Benthic Species Distribution Linked to Morphological Features of a Barred Coast

The composition of benthic species communities in the nearshore zone is closely related to the hydrodynamic and morphodynamic conditions. Sustainable management of the coastal ecosystem requires knowledge about the natural dynamics as well as human-induced changes on the ecosystem. To improve our kn...

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Main Authors: Harriëtte Holzhauer, Bas W. Borsje, Jan A. van Dalfsen, Kathelijne M. Wijnberg, Suzanne J.M.H. Hulscher, Peter M.J. Herman
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2019-12-01
Series:Journal of Marine Science and Engineering
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1312/8/1/16
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spelling doaj-006e105b622d4917b6d390030b24fcd72021-04-02T08:33:28ZengMDPI AGJournal of Marine Science and Engineering2077-13122019-12-01811610.3390/jmse8010016jmse8010016Benthic Species Distribution Linked to Morphological Features of a Barred CoastHarriëtte Holzhauer0Bas W. Borsje1Jan A. van Dalfsen2Kathelijne M. Wijnberg3Suzanne J.M.H. Hulscher4Peter M.J. Herman5Water Engineering and Management, Faculty Engineering Technology, University of Twente, P.O. Box 217, 7500 AE Enschede, The NetherlandsWater Engineering and Management, Faculty Engineering Technology, University of Twente, P.O. Box 217, 7500 AE Enschede, The NetherlandsNatureBased, 1788 ZE Julianadorp, The NetherlandsWater Engineering and Management, Faculty Engineering Technology, University of Twente, P.O. Box 217, 7500 AE Enschede, The NetherlandsWater Engineering and Management, Faculty Engineering Technology, University of Twente, P.O. Box 217, 7500 AE Enschede, The NetherlandsDeltares, Department of Marine and Coastal Management, P.O. Box 177, 2600 MH Delft, The NetherlandsThe composition of benthic species communities in the nearshore zone is closely related to the hydrodynamic and morphodynamic conditions. Sustainable management of the coastal ecosystem requires knowledge about the natural dynamics as well as human-induced changes on the ecosystem. To improve our knowledge of the benthic species distribution along a dissipative sandy shore with multiple breaker bars, an extensive dataset was collected in the nearshore zone of the barrier islands Ameland and Schiermonnikoog in the Dutch North Sea. From 2010 to 2014, every year, approximately 180 grab samples along 18 cross-shore transects were collected and analyzed for sediment characteristics and macrobenthic species composition. Mixed-effect-models and partial redundancy analysis were used to analyze the importance of morphological features (i.e., slopes, bar crests, and troughs) as an explanatory variable for the benthic species distribution. The results indicate that the morphological features in themselves explain three times more variation than the environmental parameters used. This demonstrates the importance of morphological features as a factor in explaining the distribution of benthic species communities in the nearshore. Detailed information on morphological features is easy to obtain from bathymetry maps or visual inspection. Incorporating morphological features in species distribution models will therefore help to improve sustainable management of our valuable sandy coastal systems.https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1312/8/1/16macrobenthosbarred sandy coastspecies distributionnorth seanearshore
collection DOAJ
language English
format Article
sources DOAJ
author Harriëtte Holzhauer
Bas W. Borsje
Jan A. van Dalfsen
Kathelijne M. Wijnberg
Suzanne J.M.H. Hulscher
Peter M.J. Herman
spellingShingle Harriëtte Holzhauer
Bas W. Borsje
Jan A. van Dalfsen
Kathelijne M. Wijnberg
Suzanne J.M.H. Hulscher
Peter M.J. Herman
Benthic Species Distribution Linked to Morphological Features of a Barred Coast
Journal of Marine Science and Engineering
macrobenthos
barred sandy coast
species distribution
north sea
nearshore
author_facet Harriëtte Holzhauer
Bas W. Borsje
Jan A. van Dalfsen
Kathelijne M. Wijnberg
Suzanne J.M.H. Hulscher
Peter M.J. Herman
author_sort Harriëtte Holzhauer
title Benthic Species Distribution Linked to Morphological Features of a Barred Coast
title_short Benthic Species Distribution Linked to Morphological Features of a Barred Coast
title_full Benthic Species Distribution Linked to Morphological Features of a Barred Coast
title_fullStr Benthic Species Distribution Linked to Morphological Features of a Barred Coast
title_full_unstemmed Benthic Species Distribution Linked to Morphological Features of a Barred Coast
title_sort benthic species distribution linked to morphological features of a barred coast
publisher MDPI AG
series Journal of Marine Science and Engineering
issn 2077-1312
publishDate 2019-12-01
description The composition of benthic species communities in the nearshore zone is closely related to the hydrodynamic and morphodynamic conditions. Sustainable management of the coastal ecosystem requires knowledge about the natural dynamics as well as human-induced changes on the ecosystem. To improve our knowledge of the benthic species distribution along a dissipative sandy shore with multiple breaker bars, an extensive dataset was collected in the nearshore zone of the barrier islands Ameland and Schiermonnikoog in the Dutch North Sea. From 2010 to 2014, every year, approximately 180 grab samples along 18 cross-shore transects were collected and analyzed for sediment characteristics and macrobenthic species composition. Mixed-effect-models and partial redundancy analysis were used to analyze the importance of morphological features (i.e., slopes, bar crests, and troughs) as an explanatory variable for the benthic species distribution. The results indicate that the morphological features in themselves explain three times more variation than the environmental parameters used. This demonstrates the importance of morphological features as a factor in explaining the distribution of benthic species communities in the nearshore. Detailed information on morphological features is easy to obtain from bathymetry maps or visual inspection. Incorporating morphological features in species distribution models will therefore help to improve sustainable management of our valuable sandy coastal systems.
topic macrobenthos
barred sandy coast
species distribution
north sea
nearshore
url https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1312/8/1/16
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