Marine Biological Marine Biological Valuation Valuation in the physically in the physically stressed environment: stressed environment: the Lithuanian case study the Lithuanian case study SERGEJ OLENIN SERGEJ OLENIN Coastal Research and Planning Institute, Klaipeda University, Lithuania [email protected]Expert Workshop on Marine Biological Valuation Marine Biology Section, University of Ghent December 2-4, 2004
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Marine Biological Valuation in the physically stressed environment: the Lithuanian case study SERGEJ OLENIN Marine Biological Valuation in the physically.
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Marine Biological Valuation Marine Biological Valuation in the physically stressed in the physically stressed
environment:environment:the Lithuanian case studythe Lithuanian case study
SERGEJ OLENINSERGEJ OLENIN
Coastal Research and Planning Institute,Klaipeda University, Lithuania
• Klaipeda port, 4th largest port in the Baltic Sea (cargo turnover 20 mln tons/yr).
• Two Lithuanian Oil terminals (10-14 mln tons/yr), Russian Oil drilling platform (D6).
• Klaipeda city (200, 000 citizens).
• Large recreational zones
Recreational zones
Butinge Oil Terminal, buoy 7 km offshore
Klaipeda Oil
Terminal
Russian (Kaliningrad) Oil drilling platform
Environmental problems and level of Environmental problems and level of their managementtheir management
• LOCAL(National or municipal level)
– Dredge spoil damping,– Overfishing.
• REGIONAL (Baltic Sea scale, e.g. HELCOM level)
– Eutrophication,– Chemical contamination,– Oil pollution,– Invasion of alien species.
• GLOBAL– Sea level rise,– Increase in number of storm events,– Global warming (Sources: Olenin 1999; Olenina
& Olenin 2002)
Coastal protected areasCoastal protected areas• Two coastal protected areas,
established in 1992;both comprise marine parts: a 2 nm wide stripe along the coastline.
• The marine parts were included without thorough investigation (“political need”).
• New demands:– 1) coastal typology and designation of
reference conditions (EU Water Framework Directive),
– 2) establishment of NATURA-2000 marine sites.
Seaside Regional Park
Curonian Spit National Park
Use of biotope approach for Use of biotope approach for coastal typologycoastal typology
andand valuation of marine lifevaluation of marine life
• A distinctive sea bottom area with conventionally uniform physical-chemical environment (salinity, substrate, hydrodynamics, light climate, temperature regime, etc.) and matching biological features.
• The physical 'habitat' with its biological 'community‘.
• The “biotope” notion is considered as a synonym of “habitat” in some legislative acts, directives and conventions for the convenience of interpretation.
What is a benthic biotope ? What is a benthic biotope ? (contemporary definition)(contemporary definition)
1877 - K. Möbius:“The Oyster Bank Is a Biocönose, or a Social Community” “Biocenosis” = complex superorganism, plants and animals living together;
1908 – F. Dahl: “Principles and fundamental ideas of the biocenotic research” “Biotope” = a complex of factors, which determine physical conditions of existence of a biocenosis (physical-geographical environment)“the biotope of the biocenosis”;
1935 – A. Tansley: “The use and abuse of vegetation concepts and terms” “Ecosystem” = combination of climatic conditions, soil complex and biotic community;
Since 1940s: “Ecosystem=Biocenosis + Biotope” (in German, French, Russian, Polish and other “continental” literature)
History of the term “biotope”History of the term “biotope”
(Sources: Olenin 2003; Olenin & Ducrotoy in prep.)
Marine biotope classification systemsMarine biotope classification systems• HELCOM, 1998. Red list of Red list of Marine and
Coastal Biotopes and Biotope Complexes of the Baltic
Benthic biotope classification procedureBenthic biotope classification procedure(relevance to coastal typology and biological valuation)(relevance to coastal typology and biological valuation)
Justification of ecological relevance by the analysis of matching between physical
and biological features
Justification of ecological relevance by the analysis of matching between physical
and biological features
Inventory of physical factors shaping benthic
environment(salinity, substratum, depth,
wave exposure…)
Inventory of physical factors shaping benthic
environment(salinity, substratum, depth,
wave exposure…)
Inventory of biological features characterizing biotopes
(conspicuous species, coverage of dominant forms, visible biogenic
signs, community structure)
Inventory of biological features characterizing biotopes
(conspicuous species, coverage of dominant forms, visible biogenic
signs, community structure)
Mapping and description of biotopes
Mapping and description of biotopes
Development of the biotope classification system
Development of the biotope classification system
Benthic biotope classification procedureBenthic biotope classification procedure(relevance to coastal typology and biological valuation)(relevance to coastal typology and biological valuation)
Mapping and description of biotopes
Mapping and description of biotopes
Identification of coastal types as complexes of neighboring
interrelated biotopes(biotope complexes)
Identification of coastal types as complexes of neighboring
interrelated biotopes(biotope complexes)
Development of coastal typology
Development of coastal typology
Biological valuation and designation of MPAs
Biological valuation and designation of MPAs
Underwater surveys, 1993-2003Underwater surveys, 1993-2003Description of sea bottom and
sampling by SCUBA divers
Remote underwater video survey
Sampling of bottom macro fauna using a Van
Veen grab
Paper (pdf) available at: Paper (pdf) available at:
Biotope as integration of different Biotope as integration of different ecological criteriaecological criteria
• DiversityDiversity– alfa - diversity within biotope,– beta – diversity among biotopes,– gamma – diversity of biotope complexes (coastal types)
• DependencyDependency– Presence of habitat engineers and keystone species (e.g.
Zostera, Fucus, Furcellaria or Mytilus, Ostrea)
• IntegrityIntegrity– Measure of degradation of biotopes– Functional importance– Functional interrelations between the biotopes
Biotopes as functional units of Biotopes as functional units of coastal marine ecosystemscoastal marine ecosystems
• Physico-chemical conditions of a habitat determine diversity of species, as well as functional diversity, “allowing” presence of certain functional groups and “restricting” (or “forbidding”) existence of others.– Examples: a) active biosedimentation is possible only on large
boulders below the breakers zone; b) production of macroalgae – only within euphotic zone on large stones; c) herring spawning – on stony bottoms with macroalgae.
• The biotopes differ not only in their appearance (exterior) but also in their functions, which they perform in coastal marine ecosystems.
3D scheme of benthic biotopes 3D scheme of benthic biotopes at the Seaside Regional Parkat the Seaside Regional Park
Biotopes as mapping unitsBiotopes as mapping units
Depression in the uppermost part of the submarine slope Depression in the uppermost part of the submarine slope with floating algae matswith floating algae mats
Mobil sands with burrowing amphipods and mysid shrimpsMobil sands with burrowing amphipods and mysid shrimps
Large boulders with filamentous green macroalgaeLarge boulders with filamentous green macroalgae
Stony bottoms with the red algae Stony bottoms with the red algae Furcellaria Furcellaria lumbricalislumbricalis
Stony bottoms with the blue mussel Mytilus edulisStony bottoms with the blue mussel Mytilus edulis
Soft bottoms with the bivalve Soft bottoms with the bivalve Macoma balticaMacoma baltica and and polychaetes polychaetes Pygospio elegans,Pygospio elegans, Hediste diversicolorHediste diversicolor
Primary production of Primary production of macroalgaemacroalgae
Formation and Formation and accumulation of accumulation of
detritusdetritus
Active Active biosedimentationbiosedimentation
((suspension feedingsuspension feeding))
Utilization of detritus from the Utilization of detritus from the surface of bottom sediments and surface of bottom sediments and
bioturbationbioturbation
Ecological integrity criteria: Ecological integrity criteria: assessment of functional importance assessment of functional importance
of biotopesof biotopes
BiotopesFunctions
Spawning ground
Foraging area for fish, birds
Shelter for fish fry
Support for high species
diversity
Stony bottoms with Furcellaria 2 1 2 2
Stony bottoms with Mytilus 0 2 1 2
Mobil sands with Bathyporeia 0 1 1 0
Soft bottoms in aphotic zone 0 2 0 1
0 – not relevant, 1 – present, 2 - important
ConclusionConclusion
• The biotope integrates several important ecological criteria used for biological valuation.
• Biotope is a convenient unit which may be used for the coastal typology and coastal types may be identified as the complexes of interrelated neighboring biotopes.
• National and international biotope classification systems are being developed for the coastal zones of Europe. This may provide a solid background for a scientifically acceptable and widely applicable valuation strategy.
ExtrasExtras
Furcellaria lumbricalisFurcellaria lumbricalis
Furcellaria lumbricalisFurcellaria lumbricalis::Biotope under changeBiotope under change