Linking food web functioning and habitat diversity for an ecosystem based management: A Mediterranean lagoon case-study

Brigolin, D.; Facca, C.; Franco, A.; Franzoi, P.; Pastres, R.; Sfriso, A.; Sigovini, M.; Soldatini, C.; Tagliapietra, D.; Torricelli, P.; Zucchetta, M.; Pranovi, F.

Abstract

We propose a modelling approach relating the functioning of a transitional ecosystem with the spatial extension of its habitats. A test case is presented for the lagoon of Venice, discussing the results in the context of the application of current EU directives. The effects on food web functioning due to changes related to manageable and unmanageable drivers were investigated. The modelling procedure involved the use of steady-state food web models and network analysis, respectively applied to estimate the fluxes of energy associated with trophic interactions, and to compute indices of food web functioning. On the long term (hundred years) temporal scale, the model indicated that the expected loss of salt marshes will produce further changes at the system level, with a lagoon showing a decrease in the energy processing efficiency. On the short term scale, simulation results indicated that fishery management accompanied by seagrass restoration measures would produce a slight transition towards a more healthy system, with higher energy cycling, and maintaining a good balance between processing efficiency and resilience. Scenarios presented suggest that the effectiveness of short term management strategies can be better evaluated when contextualized in the long term trends of evolution of a system. We also remark the need for further studying the relationship between habitat diversity and indicators of food web functioning.

Citation

Brigolin, D., Facca, C., Franco, A., Franzoi, P., Pastres, R., Sfriso, A., …Pranovi, F. (2014). Linking food web functioning and habitat diversity for an ecosystem based management: A Mediterranean lagoon case-study. Marine environmental research, 97, 58-66. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marenvres.2014.02.006

• Acceptance Date: Mar 1, 2014
• Publication Date: 2014-06
• Deposit Date: May 27, 2015
• Publicly Available Date: May 27, 2015
• Journal: Marine environmental research
• Print ISSN: 0141-1136
• Electronic ISSN: 1879-0291
• Publisher: Elsevier
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 97
• Pages: 58-66
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marenvres.2014.02.006
• Keywords: Habitat diversity, Food web functioning, Food web, Trophodynamic indicators, Water Framework Directive, Venice lagoon
• Public URL: https://hull-repository.worktribe.com/output/374332
• Publisher URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0141113614000415
• Additional Information: This article is maintained by: Elsevier; Article Title: Linking food web functioning and habitat diversity for an ecosystem based management: A Mediterranean lagoon case-study; Journal Title: Marine Environmental Research; CrossRef DOI link to publisher maintained version: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.marenvres.2014.02.006; Content Type: article; Copyright: Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.