Gobert, S

Lepoint, G.

Paillet, C

Sturaro, N.

Open Marine Archive

 36 
Ecological effects of marine protected areas: the case of seagrass 
macrofaunal assemblages 
Sturaro Nicolas, Paillet Charlotte, Gobert Sylvie and Lepoint Gilles 
Laboratory of Oceanology, MARE Centre, University of LIEGE, Allée du 6 Août 15 (Sart Tilman), 4000 
Liège, Belgium 
E-mail: nicolas.sturaro@uliege.be  
 
Marine protected areas are essential for safeguarding biodiversity and its fundamental services in the 
face of increasing human pressures. Remarkably, few studies have assessed the responses of small 
macrofaunal species to different protection levels in the Mediterranean Sea. Using a hierarchical 
sampling design spanning four orders of magnitude (1 to 1000 m) and two consecutive years, this 
research investigated if a marine protected area affected macrofaunal assemblages associated with 
Posidonia oceanica seagrass meadows. Based on this investigation, spatial and temporal variability 
patterns of macrofaunal assemblages in four different protection levels were reported. In addition, 
potential confounding effects on these areas, such as different habitat features, were discussed. The 
results showed that the macrofauna is abundant and rich in taxa at the order and class levels. 
Decapods, mysids, ostracods and gastropods presented lower abundances in totally protected area 
compared with partially protected areas, while pycnogonids showed an inverse pattern. Moreover, the 
results showed differences among zones in assemblage composition. Although a number of natural 
factors can contribute to the variability of the abundance of these taxa, this study suggests that the 
observed patchiness is likely to occur for multiple and interrelated reasons, ranging from ecological 
and behavioural traits (e.g. dispersion, mobility and reproduction) of macrofaunal species to 
protection-dependent factors, such as fish predation. This work suggests that total protection within 
a marine protected area seems to contribute, at least partially (via fish predation), to the patterns 
observed among zones. Multiscale spatial and temporal monitoring of macrofaunal assemblages in a 
long-term perspective, as well as experimental manipulations that assess the contributions of each 
factor, are needed to discover the origin of these patterns, and better understand the ecological 
effects of marine protected areas. 
 
Keywords: marine protected area; macrofauna; seagrass; Posidonia oceanica  


Ecological effects of marine protected areas: the case of seagrass macrofaunal assemblages

http://www.vliz.be/imisdocs/publications/311864.pdf

Ecological effects of marine protected areas: the case of seagrass macrofaunal assemblages

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