Respuestas ecológicas y funcionales de las comunidades de macrófitos bentónicos marinos frente el estrés ambientalevaluación de la vulnerabilidad y capacidad de aclimatación

Resum

ABSTRACT In this thesis the ecological and functional responses (ecophysiological) of various species of marine benthic macrophytes against environmental stress, both natural and anthropogenic, are studied. This will allow us to assess the ecological state of the system as well as the vulnerability and / or species acclimation capacity to different environmental conditions. Chapter 1 addresses the quantitative study of benthic macrophyte assemblages to analyze their response to environmental disturbances and evaluate the effectiveness of the most used indexes in the context of the Water Framework Directive. The results show that the assessment of the study area is dependent on the applied index, with a low correlation between them. Also no clear discrimination between responses to natural and anthropogenic stress was found. Several problems encountered in the application of ecological indices in particular environments, such as coastal lagoons, highlight the need for a complementary approach based on functional indicators that will be addressed in Chapters 2, 3 and 4. To this end, fluorescence-based measurements of chlorophyll a to estimate photosynthetic capacity, pigment composition and the accumulation of photoprotective substances are analyzed. In chapter 2 the physiological response and acclimation capacity of the two species forming meadows in the Mar Menor lagoon are studied. The results suggest that Caulerpa prolifera behaves as a shade-adapted with low photoprotective capacity, being light one of the main factors determining its distribution in the lagoon. On the other hand, the high photosynthetic capacity and lack of photoinhibition found for Cymodocea nodosa suggest that this species has a high photoprotection. These results support the current distribution of both species in the lagoon, where C. prolifera dominates the central area, with greater depth, whereas C. nodosa appears in shallow areas near the shore. Chapter 3 focuses on the study of rocky assemblages and their comparison in two environments with different environmental conditions, the Mar Menor lagoon and the adjacent Mediterranean coastal area. Differences in species acclimation strategy at photosynthetic and biochemical composition level are shown, and the study also highlights the dependence of the protective mechanisms to nutrient availability. Chapter 4 is an experimental work which simultaneously examines the response of three species of the genus Cystoseira to two key environmental factors: temperature and irradiation. The results point to the temperature as the main determinant of growth and survival of the species, being consistent with their geographical distribution. Likewise ecophysiological response, based primarily on photosynthetic capacity and adjustment of pigment composition, reflected thermal tolerance of the species whereas the effect of light was restricted, showing the acclimatization potential of these species to high irradiance. Taken together, the results could help to understand the ecology of the species and could be useful in the view of the decision making in the management of the ecosystems they inhabit.