Skip to main content

Habitat loss and possible effects on local species richness in a species-poor system: a case study of southern Baltic Sea macrofauna

Biodiversity and Conservation volume 19, pages 3991–4002 (2010)Cite this article

Abstract

The effects of habitat loss on local species richness depend on the characteristics of the endangered system (including its total species pool and the distribution of species among the habitats). The present study focuses on the species-poor southern Baltic marine benthic biota. Macrobenthic samples were collected in three habitats: (1) soft bottom covered with vegetation; (2) stony reefs; (3) unvegetated sands. Fourty one percent of 54 observed macrozoobenthic species were habitat specific, while 30% occurred in all three habitats. There were no significant differences in total species richness among the three habitats. The accumulation curves plotted for subsets of data with selected habitats excluded lay below the curve plotted for the whole dataset, but only in one case the 95% confidence intervals of the subset curve did not overlap with those plotted for the whole dataset. The exclusion of samples from selected habitats produced a species richness drop ranging from 9 to 13%. The present study showed that habitat loss in a species-poor area with a relatively large ratio of generalist species cannot produce local species richness declines similar to those predicted for diverse marine systems. However, it must be emphasized that in species-poor systems, the loss of ecological function accompanying habitat loss could be disproportionally higher than that predicted based on decreases in species richness, as some functions are performed by a single species.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution.

Access options

Buy single article

Instant access to the full article PDF.

USD 39.95

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5

References

  • Airoldi L, Beck MW (2007) Loss, status and trends for coastal marine habitats of Europe. Ocean Mar Biol Ann Rev 45:345–405

    Google Scholar 

  • Airoldi L, Balata D, Beck MW (2008) The gray zone: relationship between habitat loss and marine diversity and their applications in conservation. J Exp Mar Biol Ecol 366:8–15

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Andrulewicz E, Wielgat M (1999) Selection of southern Baltic banks—future marine protected areas. Hydrobiologia 393:271–277

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Andrulewicz E, Kruk-Dowgiallo L, Osowiecki A (2004) Phytobenthos and macrozoobenthos of the Slupsk Bank stony reefs, Baltic Sea. Hydrobiologia 514:163–170

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bonsdorf E (2006) Zoobenthic diversity-gradients in the Baltic Sea: continuous post-glacial succession in a stressed ecosystem. J Exp Mar Biol Ecol 330:383–391

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Boström C, Bonsdorff E (1997) Community structure and spatial variation of benthic invertebrates associated with Zostera marina (L.) beds in the northern Baltic Sea. J Sea Res 37:153–166

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Boström C, Jackson EL, Simenstand C (2006) Seagrass landscapes and their effects on associated fauna: a review. Est Coast Shelf Sci 68:383–403

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Colwell RK (2005) EstimateS: statistical estimation of species richness and shared species from samples. Version 7.5. User’s Guide and application published at: http:/purl.oclc.org/estimates

  • Colwell RK, Mao CX, Chang J (2004) Interpolating, extrapolating, and comparing incidence-based species accumulation curves. Ecology 85:2717–2727

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dobson A, Lodge D, Alder J, Cumming GS, Keymer J, McGlade J, Mooney H, Rusak JA, Sala O, Wolters V, Wall D, Winfree R, Xenopoulos MA (2006) Habitat loss, trophic collapse, and the decline of ecosystem services. Ecology 87:1915–1924

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Dulvy NK, Sadovy Y, Reynolds JD (2003) Extinction vulnerability in marine populations. Fish Fish 4:25–64

    Google Scholar 

  • Ellingsen KE, Hewitt JE, Thrush SF (2007) Rare species, habitat diversity and functional redundancy in marine benthos. J Sea Res 58:291–301

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Elmgren R, Hill C (1997) Ecosystem function at low biodiversity—the Baltic example. In: Ormond RFG, Gage J, Angel M (eds) Marine biodiversity: patterns and processes. Cambridge University, Cambridge, pp 319–336

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Gaston KJ (1994) Rarity. Chapman and Hall, London

    Google Scholar 

  • Graham MH (2004) Effects of local deforestation on the diversity and structure of Southern California giant kelp forest food webs. Ecosystems 7:341–357

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gray JS (1997) Marine biodiversity: patterns, threats and conservation needs. Biodiv Conserv 6:153–175

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • HELCOM 2009, Biodiversity in the Balic sea—an integrated thematic assessment on biodiversity and nature conservation in the Baltic sea: executive summary. Baltic sea environmental proceedings No. 116A

  • Herbich J, Warzocha J (1998) Introduction to the marine and coastal environment of Poland. In: Nordheim H, Boedeker D (eds.) Red list of marine and coastal biotopes and biotope complexes of the Baltic sea, Belt sea and Kattegat. Baltic sea environment proceedings No. 75

  • Karlson K, Rosenberg R, Bonsdorf E (2002) Temporal and spatial large scale effects of eutrophication and oxygen deficiency on benthic fauna in Scandinavian and Baltic waters—a review. Oceanog Mar Biol Ann Rev 40:427–489

    Google Scholar 

  • Kotta J, Möller T (2009) Important scales of distribution patterns of benthic species in the Gretagrund area, the central Gulf of Riga. Estonian J Ecol 58:259–269

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lepparänta M, Myrberg K (2009) Physical oceanography of the Baltic Sea. Springer-Verlag, Berlin

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • McKinney ML, Lockwood JL (1999) Biotic homogenization: a few winners replacing many losers in the next mass extinction. Trends Ecol Evol 14:450–453

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Micheli F, Halpern BS (2005) Low functional redundancy in coastal marine assemblages. Ecol Lett 8:391–400

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nordheim H, Boedeker D (1998) Red list of marine and coastal biotopes and biotope complexes of the Baltic sea, Belt sea and Kattegat. Baltic sea environment proceedings No. 75

  • Norling K, Rosenberg R, Hulth S, Grémare A, Bonsdorff E (2007) Importance of functional biodiversity and species-specific traits of benthic fauna for ecosystem functions in marine sediments. Mar Ecol Pro Ser 332:11–23

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Olenin S, Daunys D (2004) Coastal typology based on benthic biotope and community data: the Lithuanian case study. In: Schernewski G, Wielgat M (eds.) Baltic sea typology, coastline reports 4, p. 65–83

  • Piechura J (1985) Temperatura i zasolenie wod w polskiej strefie wylacznego rybolostwa w lipcu 1981. Rep Sea Fish Inst Gdynia 20:5–38

    Google Scholar 

  • Plinski M, Florczyk I (1993) Macrophytobenthos. In: Korzeniewski K (ed) Puck Bay. Fundacja Uniwersytetu Gdanskiego, Gdansk, pp 416–421

    Google Scholar 

  • Reed BJ, Hovel KA (2006) Seagrass habitat disturbance: how loss and fragmentation of eelgrass Zostera marina influences epifaunal abundance and diversity. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 326:133–143

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Roberts CM, Hawkins JP (1999) Extinction risk in the sea. Trends Ecol Evol 14:241–246

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Rönnbäck P, Kautsky N, Pihl L, Troell M, Söderqvist T, Wennhage H (2007) Ecosystem goods and services from Swedish coastal habitats: identification, valuation, and implications of ecosystem shifts. Ambio 36:534–544

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Rosenzweig ML (1995) Species diversity in space and time. Cambridge University, Cambridge

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Thrush S, Gray JS, Hewitt JE, Ugland KI (2006) Predicting the effects of habitat homogenization on marine biodiversity. Ecol Appl 16:1636–1642

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Veber T, Kotta J, Lauringson V, Kotta I (2009) Influence of the local abiotic environmenta, weather and regioanl nutrient loading on macrobenthic invertebrate feeding groups in a shallow brackish water ecosystem. Oceanologia 51(4):541–559

    Google Scholar 

  • Warzocha J (1994) Spatial distribution of macrofauna in the southern Baltic in 1983. Bull Sea Fisher Inst 1(131):47–59

    Google Scholar 

  • Warzocha J (1995) Classification and structure of macrofaunal communities in the southern Baltic. Arch Fishery Mar Res 42:225–237

    Google Scholar 

  • Węsławski JM, Warzocha J, Wiktor J, Urbanski J, Bradtke K, Kryla L, Tatarek A, Kotwicki L, Piwowarczyk J (2009) Biological valorisation of the southern Balic Sea (Polish Exclusive Economic Zone). Oceanologia 51(3):415–435

    Google Scholar 

  • Wiktor K (1993) Macrozoobenthos. In: Korzeniewski K (ed) Puck Bay. Fundacja Uniwersytetu Gdanskiego, Gdansk, pp 442–454

    Google Scholar 

  • Wolff WJ (2000) Causes of extirpations in the Wadden Sea, an estuarine area in the Netherlands. Conserv Biol 14:876–885

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowlegments

The present study was a part of the project “Ecosystem approach to marine spatial planning in Polish Marine Areas” PL0078, funded by Norway, Iceland and Lichtenstein through EEA Financial Mechanism. Samples have been collected and processed in the laboratories of Sea Fishery Institute, Marine Institute in Gdańsk and University of Gdańsk.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Oceanology PAS, Powstańców Warszawy 55, 81-712, Sopot, Poland

    Maria Włodarska-Kowalczuk & Jan Marcin Węsławski

  2. Sea Fisheries Institute, Kołłątaja 1, 81-332, Gdynia, Poland

    Jan Warzocha

  3. Institute of Oceanography, University of Gdansk, Piłsudskiego 46, 81-378, Gdynia, Poland

    Urszula Janas

Authors
  1. Maria Włodarska-Kowalczuk
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Jan Marcin Węsławski
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Jan Warzocha
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Urszula Janas
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Maria Włodarska-Kowalczuk.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and Permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Włodarska-Kowalczuk, M., Węsławski, J.M., Warzocha, J. et al. Habitat loss and possible effects on local species richness in a species-poor system: a case study of southern Baltic Sea macrofauna. Biodivers Conserv 19, 3991–4002 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10531-010-9942-6

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10531-010-9942-6

Keywords

  • Biodiversity
  • Habitat loss
  • Macrozoobenthos
  • Baltic Sea