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. 2014:2014:968618.
doi: 10.1155/2014/968618. Epub 2014 Jul 13.

Natural recovery and planned intervention in coastal wetlands: Venice Lagoon (northern Adriatic Sea, Italy) as a case study

Chiara Facca  1 , Sonia Ceoldo  1 , Nicola Pellegrino  1 , Adriano Sfriso  1
Affiliations

Natural recovery and planned intervention in coastal wetlands: Venice Lagoon (northern Adriatic Sea, Italy) as a case study

Chiara Facca et al. ScientificWorldJournal. 2014.

Abstract

The goals of conservation and sustainable use of environmental ecosystems have increased the need for detailed knowledge of ecological evolution and responses to both anthropogenic pressures and recovery measures. The present study shows the effects of natural processes and planned intervention in terms of reducing nutrient inputs in a highly exploited coastal lagoon, describing its evolution over a 16-year period from the late 1980s (when eutrophication was at its peak) until 2003. Changes in nutrient and carbon concentrations in the top layer of sediments were investigated in parallel with macroalgal and seagrass biomass in the most anthropized basin of Venice Lagoon in four surveys conducted in accordance with the same protocols in 1987, 1993, 1998, and 2003. A pronounced reduction in trophic state (mainly total nitrogen, organic phosphorus, and organic carbon concentrations) and macroalgal biomass was recorded, together with the progressive expansion of seagrass meadows. General considerations are also made on the effects of Manila clam farming and the shift from illegal to managed clam farming.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Scheme of main stressors (categories in accordance with [4]) affecting Venice Lagoon, effects on ecosystem, policies adopted, and predicted outcomes.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Study area: Venice Lagoon. Main anthropogenic pressures indicated in bold black. Solid blue lines separate lagoon into three morphological basins. Details of clam farming areas in [27].
Figure 3
Figure 3
Spatial distribution of fine sediments (fraction < 63 μm) in 2003 (a). Mean values and standard deviations shown on map for whole lagoon (W) and northern (N), central (C) and southern (S) basins. Other maps indicate distributions in 1987 (b), 1998 (c), and 2003 (d) in central basin.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Spatial distribution of TN in 2003 (a). Mean values and standard deviations shown on maps for whole lagoon (W) and northern (N), central (C) and southern (S) basins. Other maps indicate distributions in 1987 (b), 1993 (c), 1998 (d), and 2003 (e) in central basin.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Spatial distribution of phosphorus concentrations in 2003: total phosphorus (a), inorganic phosphorus (b), and organic phosphorus (c). Mean values and standard deviations shown on maps for whole lagoon (W) and northern (N), central (C) and southern (S) basins. Other maps indicate distributions in 1987 (d), 1993 (e), 1998 (f), and 2003 (g) in central basin.
Figure 6
Figure 6
Spatial distribution of carbon concentrations in 2003. Total carbon (a), inorganic carbon (b), and organic carbon (c). Mean values and standard deviations shown on maps for whole lagoon (W) and northern (N), central (C) and southern (S) basins. Other maps indicate distributions in 1987 (d), 1993 (e), 1998 (f), and 2003 (g) in central basin.
Figure 7
Figure 7
Macrophyte biomass distribution in 2003. Modified from [18].
Figure 8
Figure 8
Redundancy analysis (RDA) for dataset including 165 observations in whole lagoon, 2 biotic factors (macroalgae and seagrass), and 9 environmental variables: S = salinity, pH, OS = oxygen saturation, fines = sediment fine fraction, TN = total nitrogen, IP = inorganic phosphorus, OP = organic phosphorus, IC = inorganic carbon, and OC = organic carbon. Black triangles represent central basin samples; green squares represent southern basin samples; yellow circles represent northern basin samples. First and second axes explain 50.7% and 16.7% of variation, respectively.
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References

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