Abstract
This study aimed to investigate the dynamics of the nutrient budget of a macroalgal community exposed to water discharged from aquaculture farms. This study was conducted in the coastal area exposed to water discharged from aquaculture farms located on Jeju Island, Korea, in May and October of 2017. Water-column-dissolved inorganic nutrient concentrations were higher in the intertidal zone than in the subtidal zone. High nutrient concentrations in the intertidal zone resulted in the bloom of Ulva spp., consequently leading to a low species number. This indicates the vulnerability of the intertidal macroalgal community to discharge from land-based aquaculture. Ecklonia cava contributed to 29–53% of the total incorporation of carbon (C), nitrogen (N), and phosphorus (P) in the subtidal zone. In the intertidal zone, the highest tissue N content was found in Ulva spp. due to the high and rapid nutrient uptake rate from the effluent with high nutrient concentrations, thereby indicating high total N incorporation. The estimated total C, N, and P incorporation rates by macroalgae were 181.5, 8.6, and 0.95 tons year−1, respectively. These results suggest that the macroalgal community in this area absorbs or removes large amounts of nutrients from the water column and plays an important role in the budgets and cycling of nutrients in the surrounding coastal areas.
Highlights
IntroductionCoastal areas are among the most valuable ecosystems in the world due to their high biodiversity and productivity [1]
Changes in macroalgal community structure across the rocky shore may be affected by variations in water-column concentrations between the intertidal and subtidal zones
Ulva spp. characterized by high growth at high nutrient concentrations and rapid nutrient uptake rates dominated the intertidal zone; only four species had a cover of more than 1%
Summary
Coastal areas are among the most valuable ecosystems in the world due to their high biodiversity and productivity [1]. Coastal areas have been severely affected by natural and anthropogenic events such as climate change, coastal development, and excessive nutrient release from various human-related activities [2,3,4]. Effluents from aquaculture and sewage treatments cause coastal eutrophication, which results in algal blooms, hypoxia, and changes in the macroalgal community [5,6,7]. Green macroalgal blooms in the Gulf of California are caused by fertilizer runoff through channels and 4.0/).
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