Martins Gustavo M, Amaral André F, Wallenstein Francisco M, Neto Ana I
Secção Biologia Marinha, Departamento de Biologia, Universidade dos Açores, 9501-801 Ponta Delgada, Açores, Portugal.
Mar Environ Res. 2009 May-Jun;67(4-5):237-45. doi: 10.1016/j.marenvres.2009.03.002. Epub 2009 Mar 10.
It is widely recognised that coastal-defence structures generally affect the structure of the assemblages they support, yet their impact on adjacent systems has been largely ignored. Breakwaters modify the nearby physical environment (e.g. wave action) suggesting a local impact on biological parameters. In the present study, an ACI (After-Control-Impact) design was used to test the general hypothesis that the artificial sheltering of an exposed coast has a strong effect on the structure and functioning of adjacent systems. The effects of a reduction in hydrodynamics were clear for a number of taxa and included the replacement of barnacles, limpets and frondose algae by an increasing cover of ephemeral algae. These effects were evident both at early and late successional stages. Results suggest that the artificial sheltering of naturally exposed coasts can have a strong impact promoting a shift from consumer- to producer-dominated communities, which has important ecological and energetic consequences for the ecosystem.
人们普遍认识到，海岸防御结构通常会影响其所支撑的生物群落结构，但它们对相邻系统的影响在很大程度上被忽视了。防波堤改变了附近的物理环境（如波浪作用），这表明对生物参数有局部影响。在本研究中，采用了一种“控制后影响”（ACI）设计来检验总体假设，即对暴露海岸进行人工遮蔽会对相邻系统的结构和功能产生强烈影响。水动力减少的影响在许多分类群中很明显，包括藤壶、帽贝和叶状藻被临时藻类覆盖增加所取代。这些影响在演替的早期和晚期阶段都很明显。结果表明，对自然暴露海岸进行人工遮蔽会产生强烈影响，促进从以消费者为主导的群落向以生产者为主导的群落转变，这对生态系统具有重要的生态和能量影响。
