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<p>Understanding biodiversity trends in highly disturbed urban landscapes is essential given that anthropogenic factors continue to drive global biodiversity loss. Within marine ecosystems, macrofaunal fouling communities, aggregations of epibenthic invertebrates that colonize human-made structures, represent an ecologically important subset of urban coastlines. Tampa Bay is a highly urbanized estuary in Florida, USA, and is home to the state’s largest port. Although many factors may contribute to the communities that form on urban structures, understanding the local drivers underpinning their assemblages is essential for management. We investigated relationships among spatial distribution, season, invasive species, and environmental factors and community richness to better understand macrofaunal fouling communities living on floating docks around Tampa Bay. We collected samples by scraping collections along transects below the water line of floating docks and then counting and identifying collected organisms to the lowest possible taxonomic unit. Our analyses show variation in taxonomic richness driven by changes in mean temperature. Although salinity and total dissolved solids varied significantly with location in the bay, we observed no significant correlation between these factors and taxonomic richness. Invasive striped barnacles occurred in high abundances throughout the bay; however, the historically dominant Asian green mussel appeared to be reduced in number. This study serves as a baseline to study nearshore fouling community structure and improve restoration and management of epibenthic macrofauna in this important urban estuary.</p>

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Patterns in biodiversity and richness in macrofaunal fouling communities on Tampa Bay floating docks

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2025年9月20日

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  • Cassidy C. Bell,
  • J. S. Doody,
  • Timothy Henkel,
  • Heather Judkins

摘要

Understanding biodiversity trends in highly disturbed urban landscapes is essential given that anthropogenic factors continue to drive global biodiversity loss. Within marine ecosystems, macrofaunal fouling communities, aggregations of epibenthic invertebrates that colonize human-made structures, represent an ecologically important subset of urban coastlines. Tampa Bay is a highly urbanized estuary in Florida, USA, and is home to the state’s largest port. Although many factors may contribute to the communities that form on urban structures, understanding the local drivers underpinning their assemblages is essential for management. We investigated relationships among spatial distribution, season, invasive species, and environmental factors and community richness to better understand macrofaunal fouling communities living on floating docks around Tampa Bay. We collected samples by scraping collections along transects below the water line of floating docks and then counting and identifying collected organisms to the lowest possible taxonomic unit. Our analyses show variation in taxonomic richness driven by changes in mean temperature. Although salinity and total dissolved solids varied significantly with location in the bay, we observed no significant correlation between these factors and taxonomic richness. Invasive striped barnacles occurred in high abundances throughout the bay; however, the historically dominant Asian green mussel appeared to be reduced in number. This study serves as a baseline to study nearshore fouling community structure and improve restoration and management of epibenthic macrofauna in this important urban estuary.