The effects of estuary salinization on benthic assemblages: a richer and treacherous future
5 affiliations
- 1Laboratório de Ecologia Bentônica, IBIO, CIEnAM, INCT IN-TREE & PELD-BTS, Universidade Federal da Bahia 1 , Salvador, Brazil
- 2Centro de Ciências Agrárias, Universidade Federal do Recôncavo da Bahia 4 , Cruz das Almas, Brazil
- 3Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Federal da Bahia 2 , Salvador, Brazil
- 4Instituto Brasileiro do Meio Ambiente e dos Recursos Naturais Renováveis 5 , Brasília, Brazil
- 5Núcleo de Socioecologia Marinha, Universidade Federal da Bahia 3 , Salvador, Brazil
Abstract
Estuarine salinization is emerging as a major consequence of climate change, yet its long-term ecological effects on tropical benthic assemblages remain poorly understood. Using nearly two decades of monitoring across three tropical estuaries, we evaluated temporal changes in benthic macroinfauna structure along their salinity gradients. We tested whether salinization would increase richness, change assemblage composition and cause shifts in benthic invertebrate distribution along the estuarine gradient. In two estuaries (Jaguaripe and Subaé) richness increased over time. Multivariate analyses showed that salinity remained the primary driver of benthic structure. Although some homogenization has occurred in middle and upper estuary zones in recent years, we found no consistent evidence that lower and middle estuarine taxa expanded landward. One estuary (Subaé) exhibited weaker temporal trends, possibly owing to historical contamination masking salinity effects. Our findings highlight that estuarine benthic assemblages are indicators of salinization, and increasing richness does not necessarily imply ecological improvement. Shifts in salinity regimes may compress estuarine zones, threaten oligohaline assemblages and alter ecosystem functions. Long-term monitoring, especially in tropical estuaries where climate extremes and human pressures are intensifying, is essential to detect tipping points and guide adaptive management and conservation strategies.
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BibTeX
@article{barros2026effects,
title = {{The effects of estuary salinization on benthic assemblages: a richer and treacherous future}},
author = {Francisco Barros and Yuri Costa and Marcos Krull and Wagner Magalhães and Sabrina Palma and Alice Reis and Gabriel Souza and Amanda Martins},
journal = {Royal Society Open Science},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1098/rsos.261145},
url = {https://royalsocietypublishing.org/rsos/article/13/10/261145/483890/The-effects-of-estuary-salinization-on-benthic},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - The effects of estuary salinization on benthic assemblages: a richer and treacherous future
AU - Francisco Barros
AU - Yuri Costa
AU - Marcos Krull
AU - Wagner Magalhães
AU - Sabrina Palma
AU - Alice Reis
AU - Gabriel Souza
AU - Amanda Martins
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/07
JO - Royal Society Open Science
DO - 10.1098/rsos.261145
UR - https://royalsocietypublishing.org/rsos/article/13/10/261145/483890/The-effects-of-estuary-salinization-on-benthic
AB - Estuarine salinization is emerging as a major consequence of climate change, yet its long-term ecological effects on tropical benthic assemblages remain poorly understood. Using nearly two decades of monitoring across three tropical estuaries, we evaluated temporal changes in benthic macroinfauna structure along their salinity gradients. We tested whether salinization would increase richness, change assemblage composition and cause shifts in benthic invertebrate distribution along the estuarine gradient. In two estuaries (Jaguaripe and Subaé) richness increased over time. Multivariate analyses showed that salinity remained the primary driver of benthic structure. Although some homogenization has occurred in middle and upper estuary zones in recent years, we found no consistent evidence that lower and middle estuarine taxa expanded landward. One estuary (Subaé) exhibited weaker temporal trends, possibly owing to historical contamination masking salinity effects. Our findings highlight that estuarine benthic assemblages are indicators of salinization, and increasing richness does not necessarily imply ecological improvement. Shifts in salinity regimes may compress estuarine zones, threaten oligohaline assemblages and alter ecosystem functions. Long-term monitoring, especially in tropical estuaries where climate extremes and human pressures are intensifying, is essential to detect tipping points and guide adaptive management and conservation strategies.
SN - 2054-5703
ER -