title: One-century decline of mollusk diversity as consequence of accumulative anthropogenic disturbance in a tropical estuary (Cuban Archipelago).
abstract: In order to infer changes in sediments and mollusk assemblages for the last century, we used biogeochemical data from two210Pb dated cores collected in Sagua La Grande estuary, Cuban Archipelago. We found evidences of cumulative anthropogenic disturbance during the last century, causing considerable depletion of mollusk assemblage diversity and enhancement of the dominance of deposit feeding species. The sequence of impacts assessed was i) eutrophication due to nutrient releases from urban settlements, ii) habitat alteration due to water channeling and damming, and iii) mercury pollution. These successive impacts caused a steady diversity depletion from ca. 70 mollusk species in 1900 to less than five in 2010. Only two species persisted in the estuary: Nuculana acuta and Finella dubia. Hurricanes did not impact the molluscan fauna in the long term. The effects of the anthropogenic impacts suggest that the resilience of this estuarine system is compromised.
authors.affiliation: Centro de Investigaciones Marinas, Universidad de La Habana, 16 # 114, Playa, CP11300, Habana, Cuba. Electronic address: maickel@cim.uh.cu.
authors.forename: Maickel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Armenteros
authors.affiliation: Centro de Estudios Ambientales de Cienfuegos, Carretera Castillo de Jagua km 1.5, Ciudad Nuclear, CP59350, Cienfuegos, Cuba; Instituto de Ecología, Pesquería y Oceanografía del Golfo de México (EPOMEX), Universidad Autónoma de Campeche, Mexico.
authors.forename: Misael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Díaz-Asencio
authors.affiliation: Centro de Estudios Ambientales de Cienfuegos, Carretera Castillo de Jagua km 1.5, Ciudad Nuclear, CP59350, Cienfuegos, Cuba.
authors.forename: Raúl
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Fernández-Garcés
authors.affiliation: Centro de Estudios Ambientales de Cienfuegos, Carretera Castillo de Jagua km 1.5, Ciudad Nuclear, CP59350, Cienfuegos, Cuba.
authors.forename: Carlos Alonso
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Hernández
authors.affiliation: Centro de Estudios Ambientales de Cienfuegos, Carretera Castillo de Jagua km 1.5, Ciudad Nuclear, CP59350, Cienfuegos, Cuba.
authors.forename: Yusmila
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Helguera-Pedraza
authors.affiliation: Centro de Estudios Ambientales de Cienfuegos, Carretera Castillo de Jagua km 1.5, Ciudad Nuclear, CP59350, Cienfuegos, Cuba.
authors.forename: Yoelvis
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Bolaños-Alvarez
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Ecología, Pesquería y Oceanografía del Golfo de México (EPOMEX), Universidad Autónoma de Campeche, Mexico.
authors.forename: Claudia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Agraz-Hernández
authors.affiliation: Unidad Académica Procesos Oceánicos y Costeros, Instituto de Ciencias del Mar y Limnología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, 4510 Ciudad de México, Mexico.
authors.forename: Joan-Albert
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Sanchez-Cabeza
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D044822:Biodiversity; D003462:Cuba; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000379:methods*; D063366:Estuaries; D005068:Eutrophication; D019015:Geologic Sediments / Q000737:chemistry*; D008628:Mercury / Q000032:analysis* / Q000633:toxicity; D008974:Mollusca / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000254:growth & development; D014329:Tropical Climate; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000032:analysis* / Q000633:toxicity
chemical_list: D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical; D008628:Mercury
keywords: (210)Pb dating; Cuba; Dead shells; Mollusks; Sagua La Grande river; Sedimentation