Search results for "Wrack"
showing 4 items of 4 documents
Seagrass detritus as marine macroinvertebrates attractor
2022
Seagrasses colonise coastal areas worldwide. Despite their high primary production, a considerable proportion becomes detritus that can be used as food, physical habitat and occasional or permanent shelter by several benthic macroinvertebrates. In turn, macroinvertebrates can contribute to regulating seagrass decomposition, and represent an important trophic link between primary producers and higher consumers. Nonetheless, several factors could modify colonizer responses to this habitat. In this study, we tested if colonisation of the seagrass detritus of Zostera noltei Hornemann, 1832 was related to substrate availability rather than food and whether the colonising assemblages were similar…
Small-scale patches of detritus as habitat for invertebrates within a Zostera noltei meadow
2021
Abstract Seagrass detritus can attract numerous invertebrates as it provides food and substrate within the meadow or in adjacent environments. Nonetheless, several factors could modify the invertebrate response to this habitat. In this study, we tested if epifaunal colonisation of Zostera noltei detritus was related to substrate availability rather than food and whether colonising assemblages were similar according to the meadow structural complexity. Litterbags filled with natural or artificial detritus were deployed within an eelgrass meadow in a Mediterranean coastal lagoon (Thau lagoon, France). Colonisation appeared to be driven by the presence of detritus, with similar assemblages in …
Valorization of Marine Waste: Use of Industrial By-Products and Beach Wrack Towards the Production of High Added-Value Products
2021
Biomass is defined as organic matter from living organisms represented in all kingdoms. It is recognized to be an excellent source of proteins, polysaccharides and lipids and, as such, embodies a tailored feedstock for new products and processes to apply in green industries. The industrial processes focused on the valorization of terrestrial biomass are well established, but marine sources still represent an untapped resource. Oceans and seas occupy over 70% of the Earth’s surface and are used intensively in worldwide economies through the fishery industry, as logistical routes, for mining ores and exploitation of fossil fuels, among others. All these activities produce waste. The other sou…
Seasonal dynamics of Posidonia oceanica beach-cast wracks in a Sicilian beach: an overlooked system for carbon dynamics
2019
Seagrass detritus accumulates along the coasts forming beach-cast wracks. Being subject to environmental gradients and hydrodynamism, the size and composition of beach-cast wracks may vary in space and time. Also the composition may vary depending on both proximities to and productivity of the adjacent seagrass meadows. Despite their dynamic nature, seagrass beach-casts provide important ecosystem services, by contributing to the nutrient and carbon flow between marine and terrestrial systems, supporting beach biodiversity and trophic webs and protecting the coastline from erosion. However, the knowledge about beach-cast dynamics, ecological role and functions is still fragmented and deserv…