
Journal of Marine Science and Engineering, Journal Year: 2025, Volume and Issue: 13(4), P. 635 - 635
Published: March 22, 2025
Various types of tidal barriers are used in estuaries to reduce saltwater intrusion and regulate freshwater discharge, but they often alter the physicochemical environment faunal composition. With use these structures expected increase due climate change, there is a need understand their impacts. A exclusion barrier Ramsar-listed Vasse–Wonnerup Estuary (Australia) was found act as an ecotone, fragmenting estuarine gradient into two distinct components, relatively stable marine-like downstream highly variable oligohaline hypersaline (~0 >100 ppt) upstream. The regions contained speciose functionally rich fauna, comprising mainly polychaetes bivalves. upstream were taxonomically depauperate, containing insects, gastropods, ostracods typically saline wetlands. fragmentation estuary has likely impacted provision ecosystem services, with fauna burrowing species that bioturbate and, thus, aid nutrient cycling. In contrast, environmental conditions caused by resultant epifaunal invertebrate assemblages little bioturbation, provide nutrition for avian fauna. These results may help understanding impacts constructing new coastal ecosystems response change.
Language: Английский