Changes of macrofaunal functional composition at sedimentary habitats in the vicinity of fish farms

The relationship of functional diversity and composition was studied in gradients of organically enriched sediments from four Mediterranean fish farms. Within-functional trait diversity was also used to examine the functional redundancy of specific functional traits. Characteristics considered to respond to different geochemical conditions of the sediment were chosen for the traits list of that organism and were classified into ecological and morphological traits. Each trait was split up into several categories chosen to encompass the range of possible attributes of all species. The abundance of species possessing the same code was summed for each sample. Functional codes analyses differentiated between the sediment types and the TOC states, confirming the sensitivity of the functional characteristics to the geochemistry of the sediment. Changes in species number and abundance in the compared sites determined the shifts of the functional processes and not the presence or absence of individual traits. The important functional codes for the homogeneity within the examined habitats were fewer in the disturbed areas indicating that the functioning of these ecosystems is significantly reduced. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.