title: Detection of environmental impacts of shrimp farming through multiple lines of evidence.
abstract: In order to evaluate the impact of semi-intensive shrimp farming, comparisons between Control and Impact areas were made based on multiple lines of evidence using an asymmetrical design. Water and sediment samples were collected in four shrimp farms located in Todos os Santos Bay, Bahia, Brazil. Nutrients, trace elements and macrobenthic assemblages were evaluated using uni- and multivariate analyzes. Significant differences were observed between Impact and Control areas for the water column dataset (i.e., ancillary variables, SPM, dissolved nutrients and major and trace elements in SPM), whereas no significant differences were observed for the chemistry of sediments. Macrobenthic assemblages were negatively affected by shrimp farm activities. Impacted sites presented the lowest abundance, richness and different structure of macrofaunal benthic assemblages. Farms clearly produced negative impacts in the Todos os Santos Bay. This conclusion was only possible to be reached through the use of multiple lines of evidence. Chemistry and benthic assemblages data combined produced a better description of the quality and impacts of the evaluated environments. Different conclusions would have been reached if chemistry and ecology results were studied separately vs. together.
authors.affiliation: Centro Interdisciplinar de Energia e Ambiente (CIENAM), Instituto de Química, Universidade Federal da Bahia, Rua Barão de Jeremoabo, s/n, Ondina, 40170-290, Salvador, BA, Brazil. Electronic address: vanessa@pq.cnpq.br.
authors.forename: Vanessa
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Hatje
authors.affiliation: Centro Interdisciplinar de Energia e Ambiente (CIENAM), Instituto de Química, Universidade Federal da Bahia, Rua Barão de Jeremoabo, s/n, Ondina, 40170-290, Salvador, BA, Brazil. Electronic address: mcmbns@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Manuel M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: de Souza
authors.affiliation: Centro Interdisciplinar de Energia e Ambiente (CIENAM), Instituto de Química, Universidade Federal da Bahia, Rua Barão de Jeremoabo, s/n, Ondina, 40170-290, Salvador, BA, Brazil; Laboratório de Ecologia Bentônica (LEB), Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Federal da Bahia, Rua Barão de Jeremoabo, s/n, Ondina, 40170-115, Salvador, BA, Brazil. Electronic address: luisa_bio@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Luisa F
authors.initials: LF
authors.lastname: Ribeiro
authors.affiliation: Centro Interdisciplinar de Energia e Ambiente (CIENAM), Instituto de Química, Universidade Federal da Bahia, Rua Barão de Jeremoabo, s/n, Ondina, 40170-290, Salvador, BA, Brazil; Departamento de Ciências Exatas e Tecnológicas, Universidade Federal do Recôncavo da Bahia (UFRB), Rui Barbosa, 710, Centro, Cruz das Almas, Bahia, Brazil. Electronic address: gilmarafernandes@ufrb.edu.br.
authors.forename: Gilmara F
authors.initials: GF
authors.lastname: Eça
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Ecologia Bentônica (LEB), Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Federal da Bahia, Rua Barão de Jeremoabo, s/n, Ondina, 40170-115, Salvador, BA, Brazil. Electronic address: franciscobarros.ufba@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Francisco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Barros
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017756:Aquaculture; D044822:Biodiversity; D001938:Brazil; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D019015:Geologic Sediments / Q000737:chemistry*; D007448:Invertebrates / Q000254:growth & development; D033561:Penaeidae; D012623:Seawater / Q000737:chemistry*; D014131:Trace Elements / Q000032:analysis
chemical_list: D014131:Trace Elements
keywords: Aquaculture impacts; Macrobenthic assemblages; Nutrients; Todos os Santos Bay; Trace elements