Tidal Exclusion Barriers Fragment an Invertebrate Community into Taxonomically and Functionally Distinct Estuarine and Wetland Assemblages
Various types of tidal barriers are used in estuaries to reduce saltwater intrusion and regulate freshwater discharge, but they often alter the physicochemical environment and faunal composition. With the use of these structures expected to increase due to climate change, there is a need to understa...
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MDPI AG
2025-03-01
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| Series: | Journal of Marine Science and Engineering |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1312/13/4/635 |
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| author | Sorcha Cronin-O’Reilly Alan Cottingham Linda H. Kalnejais Kath Lynch James R. Tweedley |
| author_facet | Sorcha Cronin-O’Reilly Alan Cottingham Linda H. Kalnejais Kath Lynch James R. Tweedley |
| author_sort | Sorcha Cronin-O’Reilly |
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| description | Various types of tidal barriers are used in estuaries to reduce saltwater intrusion and regulate freshwater discharge, but they often alter the physicochemical environment and faunal composition. With the use of these structures expected to increase due to climate change, there is a need to understand their impacts. A tidal exclusion barrier in the Ramsar-listed Vasse–Wonnerup Estuary (Australia) was found to act as an ecotone, fragmenting the estuarine gradient into two distinct components, a relatively stable marine-like environment downstream and a highly variable oligohaline to hypersaline (~0 to >100 ppt) environment upstream. The downstream regions contained a speciose and functionally rich estuarine fauna, comprising mainly polychaetes and bivalves. The upstream regions were taxonomically and functionally depauperate, containing insects, gastropods, and ostracods typically found in saline wetlands. The fragmentation of the estuary has likely impacted the provision of ecosystem services, with the fauna downstream mainly comprising burrowing species that bioturbate and, thus, aid in nutrient cycling. In contrast, the environmental conditions caused by the barrier and the resultant epifaunal invertebrate assemblages upstream aid little in bioturbation, but provide nutrition for avian fauna. These results may help in understanding the impacts of constructing new barriers in coastal ecosystems in response to climate change. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-b67fd428f81f4247982bdc12cea3d0d9 |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2077-1312 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-03-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
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| series | Journal of Marine Science and Engineering |
| spelling | doaj-art-b67fd428f81f4247982bdc12cea3d0d92025-08-20T02:28:36ZengMDPI AGJournal of Marine Science and Engineering2077-13122025-03-0113463510.3390/jmse13040635Tidal Exclusion Barriers Fragment an Invertebrate Community into Taxonomically and Functionally Distinct Estuarine and Wetland AssemblagesSorcha Cronin-O’Reilly0Alan Cottingham1Linda H. Kalnejais2Kath Lynch3James R. Tweedley4Centre for Sustainable Aquatic Ecosystems, Harry Butler Institute, Murdoch University, 90 South Street, Murdoch, WA 6150, AustraliaCentre for Sustainable Aquatic Ecosystems, Harry Butler Institute, Murdoch University, 90 South Street, Murdoch, WA 6150, AustraliaDepartment of Water and Environmental Regulation, Government of Western Australia, Busselton, WA 6280, AustraliaDepartment of Water and Environmental Regulation, Government of Western Australia, Busselton, WA 6280, AustraliaCentre for Sustainable Aquatic Ecosystems, Harry Butler Institute, Murdoch University, 90 South Street, Murdoch, WA 6150, AustraliaVarious types of tidal barriers are used in estuaries to reduce saltwater intrusion and regulate freshwater discharge, but they often alter the physicochemical environment and faunal composition. With the use of these structures expected to increase due to climate change, there is a need to understand their impacts. A tidal exclusion barrier in the Ramsar-listed Vasse–Wonnerup Estuary (Australia) was found to act as an ecotone, fragmenting the estuarine gradient into two distinct components, a relatively stable marine-like environment downstream and a highly variable oligohaline to hypersaline (~0 to >100 ppt) environment upstream. The downstream regions contained a speciose and functionally rich estuarine fauna, comprising mainly polychaetes and bivalves. The upstream regions were taxonomically and functionally depauperate, containing insects, gastropods, and ostracods typically found in saline wetlands. The fragmentation of the estuary has likely impacted the provision of ecosystem services, with the fauna downstream mainly comprising burrowing species that bioturbate and, thus, aid in nutrient cycling. In contrast, the environmental conditions caused by the barrier and the resultant epifaunal invertebrate assemblages upstream aid little in bioturbation, but provide nutrition for avian fauna. These results may help in understanding the impacts of constructing new barriers in coastal ecosystems in response to climate change.https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1312/13/4/635benthic macroinvertebratesbiological traitscoastal protectionecotoneflood preventionflow modification |
| spellingShingle | Sorcha Cronin-O’Reilly Alan Cottingham Linda H. Kalnejais Kath Lynch James R. Tweedley Tidal Exclusion Barriers Fragment an Invertebrate Community into Taxonomically and Functionally Distinct Estuarine and Wetland Assemblages Journal of Marine Science and Engineering benthic macroinvertebrates biological traits coastal protection ecotone flood prevention flow modification |
| title | Tidal Exclusion Barriers Fragment an Invertebrate Community into Taxonomically and Functionally Distinct Estuarine and Wetland Assemblages |
| title_full | Tidal Exclusion Barriers Fragment an Invertebrate Community into Taxonomically and Functionally Distinct Estuarine and Wetland Assemblages |
| title_fullStr | Tidal Exclusion Barriers Fragment an Invertebrate Community into Taxonomically and Functionally Distinct Estuarine and Wetland Assemblages |
| title_full_unstemmed | Tidal Exclusion Barriers Fragment an Invertebrate Community into Taxonomically and Functionally Distinct Estuarine and Wetland Assemblages |
| title_short | Tidal Exclusion Barriers Fragment an Invertebrate Community into Taxonomically and Functionally Distinct Estuarine and Wetland Assemblages |
| title_sort | tidal exclusion barriers fragment an invertebrate community into taxonomically and functionally distinct estuarine and wetland assemblages |
| topic | benthic macroinvertebrates biological traits coastal protection ecotone flood prevention flow modification |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1312/13/4/635 |
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