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Converse effect of flooding on intertidal macrobenthic assemblages in the Guadiana estuary
Conde, A.; Calvário, J.; Sprung, M.; Novais, J.M.; Domínguez, J. (2013). Converse effect of flooding on intertidal macrobenthic assemblages in the Guadiana estuary. J. Mar. Biol. Ass. U.K. 93(6): 1431-1440. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/S0025315413000453
In: Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom. Cambridge University Press/Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom: Cambridge. ISSN 0025-3154; e-ISSN 1469-7769, more
Peer reviewed article  

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Keywords
Author keywords
    Ecological parameters; Macrobenthic assemblages; Winter flooding; Macrofaunal response; Converse effect

Authors  Top 
  • Conde, A.
  • Calvário, J.
  • Sprung, M.
  • Novais, J.M.
  • Domínguez, J.

Abstract
    The effects of winter flooding on the intertidal macrobenthic assemblages in the Guadiana estuary were studied by analysing several ecological parameters (abundance, biomass, species richness, diversity, degree of dominance of annelids and deposit-feeders species and number of predator species) as well as changes in the composition of the assemblages. Significant and systematic differences were found in the values of the ecological parameters, especially between winter and summer. We found a significant interaction between the factors ‘time’ and ‘site’, attributable to changes in abundance and composition of the assemblages. The assemblages showed a predominance of some opportunist species in most of the estuary after the flooding, suggesting that these species benefited from the new environmental conditions. Conversely, the assemblages in the mouth of the estuary were severely affected as was shown by the negative changes in biomass, species richness and diversity. These converse responses of the intertidal estuarine assemblages represent effects of flooding different from both catastrophic and negative effects on macrofaunal assemblages.

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