title: Impact of offshore gas platforms on the structural and functional biodiversity of nematodes.
abstract: The Mediterranean Sea hosts hundreds of offshore gas platforms, whose activity represents a potential threat to marine ecosystems. Evidence from several studies indicates that nematodes can be highly sensitive to changes in the environmental quality. Here, we investigated the response of nematode assemblages to the presence of offshore gas platforms (located in the central Mediterranean Sea) in terms of spatial heterogeneity, structural and functional diversity. Since the effect of the investigated offshore platforms on macrofaunal assemblages were previously assessed by Terlizzi et al. (2008), the study provided also the opportunity to compare the response of different benthic compartments to the same impact related to fossil fuel extraction on marine environments. The platforms had a significant impact on nematode assemblages up to 1000 m distance from the structure. The effects were evident in term of: a) more homogeneous spatial distribution of nematode assemblages, b) increased trophic diversity of deposit feeders and c) changes in life strategies with an increase of opportunistic species in sediments closer to the platforms. Such effects seemed to be related to the dimension of the platform structures, rather than to chemical pollution or changes in food availability. These findings suggest that the platforms exert a physical alteration of the surrounding environment that is reflected by altered structural and functional traits of nematode biodiversity. The use of nematodes for monitoring the effects of the platforms only partially matched with the results obtained using macrofauna, providing further insights on potential outcomes on the functional response of marine assemblages to fossil fuel extraction.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences and Technology, University of Salento, CoNISMa, I-73100 Lecce, Italy. Electronic address: simona.fraschetti@unisalento.it.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Fraschetti
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences and Technology, University of Salento, CoNISMa, I-73100 Lecce, Italy.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Guarnieri
authors.affiliation: Department of Life and Environmental Science, Polytechnic University of Marche, Via Brecce Bianche, 60131 Ancona, Italy.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Gambi
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences and Technology, University of Salento, CoNISMa, I-73100 Lecce, Italy.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bevilacqua
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences and Technology, University of Salento, CoNISMa, I-73100 Lecce, Italy.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Terlizzi
authors.affiliation: Department of Life and Environmental Science, Polytechnic University of Marche, Via Brecce Bianche, 60131 Ancona, Italy; Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Villa Comunale, 80121 Naples, Italy.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Danovaro
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D044822:Biodiversity; D004777:Environment; D008522:Mediterranean Sea; D009348:Nematoda / Q000502:physiology*; D000066388:Oil and Gas Industry / Q000295:instrumentation*
keywords: Benthic ecology; Community function; Nematodes; Offshore structures; Spatial variability