Marta Román, Elsa Vázquez, Andrés Simón, Salvador Román, Celia Olabarria
{"title":"Recovery of the Seagrass Zostera noltei and Commercial Bivalve Populations After Shellfish Harvesting","authors":"Marta Román, Elsa Vázquez, Andrés Simón, Salvador Román, Celia Olabarria","doi":"10.1007/s12237-024-01402-2","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p>Conservation efforts have raised awareness about the impact of small-scale fisheries on the distribution of seagrass plants. The patterns of recovery of the seagrass <i>Zostera noltei</i> and of the commercial bivalves <i>Cerastoderma edule</i>, <i>Ruditapes decussatus</i> and <i>Ruditapes philippinarum</i> after shellfish harvesting were studied in a field experiment in a shellfish bed in NW Spain. Sample plots were subjected to a single disturbance in two types of shellfish harvesting treatments in three zones characterized by different harvesting frequency and seagrass density. The photosynthetic efficiency (F<sub>v</sub>/F<sub>m</sub>), shoot density, leaf length and carbohydrate content of <i>Z. noltei</i> were monitored every three months during one year, and the C and N content of leaves and biomass of plants were measured one year after the disturbance. The abundance of adults, juveniles and recruits and the condition index of adult bivalves were quantified after the experimental harvesting. Shoot density and biomass of <i>Z. noltei</i> remained low during the ten months after the disturbance but recovered to control values after one year. Carbohydrate contents of apical rhizomes were lower in disturbed (treated) plots, whereas no effect was observed on F<sub>v</sub>/F<sub>m</sub>. Denser and more complex seagrass patches recovered faster. The abundance of adult bivalves below commercial size was lower in the disturbed plots, while the abundance of adults of commercial size, juveniles and recruits did not vary, indicating that abundance and condition were not hampered by harvesting pressure. The findings also suggest that <i>Z. noltei</i> meadows can recover within one year of the impact of shellfish harvesting if the havesting areas are rotated and dense patches are preserved.</p>","PeriodicalId":11921,"journal":{"name":"Estuaries and Coasts","volume":"21 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.3000,"publicationDate":"2024-07-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Estuaries and Coasts","FirstCategoryId":"93","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s12237-024-01402-2","RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q3","JCRName":"ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Conservation efforts have raised awareness about the impact of small-scale fisheries on the distribution of seagrass plants. The patterns of recovery of the seagrass Zostera noltei and of the commercial bivalves Cerastoderma edule, Ruditapes decussatus and Ruditapes philippinarum after shellfish harvesting were studied in a field experiment in a shellfish bed in NW Spain. Sample plots were subjected to a single disturbance in two types of shellfish harvesting treatments in three zones characterized by different harvesting frequency and seagrass density. The photosynthetic efficiency (Fv/Fm), shoot density, leaf length and carbohydrate content of Z. noltei were monitored every three months during one year, and the C and N content of leaves and biomass of plants were measured one year after the disturbance. The abundance of adults, juveniles and recruits and the condition index of adult bivalves were quantified after the experimental harvesting. Shoot density and biomass of Z. noltei remained low during the ten months after the disturbance but recovered to control values after one year. Carbohydrate contents of apical rhizomes were lower in disturbed (treated) plots, whereas no effect was observed on Fv/Fm. Denser and more complex seagrass patches recovered faster. The abundance of adult bivalves below commercial size was lower in the disturbed plots, while the abundance of adults of commercial size, juveniles and recruits did not vary, indicating that abundance and condition were not hampered by harvesting pressure. The findings also suggest that Z. noltei meadows can recover within one year of the impact of shellfish harvesting if the havesting areas are rotated and dense patches are preserved.
期刊介绍:
Estuaries and Coasts is the journal of the Coastal and Estuarine Research Federation (CERF). Begun in 1977 as Chesapeake Science, the journal has gradually expanded its scope and circulation. Today, the journal publishes scholarly manuscripts on estuarine and near coastal ecosystems at the interface between the land and the sea where there are tidal fluctuations or sea water is diluted by fresh water. The interface is broadly defined to include estuaries and nearshore coastal waters including lagoons, wetlands, tidal fresh water, shores and beaches, but not the continental shelf. The journal covers research on physical, chemical, geological or biological processes, as well as applications to management of estuaries and coasts. The journal publishes original research findings, reviews and perspectives, techniques, comments, and management applications. Estuaries and Coasts will consider properly carried out studies that present inconclusive findings or document a failed replication of previously published work. Submissions that are primarily descriptive, strongly place-based, or only report on development of models or new methods without detailing their applications fall outside the scope of the journal.