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Succession and seasonal dynamics of the epifauna community on offshore wind farm foundations and their role as stepping stones for non-indigenous species

  • OFFSHORE WIND FARM IMPACTS
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Abstract

In recent years, offshore wind energy in the shelf seas of the southern North Sea is experiencing a strong growth. Foundations are introduced in mainly sandy sediments, and the resulting artificial reef effect is considered one of the main impacts on the marine environment. We investigated the macrobenthic fouling community that developed on the concrete foundations of the first wind turbines built in Belgian marine waters. We observed a clear vertical zonation, with a distinction between a Telmatogeton japonicus dominated splash zone, a high intertidal zone characterised by Semibalanus balanoides, followed by a mussel belt in the low intertidal–shallow subtidal. In the deep subtidal, the species turnover was initially very high, but the community was soon dominated by few species (Jassa herdmani, Actiniaria spp. and Tubularia spp.), and only seasonal dynamics within this species assemblage were observed after 1–1½ years. Ten non-indigenous species (NIS) were found. In the intertidal, eight out of the seventeen typical intertidal species observed were NIS, while only two out of a species pool of 80 species were NIS in the deep subtidal. NIS were found to use the foundations to expand their range and strengthen their strategic position in the area.

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Acknowledgements

The authors of this paper acknowledge C-Power for the willing cooperation throughout the monitoring, in fulfilment of the monitoring requirements of their environmental permit. Field work could not have been completed without the help and smooth operation provided by the officers and crew of the RV Belgica, owned by the Belgian Ministry of Science Policy and coordinated by OD Nature, and the RV Zeeleeuw, property of the Flemish government and coordinated by VLIZ. The sampling could not have been completed without the help of Jean-Sébastien Houziaux and (in alphabetical order) K. Deneudt, F. Francken, P. Hendriks, G. Jones, G. Lacroix, C. Mahieu, J. Mallefet, D. Marsham, L. Meirlaen, R. Olemans, F. Pasotti, R. Picavet, J. Pire, G. Rooms, A. Simon, H. Tourneur, M. Vanespen, I. Vosselman, A. Witkowski and V. Woit.

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  1. Operational Directorate Natural Environment, Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences, 3e en 23e Linieregimentsplein, 8400 Oostende and Gulledelle 100, 1200, Brussels, Belgium

    Ilse De Mesel, Francis Kerckhof, Alain Norro, Bob Rumes & Steven Degraer

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  1. Ilse De Mesel
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  2. Francis Kerckhof
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  3. Alain Norro
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  4. Bob Rumes
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  5. Steven Degraer
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Correspondence to Ilse De Mesel.

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Guest editors: Steven Degraer, Jennifer Dannheim, Andrew B. Gill, Han Lindeboom & Dan Wilhelmsson / Environmental impacts of offshore wind farms

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De Mesel, I., Kerckhof, F., Norro, A. et al. Succession and seasonal dynamics of the epifauna community on offshore wind farm foundations and their role as stepping stones for non-indigenous species. Hydrobiologia 756, 37–50 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-014-2157-1

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