Tidal Exclusion Barriers Fragment an Invertebrate Community into Taxonomically and Functionally Distinct Estuarine and Wetland Assemblages

Sorcha Cronin-O’Reilly; Alan Cottingham; Linda H. Kalnejais; Kath Lynch; James R. Tweedley

doi:10.3390/jmse13040635

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Tidal Exclusion Barriers Fragment an Invertebrate Community into Taxonomically and Functionally Distinct Estuarine and Wetland Assemblages

Journal article

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Peer reviewed

Tidal Exclusion Barriers Fragment an Invertebrate Community into Taxonomically and Functionally Distinct Estuarine and Wetland Assemblages

Sorcha Cronin-O’Reilly, Alan Cottingham, Linda H. Kalnejais, Kath Lynch and James R. Tweedley

Journal of marine science and engineering, Vol.13(4), 635

2025

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse13040635

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Abstract

benthic macroinvertebrates

biological traits

coastal protection

ecotone

flood prevention

flow modification

in-stream barrier

sea level rise

surge barrier

water control structure

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.

Details

Title: Tidal Exclusion Barriers Fragment an Invertebrate Community into Taxonomically and Functionally Distinct Estuarine and Wetland Assemblages
Authors/Creators: Sorcha Cronin-O’Reilly
Alan Cottingham - Murdoch University
Linda H. Kalnejais - Government of Western Australia
Kath Lynch - Government of Western Australia
James R. Tweedley - Murdoch University
Publication Details: Journal of marine science and engineering, Vol.13(4), 635
Publisher: MDPI
Number of pages: 31
Identifiers: 991005756551307891
Murdoch Affiliation: School of Environmental and Conservation Sciences; Centre for Sustainable Aquatic Ecosystems
Language: English
Resource Type: Journal article

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Citation topics: 3 Agriculture, Environment & Ecology; 3.2 Marine Biology; 3.2.605 Benthic Biodiversity
Web Of Science research areas: Engineering, Marine; Engineering, Ocean; Oceanography
ESI research areas: Geosciences