Search results for "tidal environment"
showing 4 items of 4 documents
Influence of environmental factors and biogenic habitats on intertidal meiofauna
2017
This study investigated the influence of physical and chemical conditions and biotic factors on the distribution and diversity of meiofauna in intertidal zone along a geographical gradient. At 11 sites along the Italian coast, we studied the concurring role of environmental variables, trophic resources and the presence of habitat-forming species (macroalgae vs. mussels) in controlling the meiofaunal communities. The increase of water temperature combined with local thermal conditions was associated with a decrease in nematodes and copepods, with a consequent decrease in meiofaunal abundance towards the south. However, the increase in salinity, as geographical gradient decreases, and local t…
Salinity and periodic inundation controls on the soil-plant-atmosphere continuum of gray mangroves
2017
Salinity and periodic inundation are both known to have a major role in shaping the ecohydrology of mangroves through their controls on water uptake, photosynthesis, stomatal conductance, gas-exchanges and nutrient availability. Salinity, in particular, can be considered one of the main abiotic regulating factors for halophytes and salt tolerant species, due to its influence on water use patterns and growth rate. Ecohydrological literature has rarely focused on the effects of salinity on plant transpiration, based on the fact that the terrestrial plants mostly thrive in low saline, unsaturated soils where the role of osmotic potential can be considered negligible. However, the effect of sal…
Role of peat organic matter on isotopic composition of most abundant benthic organisms in intertidal habitats of SW Iceland
2008
The transfer of peat organic matter (OM) from tidal pools of upper littoral to downstream rocky shores and its potential incorporation into marine biota were investigated using the stable isotope approach. Samplings were carried out in September 2004 in two SW Icelandic sites (Osar and Hvassahraun), where we selected (1) areas with shores where grass gently declined towards rocks and, on reaching the sea line, formed small tidal peat pools and (2) areas where grass and rocky shores were not contiguous, rather the grass lower limits were several hundreds of meters back from the shore. In both grass and no grass areas, in the intertidal zone, all benthic organisms and all potential OM sources…
Sources of organic matter for inter-tidal consumers in Ascophyllum-shores (Sw Iceland): a multi stable isotope approach.
2007
Stable isotopes were used to examine the origin of organic matter in Icelandic Ascophyllum-based habitats, the role of different organic matters in filling intertidal food webs and the food preferences of the most abundant suspension feeders, grazers and predators. We selected three intertidal sites on the SW coast of Iceland where we sampled in early September 2004, organic matter sources (POM, SOM and most abundant primary producers, A. nodosum and F. vesciculosus) and the most abundant macrofauna species (barnacles, mussels, gastropods, sponge and crabs). Even though the primary production (Ascophyllum-based) was the same at the three study sites, the isotopic composition of common-among…