Abstract
Sampling campaigns were carried out in 1976 and in 1989 in the Sacca degli Scardovari, a brackish lagoon in the Po Delta (upper Adriatic Sea). By means of different methods (i.e., average taxonomic distinctness index, conventional diversity measures, and non‐parametric multivariate analysis), changes in benthic community structure were investigated. In the 13‐year period, the southern area of the lagoon underwent a marinization process. A quite strong environmental gradient along its main N‐S axis was then found. Multivariate analysis was the most powerful tool for the assessment of benthic community changes, revealing community patterns that univariate measures of diversity were unable to detect. Relevant information on the taxonomic structure of the community was given by the distinctness index, but this did not prove sensitive to environmental changes, probably due to the characteristics of the studied environment.
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