Benthic communities along a littoral of the Central Adriatic Sea (Italy) |
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Authors: | Federica Semprucci Paola Boi Anita Manti Anabella Covazzi Harriague Marco Rocchi Paolo Colantoni Stefano Papa Maria Balsamo |
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Institution: | 1. Dipartimento di Scienze dell’Uomo, dell’Ambiente e della Natura (Dip.SUAN), Università di Urbino ‘Carlo Bo’, loc. Crocicchia, 61029, Urbino, Italy 2. Dipartimento per lo Studio del Territorio e le Sue Risorse (Dip.Te.Ris), Università di Genova, C.so Europa 26, 16132, Genoa, Italy
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Abstract: | Bacteria, meio- and macrofauna were investigated at different depths in a coastal area of the Central Adriatic Sea, yielding
information about the composition and abundance of the benthic community. In particular, 14 nematode genera were recorded
for the first time in the Upper Adriatic Sea. All communities resulted as being significantly different between inshore and
offshore stations, especially when the season interaction was considered. Sediment grain size seemed to be the main natural
variable, along with trophic resources, affecting the distribution and composition of these benthic components, whilst there
was no clear evidence of competition for food sources and predatory pressure between the communities. Meiofauna appeared the
most useful community for detecting disturbances and river influences. In particular, the lowest copepod abundance in the
shallow waters seemed to be related to a greater anthropogenic disturbance inshore, whilst meiofaunal abundance and diversity
together with the nematode maturity index suggest the influence of the Foglia and Metauro rivers and the small stream Arzilla. |
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