@article {3325, title = {Biogenic reefs affect multiple components of intertidal soft-bottom benthic assemblages: the Lanice conchilega case study}, journal = {Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science}, volume = {152}, year = {2015}, month = {01/2015}, pages = {44-55}, abstract = {

Biogenic reefs composed of the tube-building polychaete Lanice conchilega are important from a conservation point of view because they noticeably increase the biodiversity in otherwise species poor
environments. However, up to now, little or no attention has been paid to the intertidal epi- and hyperbenthic communities associated with the reefs. Therefore, this is the first study which focuses on
the effect of L. conchilega reefs on the entire bentho-pelagic community at two different locations. Environmental variables were measured and macro-, epi- and hyperbenthic communities were sampled
within a L. conchilega reef and a control area at two locations in France: the bay of the Mont Saint-Michel (BMSM) and Boulogne-sur-Mer (Boulogne). The effect of the reef presence on the benthic community
was studied with a 3-factor (Reef, Location and Period) Permanova. In addition, the relationship between the benthic community and the environmental variables was investigated using Distance-based linear
models (DistLM). Most collected organisms were sampled in the reef area (macrobenthos: 91\%, epibenthos: 81\% and hyperbenthos: 78.5\%) indicating that, independent of the location, the L. conchilega
reefs positively affect all three associated benthic communities. However, the extent of the effect seems to be most pronounced for the macrobenthos and less distinct in case of the hyperbenthos. The macro-,
and epibenthos are mainly structured by biotic variables (L. conchilega density and macrobenthic food availability respectively), while the hyperbenthos is rather structured by environmental variables. In
general, L. conchilega reefs do not only affect abundances and diversity but they substantially steer the structure of the intertidal benthic sandy beach ecosystem.

}, keywords = {beaches, benthos, biogenic reefs, community composition, Lanice conchilega, tidal flats}, doi = {doi:10.1016/j.ecss.2014.11.002}, author = {De Smet, Bart and D{\textquoteright}Hondt, An Sophie and Pieterjan, Verhelst and J{\'e}r{\^o}me Fournier and Laurent Godet and Nicolas Desroy and Rabaut, Marijn and Magda, Vincx and Jan, Vanaverbeke} } @article {4003, title = {Integrating Ecosystem Engineering and Food Web Ecology: Testing the Effect of Biogenic Reefs on the Food Web of a Soft-Bottom Intertidal Area}, journal = {PLoS ONE}, volume = {10}, year = {2015}, month = {10/2015}, pages = {e0140857}, abstract = {

The potential of ecosystem engineers to modify the structure and dynamics of food webs has recently been hypothesised from a conceptual point of view. Empirical data on the integration of ecosystem engineers and food webs is however largely lacking. This paper investigates the hypothesised link based on a field sampling approach of intertidal biogenic aggregations created by the ecosystem engineer Lanice conchilega (Polychaeta, Terebellidae). The aggregations are known to have a considerable impact on the physical and biogeochemical characteristics of their environment and subsequently on the abundance and biomass of primary food sources and the macrofaunal (i.e. the macro-, hyper- and epibenthos) community. Therefore, we hypothesise that L. conchilega aggregations affect the structure, stability and isotopic niche of the consumer assemblage of a soft-bottom intertidal food web. Primary food sources and the bentho-pelagic consumer assemblage of a L. conchilega aggregation and a control area were sampled on two soft-bottom intertidal areas along the French coast and analysed for their stable isotopes. Despite the structural impacts of the ecosystem engineer on the associated macrofaunal community, the presence of L. conchilega aggregations only has a minor effect on the food web structure of soft-bottom intertidal areas. The isotopic niche width of the consumer communities of the L. conchilega aggregations and control areas are highly similar, implying that consumer taxa do not shift their diet when feeding in a L. conchilega aggregation. Besides, species packing and hence trophic redundancy were not affected, pointing to an unaltered stability of the food web in the presence of L. conchilega.

}, author = {De Smet, Bart and J{\'e}r{\^o}me Fournier and De Troch, Marleen and Vincx, Magda and Vanaverbeke, Jan} }