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- Title
Intertidal biogenic reefs built by the polychaete Boccardia proboscidea in sewage-impacted areas of Argentina, SW Atlantic.
- Authors
Jaubet, María Lourdes; Sánchez, María de los Ángeles; Rivero, María Silvia; Garaffo, Griselda Valeria; Vallarino, Eduardo Alberto; Elías, Rodolfo
- Abstract
The rocky intertidal zone around the city of Mar del Plata (SW Atlantic, 38° S-57° W) is characterized by dense mussel beds of Brachidontes rodriguezii. This intertidal community develops on natural and artificial hard substrates, including abrasion platforms in sewage-impacted areas. A monitoring program, designed to assess the effect of sewage discharge on intertidal macrobenthic communities, has been conducted since 1997. During the spring season of 2008, a new spionid polychaete ( Boccardia proboscidea) was found near the sewage outfall, forming large biogenic reefs. This is the first report of biogenic reefs being built by a non reef-forming spionid polychaete in areas organically impacted by sewage discharges. The aim of this work was to evaluate the spatial-temporal dynamics (% cover and density of B. proboscidea) of these reefs. These biogenic reefs covered almost the entire impacted site, reaching a density of 650,000 ind·m. This phenomenon is unique in that there is no other record available worldwide of any other biogenic polychaete reefs that could be sewage-induced. The presence and stability of these biogenic reefs is discussed in relation to increased organic contamination as a structuring factor.
- Subjects
MAR del Plata (Argentina); ARGENTINA; BRACHIDONTES; INTERTIDAL zonation; SPATIO-temporal variation; REEFS
- Publication
Marine Ecology, 2011, Vol 32, Issue 2, p188
- ISSN
0173-9565
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1111/j.1439-0485.2010.00415.x