Le aree di transizione siciliane: stato dell’arte e sviluppi futuri

First assessment of total organic carbon/macrofauna relation in Sicilian coastal lagoons

Sediment characteristics (Total organic carbon, C/N ratio, carbonates, grain size) and macrofaunal assemblages were studied in Sum- mer 2005 in 9 coastal lagoons of eastern Sicily (Italy) belonging to 3 study areas (Capo Peloro, Marinello and Vendicari). The diffe- rent ecosystems were selected upon their differences in geographical position, size, depth, water exchange, anthropic impact and expec- ted organic matter loading. The aim of this study was to explore the relationship between the Total organic carbon (TOC) content of se- diment and macrofaunal assemblages characteristics, as indicated by the Study Group on Benthic Indicators of IOC/UNESCO (http: //ioc.unesco.org/benthicindicators…