Abstract
The small-sized fish assemblages of the Venice Lagoon were investigated and compared among five shallow subtidal habitats (seagrass beds, sparsely vegetated habitats, unvegetated sand bottoms, mudflats and saltmarsh creeks) in the Northern lagoon basin. Sampling was carried out seasonally (Spring, Summer and Autumn of 2002) in 4–7 stations for each habitat type, by means of a fine-mesh, small beach seine. Two-way analysis of variance was applied to assess the differences in species richness, fish diversity, density and standing stock amongst habitats, whereas fish assemblage composition was investigated by using multivariate analyses (MDS, ANOSIM, SIMPER). The analyses indicated that seagrass beds and saltmarsh creeks are relevant shallow habitats in structuring the small-sized fish assemblages of the Venice Lagoon, supporting specialized and recognizable fish assemblages. Those in seagrass beds, in particular, were characterized by higher species richness and standing stock with respect to all the others. The structuring role of these habitats was discussed in terms of both habitat complexity and degree of confinement. In contrast, sandy bottoms, mudflats and sparsely vegetated habitats were identified as “transition” habitats, with highly variable fish assemblages, influenced by the contribution of the adjacent habitats, and acting probably as both ‘buffer zones’ between the other habitats and migration routes for many fish species in the lagoon.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
M. Amanieu G. Lasserre (1982) Organisation et évolution des pueplements lagunaires Oceanologica Acta. Proceedings International Symposium on coastal lagoons Bordeaux France 201–213
L. M. Arruda J. P. Andrade M. M. Cunha (1988) ArticleTitleAbundance, diversity, and community structure of the fish population in the Ria de Aveiro (Portugal) Oceanologica Acta 11 235–240
C. Avanzi V. Fossato P. Gatto R. Rabagliati P. Rosa Salva A. Zitelli (1979) Ripristino, conservazione ed uso dell’ecosistema lagunare veneziano Comune di Venezia Venezia 197
J. D. Bell D. A. Pollard (1989) Ecology of fish assemblages and fisheries associated with seagrasses A. W. D. Larkum A. J. McComb S. A. Shepard (Eds) Biology of Seagrasses Elsevier Amsterdam 565–609
J.-L. Bouchereau O. Guelorget Y. Vergne J.-P. Perthuisot (2000) ArticleTitleThe fish fauna in the biological organization of a lagoonar paralic system: the Prévost–Arnel lagoonal complex (Languedoc, France) Vie Milieu 50 19–27
K. R. Clarke (1993) ArticleTitleNon-parametric multivariate analyses of changes in community structure Australian Journal of Ecology 18 117–143
K. R. Clarke R. M. Warwick (1994) Change in Marine Communities: An Approach to Statistical Analysis and Interpretation Natural Environment Research Council UK 144
R. M. Connolly (1994) ArticleTitleA comparison of fish assemblages from seagrass and unvegetated areas of a southern Australian estuary Australian Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research 45 1033–1044 Occurrence Handle10.1071/MF9941033
J. S. Desmond J. B. Zedler G. D. Williams (2000) ArticleTitleFish use of tidal creek habitats in two southern California salt masrhes Ecological Engineering 14 233–252 Occurrence Handle10.1016/S0925-8574(99)00005-1
EEC, 1992. Council Directive 92/43/EEC of 21 May 1992 on the conservation of natural habitats and of wild fauna and flora. Official Journal L206, 22/07/1992, pp. 7–50
M. Elliott F. Dewailly (1995) ArticleTitleThe structure and components of European estuarine fish assemblages The Netherlands Journal of Aquatic Ecology 29 397–417
M. Elliott K. L. Hemingway (2002) Fishes in Estuaries Blackwell Science UK 636
P. Franzoi V. U. Ceccherelli R. Rossi (1992) ArticleTitleDifferenze di abitudini alimentari tra novellame e specie ittiche residenti in una laguna del Delta del Po Oebalia XVII IssueIDSuppl 181–186
P. Franzoi R. Trisolini A. Carrieri R. Rossi (1989) ArticleTitleCaratteristiche ecologiche del popolamento ittico ripario della sacca di Scardovari (Delta de Po) Nova Thalassia 10 399–405
G. Gandolfi E. Ioannilli R. Vitali (1985) ArticleTitleCaratteristiche biologiche delle comunità ittiche, studi sulle migrazioni ed aspetti quantitativi delle attività alieutiche nel Delta del Po Nova Thalassia 7 281–309
J. A. Garcia-Charton A. Pérez-Ruzafa (2001) ArticleTitleSpatial pattern and the habitat structure of a Mediterranean rocky fish local reef assemblage Marine Biology 138 917–934
L. S. Gordo H. N. Cabral (2001) ArticleTitleThe fish assemblage structure of a hydrologically altered coastal lagoon: the Obidos lagoon (Portugal) Hydrobiologia 459 125–133
Granzotto, A., P. Franzoi, A. Longo, F. Pranovi & P. Torricelli, 2001. La pesca nella laguna di Venezia un percorso di sostenibilità nel recupero delle tradizioni. Lo stato dell’arte. Rapporto sullo sviluppo sostenibile 2.2001 – Foundation ENI Enrico Mattei
O. Guelorget J.-P. Perthuisot (1983) ArticleTitleLe domaine paralique.Expressions geologiques, biologiques et economiques du confinement Travaux du Laboratoire de Geologie 16 1–136
P. Guidetti (2000) ArticleTitleDifferences among fish assemblages associated with nearshore Posidonia oceanica seagrass beds, rocky-algal reefs and unvegetated sand habitats in the Adriatic Sea Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science 50 515–529 Occurrence Handle10.1006/ecss.1999.0584
N. Hanekom D. Baird (1984) ArticleTitleFish community structures in Zostera and non-Zostera regions of the Kromme estuary, St Francis Bay South African Journal of Zoology 19 295–301
K. L. Heck T. A. Thoman (1984) ArticleTitleThe nursery role of seagrass meadows in the upper and lower reaches of the Chesapeake Bay Estuaries 7 70–92
K. L. Heck K. W. Able SuffixJr. M. P. Fahay C. T. Roman (1989) ArticleTitleFishes and decapod crustaceans of Cape Cod eelgrass meadows: species composition, seasonal abundance patterns and comparison with unvegetated substrated Estuaries 12 59–65
P. Hervé J. Bruslé (1980) ArticleTitleL’étang de salses-leucate écologie générale et ichtyofaune Vie Milieu 30 275–283
R. K. Howard J. D. Koehn (1985) ArticleTitlePopulation dynamics and feeding ecology of pipefish (syngnathidae) associated with eelgrass beds of Western Port, Victoria Australian Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research 36 361–370 Occurrence Handle10.1071/MF9850361
H. Huvé A. Kiener R. Riouall (1973) ArticleTitleModifications de la flore et des populations ichthyologiques des etangs de berre et de vaine en fonction des conditions hydrologiques crees par le deversement de la durance Bulletin du Musée d’Histoire Naturelle de Marseille 33 123–134
IUCN, 2002. 2002 IUCN Red List of threatened species. http://www.redlist.org. Downloaded on 14 August 2002
G. P. Jenkins M. J. Wheatley (1998) ArticleTitleThe influence of habitat structure on nearshore fish assemblages in a southern Australian embayment: comparison of shallow seagrass, reef-algal and unvegetated sand habitats, with emphasis on their importance to recruitment Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology 221 147–172 Occurrence Handle10.1016/S0022-0981(97)00121-4
T. Kikuchi J. M. Peres (1977) Consumer ecology of seagrass beds C. P. McRoy C. Helfferich (Eds) Seagrass Ecosystems: A Scientific Perspective Dekker New York 147–193
C. J. Krebs (1999) Ecological Methodology – 2nd ed Addison-Wesley California, USA: 620
M. A. Lazzari B. Tupper (2002) ArticleTitleImportance of shallow water habitats for demersal fishes and decapod crustaceans in Penobscot Bay, Maine Environmental Biology of Fishes 63 57–66 Occurrence Handle10.1023/A:1013891211826
J. Lobry L. Mourand E. Rochard P. Elie (2003) ArticleTitleStructure of the Gironde estuarine fish assemblages: a comparison of European estuaries perspective Aquatic Living Resources 16 47–58
S. A. Lourie A. C. J. Vincent H. J. Hall (1999) Seahorses: An Identification Guide to the World’s Species and their Conservation Project Seahorse London U.K 214
L. Lubbers W. R. Boynton W. M. Kemp (1990) ArticleTitleVariations in structure of estuarine fish communities in relation to abundance of submersed vascular plants Marine Ecology Progress Series 65 1–14
S. Malavasi J. Coppola F. Pranovi A. Granzotto A. Franco P. Torricelli (2002) ArticleTitleHabitat riproduttivo di Zosterisessor ophiocephalus Pall. (Pisces, Gobiidae) in laguna di Venezia e osservazioni sulle caratteristiche dei riproduttori Lavori della Società Veneziana di Scienze Naturali 27 47–56
S. Mariani (2001) ArticleTitleCan spatial distribution of ichthyofauna describe marine influence on coastal lagoons? A central Mediterranean case study Estuarine and Coastal Shelf Science 52 261–267
S. Marshall M. Elliott (1998) ArticleTitleEnvironmental influences on the fish assemblage of the Humber estuary. U.K Estuarine Coastal and Shelf Sciences 46 175–184
S. Mathieson A. Cattrijsse M. J. Costa P. Drake M. Elliott J. Gardner J. Marchand (2000) ArticleTitleFish assemblages of European tidal marshes: a comparison based on species, families and functional guilds Marine Ecology Progress Series 204 225–242
A. J. McErlean S. G. O’Connor J. A. Mihursky C. I. Gibson (1973) ArticleTitleAbundance, diversity and seasonal patterns of estuarine fish populations Estuarine and Coastal Marine Science 1 19–36 Occurrence Handle10.1016/0302-3524(73)90054-6
C. P. McRoy C. Helfferich (1980) Applied aspects of seagrasses R. C. Phillips C. P. McRoy (Eds) Handbook of Seagrass Biology: an Ecosystem Perspective Garland STM Press New York 297–343
P. J. Miller (1984) The tokology of gobioid fishes G. W. Potts R. J. Wootton (Eds) Fish Reproduction: Strategies and Tactics Academic Press London 119–153
B. J. Muus (1967) The Fauna of Danish Estuaries and Lagoons Distribution and ecology of dominating species in the shallow reaches of the mesohaline zone Kobenhavn 269
R. D. Nash (1988) ArticleTitleThe effects of disturbance and severe seasonal fluctuations in environmental conditions of north temperate shallow-water fish assemblages Estuarine Coastal and Shelf Sciences 26 123–135
R. J. Orth K. L. Heck SuffixJr. (1980) ArticleTitleStructural components of the eelgrass (Zostera marina) meadows in the lower Chesapeake Bay – fishes Estuaries 3 278–288
A. W. Paterson A. K. Whitfield (2000) ArticleTitleThe ichthyofauna associated with an intertidal creek and adjacent eelgrass beds in the Kariega Estuary, South Africa Environmental Biology of Fishes 58 145–156 Occurrence Handle10.1023/A:1007629328937
A. Pérez-Ruzafa J. I. Quispe-Becerra J. A. Garcia-Charton C. Marcos (2004) ArticleTitleComposition, structure and distribution of the ichthyoplancton in a Mediterranean coastal lagoon Journal of Fish Biology 64 1–17
G. Poizat E. Rosecchi P. Chauvelon P. Contournet A. J. Crivelli (2004) ArticleTitleLong-term fish and macro-crustacean community variation in a Mediterranean lagoon Estuarine Coastal and Shelf Science 59 615–624 Occurrence Handle10.1016/j.ecss.2003.11.007
I. C. Potter P. N. Claridge R. M. Warwick (1986) ArticleTitleConsistency of seasonal changes in an estuarine fish assemblage Marine Ecology Progress series 32 217–228
J. P. Quignard (1984) ArticleTitleThe biological and environmental characteristics of lagoons as the biological basis of fisheries management (in French) GFCM – Studies and Reviews, FAO 61 3–38
L. P. Rozas W. E. Odum (1987) ArticleTitlefish and macrocrustacean use of submerged plant beds in tidal freshwater marsh creecks Marine Ecology Progress Series 38 101–108
C. R. Sacchi (1985) ArticleTitleLe sel de La Palice: réflexions sur le paralin méditerranéen Memoires de Biologie Marine Oceanografique 15 71–89
A. Sfriso C. Facca P. F. Ghetti (2003) ArticleTitleTemporal and spatial changes of macroalgae and phytoplankton in a Mediterranean coastal area: the Venice lagoon as a case study Marine Environmental Research 56 617–636 Occurrence Handle12927742 Occurrence Handle10.1016/S0141-1136(03)00046-1 Occurrence Handle1:CAS:528:DC%2BD3sXmsVGqs7o%3D
S. M. Sogard K. W. Able (1991) ArticleTitleA comparison of eelgrass, sea lettuce macroalgae, and marsh creeks as habitats for epibenthic fishes and decapods Estuarine Coastal and Shelf Sciences 33 501–519 Occurrence Handle10.1016/0272-7714(91)90087-R
StatSoft. 2004. Electronic Statistics Textbook StatSoft Inc., Tulsa OK USA Web: http://www.statsoft.com/textbook/stathome.html
A. J. Underwood (1997) Experiments in Ecology The Logical Design and Interpretation using Analysis of Variance University Press Cambridge 504
R. J. West R. J. King (1996) ArticleTitleMarine, brackish, and freshwater fish communities in the vegetated and bare shallows of an Australian coastal river Estuaries 19 31–41
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Franco, A., Franzoi, P., Malavasi, S. et al. Fish Assemblages in Different Shallow Water Habitats of the Venice Lagoon. Hydrobiologia 555, 159–174 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-005-1113-5
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-005-1113-5