Ecological and functional changes associated with long-term recovery from organic enrichment

Abstract

MEPS Marine Ecology Progress Series Contact the journal Facebook Twitter RSS Mailing List Subscribe to our mailing list via Mailchimp HomeLatest VolumeAbout the JournalEditorsTheme Sections MEPS 365:17-24 (2008) - DOI: https://doi.org/10.3354/meps07534 Ecological and functional changes associated with long-term recovery from organic enrichment Catriona K. Macleod1,2,*, Natalie A. Moltschaniwskyj2, Christine M. Crawford1 1Marine Research Laboratories, Tasmanian Aquaculture and Fisheries Institute, and Aquafin CRC, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Tasmania 7001, Australia 2School of Aquaculture, Tasmanian Aquaculture and Fisheries Institute, University of Tasmania, Launceston, Tasmania 7250, Australia *Email: catriona.macleod@utas.edu.au ABSTRACT: The recovery of a soft sediment benthic invertebrate community from high levels of organic enrichment was evaluated after removal of farmed fish at an Atlantic salmon Salmo salar culture site in southeast Tasmania. Although the pattern of recovery followed established successional principles, after 36 mo neither communities under or at the edge of cages, nor communities 10 m from the edge of the cage, had attained a structure equivalent to that of the reference communities. In the first few months there was little evidence of recovery and the community was dominated by species characteristic of impacted conditions. After 12 mo the system had markedly improved, containing a diverse range of species with functional roles similar to those of the reference sites. Once the ecological function of the sediment was restored, subsequent changes in the community structure were relatively minor, simply reflecting the addition of rarer species with longer reproductive cycles and/or larval stages with a greater sensitivity to the negative effects of organic enrichment. These species may be significant where specific community changes, loss of diversity or the possibility of species extinction are the critical issues. However, restoration of system function may be a more useful indicator of generalized recovery from organic enrichment than of community equivalence. KEY WORDS: Benthic recovery · Functional ecology · Recolonisation · Organic enrichment · Macrofauna · Aquaculture Full text in pdf format PreviousNextCite this article as: Macleod CK, Moltschaniwskyj NA, Crawford CM (2008) Ecological and functional changes associated with long-term recovery from organic enrichment. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 365:17-24. https://doi.org/10.3354/meps07534 Export citation RSS - Facebook - Tweet - linkedIn Cited by Published in MEPS Vol. 365. Online publication date: August 18, 2008 Print ISSN: 0171-8630; Online ISSN: 1616-1599 Copyright © 2008 Inter-Research.