![]() However, the impacts of groundwater discharge are not limited to nutrient loading: a wide range of organisms also respond to changes in water salinity, light penetration into water column, pH and turbulence ( Short and Burdick, 1996 Troccoli-Ghinaglia et al., 2010 Lee et al., 2017). In the Mediterranean Sea, which is an oligotrophic basin characterized by limited surface water inputs, groundwater discharge is a major source of nutrients to coastal systems and may thus affect the primary production in the ecosystems ( Herrera-Silveira, 1998 Basterretxea et al., 2010 Tovar-Sánchez et al., 2014 Rodellas et al., 2015). Whilst the role of surface waters (rivers, streams, runoff, etc.) in supporting biological production in coastal ecosystems has been extensively documented ( Middelburg and Nieuwenhuize, 2001 Liu et al., 2010 Bianchi et al., 2014 Cloern et al., 2014), groundwater discharge is only more recently being recognized as an important pathway of nutrients for coastal systems ( Slomp and Van Cappellen, 2004 Moore, 2010 Null et al., 2012). These ecosystems are threatened by climatic and anthropogenic disturbances such as land use change, coastal erosion, sedimentation and excessive nutrient loading ( De Wit et al., 2005 Aliaume et al., 2007 Anthony et al., 2009). They are very dynamic environments controlled by physical processes under both marine and terrestrial influence ( Kjerfve, 1994). Overall, this study demonstrates that groundwater discharge to Mediterranean lagoons provides favorable environmental conditions for fast growth of mussels of high commercial-quality.Ĭoastal lagoons are highly productive ecosystems, supporting a wide range of ecosystem services such as aquaculture, fishery, tourism and others ( Newton et al., 2014 Riera et al., 2018 Velasco et al., 2018). The higher growth rates at groundwater-influenced sites are likely a consequence of both the higher winter temperatures of lagoon water as a result of groundwater discharging with relatively constant temperatures, and the groundwater-driven nutrient supply that increase the food availability to support mussel growth. Importantly, growth rates from groundwater-influenced sites are amongst the highest rates reported for the Mediterranean region (41 ± 9 μm d –1). Mussels from groundwater-influenced sites have higher growth rate and condition index compared to those from a control site. The mussels in this lagoon produce circadian (daily rhythm) growth increments in their shell, as opposed to semi-diurnal increments in tidally influenced systems. Growth rates and condition index (tissue weight/shell weight) of mussels growing at groundwater-exposed sites and at a control site in Salses-Leucate lagoon (France) were measured. ![]() Here, we investigate the impact of groundwater discharge on the growth of the Mediterranean mussel ( Mytilus galloprovincialis) in a coastal lagoon. While its effect on supporting primary production in coastal ecosystems is increasingly recognized, its impact on growth of animals at higher trophic level (primary and secondary consumers) is less well documented. ![]() Groundwater discharge is today recognized as an important pathway for freshwater, nutrients and other dissolved chemical substances to coastal systems. 3Centre for Tropical Water and Aquatic Ecosystem Research TropWATER, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD, Australia.2Sorbonne Université, CNRS, Laboratoire d’Ecogéochimie des Environnements Benthiques (LECOB), UMR 8222, Observatoire Océanologique de Banyuls, Banyuls-sur-Mer, France.1Aix-Marseille Université, CNRS, IRD, INRA, Coll France, CEREGE, Aix-en-Provence, France.Aladin Andrisoa 1*, Franck Lartaud 2, Valentí Rodellas 1, Ingrid Neveu 2 and Thomas C.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |