isopods, while blooms of bivalves and the anemone Paranemonia cinerea were occasionally observed. C. linum mat showed high potential for the growth of some species of zoobenthos, but most of these decayed during the summer environmental criticalities of the lagoon and the partial decay of the mat.