Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences, Operational Directorate Natural Environment, Marine Ecology and Management, Vautierstraat 29, 1000, Brussels, Belgium; Marine Biology Research Group, Department of Biology, Ghent University, Krijgslaan 281/S8, 9000, Ghent, Belgium.
Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences, Operational Directorate Natural Environment, Marine Ecology and Management, Vautierstraat 29, 1000, Brussels, Belgium; Marine Biology Research Group, Department of Biology, Ghent University, Krijgslaan 281/S8, 9000, Ghent, Belgium.
Mar Environ Res. 2020 May;157:104868. doi: 10.1016/j.marenvres.2019.104868. Epub 2019 Dec 26.
The proliferation of offshore wind energy installations causes a local change in biodiversity because these structures become heavily colonised by large quantities of fouling fauna, attract large mobile crustaceans and fish, and alter the macrofaunal communities in the soft sediments surrounding the wind turbines. Here, we analysed the stable isotope signals (δC and δN) of the faunal communities associated with a wind turbine, its scour protection layer (SPL) and the surrounding soft sediments. We hypothesised that structural differences in community composition would be reflected in food web complexity and that resource partitioning could be one of the mechanisms contributing to the co-existence of such dense communities. Sampling was conducted at a gravity-based foundation in the Belgian part of the North Sea, where both sessile and mobile organisms were collected along the depth gradient of the turbine, the SPL and the surrounding soft substrate. The results indicated that the structural differences of the communities are reflected in the food web complexity as indicated by the trophic niche size, the trophic diversity and the redundancy of the communities along the depth gradient. Higher food web complexity was associated with zones where high accumulation of organic matter occurs (soft substrate and SPL). Low food web complexity was observed in depth zones that are dominated by sessile suspension-feeding organisms (intertidal and Mytilus zone). The high trophic diversity and low redundancy observed within the trophic clusters of the soft substrate and the Metridium zone indicated that resource partitioning can be a mechanism allowing the co-existence of large densities of a wide variety of species.
海上风力发电场的大量增加会导致生物多样性的局部变化，因为这些结构会被大量的污损动物大量殖民，吸引大量的移动甲壳类动物和鱼类，并改变风力涡轮机周围软沉积物中的大型底栖动物群落。在这里，我们分析了与风力涡轮机、其冲刷防护层（SPL）和周围软沉积物相关的动物群落的稳定同位素信号（δC 和 δN）。我们假设群落组成的结构差异将反映在食物网的复杂性上，并且资源分区可能是促成如此密集群落共存的机制之一。采样是在北海的比利时部分进行的重力基础基础上进行的，在那里，沿着涡轮机、SPL 和周围软底质的深度梯度采集了固着生物和移动生物。结果表明，群落的结构差异反映在食物网的复杂性上，这表现在营养位大小、群落的营养多样性和冗余度沿着深度梯度的变化。更高的食物网复杂性与有机物高度积累的区域相关（软底质和 SPL）。在由固着滤食生物（潮间带和贻贝区）主导的深度区域观察到低食物网复杂性。在软底质和 Metridium 区的营养群中观察到的高营养多样性和低冗余表明，资源分区可以是一种允许多种不同物种共存的机制。
