Consequences of artificially opening coastal lagoons on their fish assemblages

Transitional waters are among the most productive ecosystems of the world and their biotic communities show high diversity and complex mechanisms of self-regulation that provide valuable ecosystem services and societal goods and benefits. In this work a comparison of the fish assemblages of three non-tidal Mediterranean coastal lagoons is carried out in order to evaluate the impacts of alternative management strategies. The anthropogenic pressures acting on the lagoons were quantified by means of categorical indicators, while the characteristics of the fish assemblages were summarized in multi-metric indices (MMIs). Two MMIs were developed using data collected with a beach seine net and with fyke nets, following an empirical approach that selects, from a pool of 73 metrics, the combination that maximizes the MMI/pressure relationship. The two MMIs include four metrics each, most of which are based on feeding mode functional guilds and habitat use functional guilds, and they are sensitive to anthropogenic pressures. The human activities directly or indirectly affecting water quality are the ones that most influence the fish assemblage, while the presence of artisanal fisheries, a typical and relevant resource use in these lagoons, seems to play a beneficial role. Lagoon fisheries management relies on the maintenance of infrastructures that guarantee the hydraulic functioning of the lagoon, thus ensuring exchanges with the adjacent coastal sea, and therefore indirectly contributing to the habitat quality.

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Diversity and space-time dynamics of fish assemblages in a coastal lagoon, western Atlantic

Neotropical Biology and Conservation ◽

10.3897/neotropical.14.e37667 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 14 (2) ◽

pp. 221-239

Author(s):

André Pereira Cattani ◽

Gisela Costa Ribeiro ◽

Olímpio Rafael Cardoso ◽

Maíra Gnoatto Afonso ◽

Maurício Hostim-Silva ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Coastal Lagoon ◽

Fish Assemblages ◽

Coastal Lagoons ◽

Spatial Dynamics ◽

Fish Fauna ◽

High Abundance ◽

Taxonomic Distinctness ◽

Western Atlantic ◽

Time Dynamics ◽

Southern Section

The knowledge of the temporal and spatial dynamics in the composition of fish fauna makes it possible to identify patterns of occupation of ecosystems, providing a basis for evaluation and preservation of the local biodiversity. Monthly samplings were carried out at seven sites in a coastal lagoon, using a casting net, dip net and beach seine. A total of 4,110 individuals were collected, distributed in 23 families and 49 taxa of fish, with a predominance of Mugilliza, M.curema, Atherinellabrasiliensis, Micropogoniasfurnieri and Eucinostomusargenteus, corresponding to more than 80% total weight of all individuals caught. Regarding seasonality, greater abundances were recorded in fall, influenced by the high abundance of A.brasiliensis in this period. In addition to fall, this species was also abundant in summer. However, this pattern of dominance was different for the families Mugilidae and Gerreidae, with higher abundances in spring and summer, respectively. The highest abundances were found in the southern section of the lagoon, which are related to the high abundance of A.brasiliensis, M.liza and M.curema. In relation to the indices of average taxonomic distinctness and variation in the taxonomic distinctness, no significant differences were detected between the seasons of the year. Thus, the patterns of distribution and occurrence of fish in the lagoon were consistent with the patterns observed in Brazilian coastal lagoons and estuaries, as well as to the coastal shallow areas of the southeastern and southern regions.

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How are fish assemblages and feeding guilds organized in different tropical coastal systems? Comparisons among oceanic beaches, bays and coastal lagoons

Hydrobiologia ◽

10.1007/s10750-019-04101-3 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 847 (2) ◽

pp. 403-419

Author(s):

Magda Fernandes de Andrade-Tubino ◽

Marcia Cristina Costa Azevedo ◽

Taynara Pontes Franco ◽

Francisco Gerson Araújo

Keyword(s):

Fish Assemblages ◽

Coastal Lagoons ◽

Feeding Guilds ◽

Coastal Systems

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Local and regional patterns of fish assemblages in coastal lagoons surrounded by mangroves, Gulf of Tehuantepec in the south Pacific of Mexico

Latin American Journal of Aquatic Research ◽

10.3856/vol49-issue1-fulltext-2488 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 49 (1) ◽

pp. 60-74

Author(s):

Emilio I. Romero-Berny ◽

Juan J. Schmitter-Soto ◽

Ernesto Velázquez-Velázquez ◽

Adán E. Gómez-González

Keyword(s):

Fish Assemblages ◽

Coastal Lagoons ◽

Regional Analysis ◽

Local Variation ◽

Gamma Diversity ◽

Regional Patterns ◽

Gulf Of Tehuantepec ◽

Ecological Patterns ◽

Beta And Gamma Diversity ◽

Species Richness And Abundance

We analyzed the local variation of fish assemblages in four coastal lagoon systems surrounded by mangroves, draining into the Gulf of Tehuantepec (Pacific versant of Mexico), and determined the spatial patterns of alpha, beta, and gamma diversity. Fish were sampled between 2004 and 2016 at 63 sites using cast nets. The collected data were supplemented with information obtained from published works for three other coastal lagoons for the regional analysis. Local richness was high (89 species in a total of 19,017 specimens in four systems). Locally, dissolved oxygen, depth, and distance to mangrove were variables that significantly affected richness and abundance of fish in one or more systems. The Chantuto-Panzacola system showed the highest richness, significantly different from the other systems, although the trophic groups were similar. Regionally, two, Istmo and Soconusco complexes were identified, whose turnover rate (0.36) and gamma diversity (176) increased from north to south. Fish species richness and abundance increased with growing mangrove area, both locally and regionally, making this a highly explanatory variable. The Gulf of Tehuantepec is an environmentally heterogeneous region, with ecological patterns defined according to the spatiotemporal scale, which should be considered in the delineation of ecoregions and coastal management planning.

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