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Satellite remote sensing (RS) is routinely used for the large-scale
monitoring of microphytobenthos (MPB) biomass in intertidal mudflats and has
greatly improved our knowledge of MPB spatio-temporal variability and its
potential drivers. Processes operating on smaller scales however, such as the
impact of benthic macrofauna on MPB development, to date remain
underinvestigated. In this study, we analysed the influence of wild
Crassostrea gigas oyster reefs on MPB biofilm development using
multispectral RS. A 30-year time series (1985–2015) combining
high-resolution (30 m) Landsat and SPOT data was built in order to explore
the relationship between C. gigas reefs and MPB spatial distribution
and seasonal dynamics, using the normalized difference vegetation index
(NDVI). Emphasis was placed on the analysis of a before–after control-impact
(BACI) experiment designed to assess the effect of oyster killing on the
surrounding MPB biofilms. Our RS data reveal that the presence of oyster
reefs positively affects MPB biofilm development. Analysis of the historical
time series first showed the presence of persistent, highly concentrated MPB
patches around oyster reefs. This observation was supported by the BACI
experiment which showed that killing the oysters (while leaving the physical
reef structure, i.e. oyster shells, intact) negatively affected both MPB
biofilm biomass and spatial stability around the reef. As such, our results
are consistent with the hypothesis of nutrient input as an explanation for
the MPB growth-promoting effect of oysters, whereby organic and inorganic
matter released through oyster excretion and biodeposition stimulates MPB
biomass accumulation. MPB also showed marked seasonal variations in biomass
and patch shape, size and degree of aggregation around the oyster reefs.
Seasonal variations in biomass, with higher NDVI during spring and
autumn, were consistent with those
observed on broader scales in other European mudflats. Our study provides the
first multi-sensor RS satellite evidence of the promoting and structuring
effect of oyster reefs on MPB biofilms
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