Short food chains, highly diverse and complex food web networks in coastal lagoons

Abstract

Shallow semi-enclosed coastal lagoons are recognized as important biodiversity hotspots and nursery areas for many organisms. However, the topology of the complex food web networks therein has never been studied. Highly defined food web networks were assembled for Ria de Aveiro, Ria de Alvor and Ria Formosa. Their structural network properties were analysed and compared to those of large open estuaries, small intermittent estuaries, as well as other marine ecosystems. The main conclusion was that these coastal lagoons are dominated by intermediate species like other estuarine systems, however they present more complex trophic networks (higher connectance) than large open estuaries, even though having shorter food chains. They also have lower mean path length between pairs of species. Shorter chain length means that disturbance is more likely to travel from basal to top species and likewise from the top to the bottom of the food web, while low path between species pairs implies a higher likelihood that disruption of one species affects any other species. These fragilities may be somewhat counterbalanced by the high connectance of these networks. The most connected species (with the highest degree = highest number of links at node) in the networks are crab and shrimp species. The non-indigenous blue crab appears as the most connected species in Ria de Alvor and among the top 5 most connected species in Ria Formosa. Highly commercial Sparid fishes play particularly important roles in the network as both highly connected and generalist predators. Top species are mostly birds. The top 10 species with more predators are all amphipods in Ria de Aveiro, while in Ria de Alvor they encompass insects, crabs, and gastropods, and in Ria Formosa they are all gastropods, with the exception of a non-indigenous polychaete. The particular network topology and inherent potential fragility of coastal lagoon food webs should be taken into account when designing environmental management plans.