Candela Marco-Méndez

Remote influence of off-shore fish farm waste on Mediterranean seagrass (Posidonia oceanica) meadows.

The aim of this study was estimating the remote influence of waste dispersed from a large off-shore fish farm complex (6197 ton year(-1)) on the near-shore Posidonia oceanica meadow (26-27 m deep) located at a distance of 3 km. Measurements of isotopic nitrogen content in epiphytes and seagrass leaf tissues, epiphyte biomass, shoot size, herbivory pressure, shoot density and seagrass meadow cover, performed in this meadow (FA area) were compared with those obtained in an undisturbed control meadow (CA area) to evaluate: (1) the remote influence of waste and (2) the impact of such influence on seagrass condition. In addition, delta(15)N measurements in particulate organic matter of natural and anthropogenic origin were used in a single-isotope mixing model to elucidate the relative contributions of these sources to the isotopic N signal measured in epiphytes and leaf tissues. Total tissue N content was similar between meadow areas, but delta(15)N signatures were significantly higher in the FA area than in the CA area both in epiphytes and seagrass leaf tissues. Results from the mixing model, together with available information on local currents and previous studies, support the conclusion that the dispersion of farm wastes over large areas (spanning kilometres) are responsible for the elevated delta(15)N signatures found in the FA meadow area. Despite this, no changes in meadow structure were detected and only some changes at the level of seagrass community (epiphytes abundances and herbivores activity) could be interpreted at the light of nutrient-induced effects in the FA area. Results from this study indicate that concentrating aquaculture facilities in off-shore areas is a strategy not totally exempt of environmental risk on near-shore sensitive habitats such as seagrass meadows.

Benthic community recovery from brine impact after the implementation of mitigation measures

In many regions, seawater desalination is a growing industry that has its impact on benthic communities. This study analyses the effect on benthic communities of a mitigation measure applied to a brine discharge, using polychaete assemblages as indicator. An eight-year study was conducted at San Pedro del Pinatar (SE Spain) establishing a grid of 12 sites at a depth range of 29-38 m during autumn. Brine discharge started in 2006 and produced a significant decrease in abundance, richness and diversity of polychaete families at the location closest to the discharge, where salinity reached 49. In 2010, a diffuser was deployed at the end of the pipeline in order to increase the mixing, to reduce the impact on benthic communities. After implementation of this mitigation measure, the salinity measured close to discharge was less than 38.5 and a significant recovery in polychaete richness and diversity was detected, to levels similar to those before the discharge. A less evident recovery in abundance was also observed, probably due to different recovery rates of polychaete families. Some families like Paraonidae and Magelonidae were more tolerant to this impact. Others like Syllidae and Capitellidae recovered quickly, although still affected by the discharge, while some families such as Sabellidae and Cirratulidae appeared to recover more slowly.

Bioindicators as metrics for environmental monitoring of desalination plant discharges.

Development of desalination projects requires simple methodologies and tools for cost-effective and environmentally-sensitive management. Sentinel taxa and biotic indices are easily interpreted in the perspective of environment management. Echinoderms are potential sentinel taxon to gauge the impact produced by brine discharge and the BOPA index is considered an effective tool for monitoring different types of impact. Salinity increase due to desalination brine discharge was evaluated in terms of these two indicators. They reflected the environmental impact and recovery after implementation of a mitigation measure. Echinoderms disappeared at the station closest to the discharge during the years with highest salinity and then recovered their abundance after installation of a diffuser reduced the salinity increase. In the same period, BOPA responded due to the decrease in sensitive amphipods and the increase in tolerant polychaete families when salinities rose. Although salinity changes explained most of the observed variability in both indicators, other abiotic parameters were also significant in explaining this variability.

Lack of Impact of Posidonia oceanica Leaf Nutrient Enrichment on Sarpa salpa Herbivory: Additional Evidence for the Generalist Consumer Behavior of This Cornerstone Mediterranean Herbivore

The fish Sarpa salpa (L.) is one of the main macroherbivores in the western Mediterranean. Through direct and indirect mechanisms, this herbivore can exert significant control on the structure and functional dynamics of seagrass beds and macroalgae. Past research has suggested nutritional quality of their diet influences S. salpa herbivory, with the fish feeding more intensively and exerting greater top down control on macrophytes with higher internal nutrient contents. However recent findings have questioned this notion and shown that herbivores do not preferentially feed on macrophytes with higher nutrient contents, but rather feed on a wide variety of them with no apparent selectivity. To contribute to this debate, we conducted a field fertilization experiment where we enriched leaves of the seagrass Posidonia oceanica, a staple diet for S. salpa, and examined the response by the herbivore. These responses included quantification of leaf consumption in fertilized and non-fertilized/control plots within the bed, and food choice assays where fertilized and non-fertilized/control leaves were simultaneously offered to the herbivore. Despite the duration of leaf exposure to herbivores (30 days) and abundant schools of S. salpa observed around the plots, leaf consumption was generally low in the plots examined. Consumption was not higher on fertilized than on non-fertilized leaves. Food choice experiments did not show strong evidence for selectivity of enriched leaves. These results add to a recent body of work reporting a broad generalist feeding behavior by S. salpa with no clear selectivity for seagrass with higher nutrient content. In concert, this and other studies suggest S. salpa is often generalist consumers not only dictated by diet nutrient content but by complex interactions between other traits of nutritional quality, habitat heterogeneity within their ample foraging area, and responses to predation risk.