The benthic macrofauna at the outfalls of the underwater sewage discharges in the Gulf of Trieste (northern Adriatic sea, Italy)
La macrofauna bentonica delle condette di scarico sottomarine nel Golfo di Trieste (alto Adriatico, Italia)

english

2007

volume 17, issue 1

Adriatic Sea   biodiversity   Gulf of Trieste

Zgodovinsko društvo za južno Primorsko
(Obvezni izvod spletne publikacije)

The macrobenthic communities living at the outfalls of the five underwater sewage ducts servicing the Italian area of the Gulf of Trieste were sampled from 1990 to 1993 and analysed using uni- and multivariate techniques. 19,947 organisms from 217 taxa were identified. Polychaetes dominated the macrobenthic community, followed by molluscs; together they composed 92% of the total abundance and 80% of the number of species. Faunal composition differed between stations and was found to be influenced by sediment composition and depth rather than by discharges, even though the stations were located directly at the outfalls. Although the Biotic Index was low at all stations and no biological indicators of organic enrichment were found, the whole analysis indicated some degree of environmental unbalance, but it is similar to most soft bottom areas in the Gulf. These results indicate that the waste treatments have been effective in controlling the adverse effects of the urban discharges or at least have not negatively influenced the local benthic populations over the study period.

09.11.2011