Benthic foraminifera assemblages as elemental pollution bioindicator in marine sediments around fish farm (Vrgada Island, Central Adriatic, Croatia)

• Published in: Marine pollution bulletin Vol. 83; no. 1; pp. 198 - 213
• Main Authors: Vidović, Jelena, Dolenec, Matej, Dolenec, Tadej, Karamarko, Vatroslav, Žvab Rožič, Petra
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Kidlington Elsevier Ltd 15.06.2014; Elsevier
• Subjects: Adriatic Sea; Agnatha. Pisces; Ammonia; Ammonia beccarii; Ammonia parkinsoniana; Ammonia tepida; Animal aquaculture; Animal productions; Animal, plant and microbial ecology; Animals; Applied ecology; Aquaculture; Biodiversity; Biological and medical sciences; Concentration (composition); Croatia; Ecotoxicology, biological effects of pollution; Elphidium crispum; Elphidium macellum; Environmental Monitoring - methods; Fish; Fish farm; Fish farming; Fishes; Foraminifera; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Geologic Sediments - chemistry; Geologic Sediments - parasitology; Haynesina; Major minor and trace elements; Marine; Marine and brackish environment; Nutrients; Phosphorus; Phosphorus - analysis; Pisciculture; Pollution abatement; Principal Component Analysis; Protozoa; Sediment; Sediments; Trace Elements - analysis; Vertebrate aquaculture; Vertebrates: general zoology, morphology, phylogeny, systematics, cytogenetics, geographical distribution; Water Pollution, Chemical - analysis; Europe; Southern Europe; Mediterranean Sea; Balkan Peninsula; Adriatic Sea; Mediterranean Basin; Croatia; MED, Adriatic Sea; Nutrients; Sediment; Major minor and trace elements; Adriatic Sea; Fish farm; Foraminifera; Protozoa; Marine sediments; Biological indicator; Island; Marine environment; Trace element; Vertebrata; Pollution; Pisces; Pisciculture; Nutrient; Community; Benthic zone
• ISSN: 0025-326X; 1879-3363
• DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2014.03.051

•Geochemical and foraminiferal analyses of fish farm sediments near Vrgada Island.•Elemental concentrations show only natural elemental variations.•Phosphorus concentration is elevated below the cage due to fish pellets.•Foraminiferal assemblages influenced by the substrate and phosphorus content.•Results point to negligible farming influence and stable environmental conditions. Effects on sediments of fish farming activity near Vrgada Island was analysed through living and total foraminiferal assemblages and concentration of major, minor and trace elements from three sediment cores. Elemental concentrations of sediments are in accordance with carbonate characteristics of the surrounding area and show mostly natural element variations between sampling locations and throughout the cores, with no significant increases due to fish farming activity. Only phosphorus concentration shows elevate values below the fish cage, assigned to fish pellets. Foraminiferal communities are dominated by epifaunal and stress tolerant species, while diversity indices point to normal marine conditions. The type of substrate and phosphorus content in sediments principally influence foraminiferal community composition, while other elemental concentrations have no perceptible effect on the assemblages. Some foraminiferal species Ammoniatepida, Ammoniabeccarii, Elphidiumcrispum, Elphidiummacellum and genus Haynesina are confirmed to be tolerant to elevated nutrient (phosphorus) content, while Ammonia parkinsoniana shows sensitivity to pollution. Postmortem processes cause decrease of foraminiferal density and species richness with core depth. All results point to negligible influence of fish farming and relatively stable environmental conditions at all sampling locations.