Variations of the macrobenthic community in a seagrass transplanted area of the Lagoon of Venice

Modifications in a benthic community, induced by an experimental transplant of seagrass (Cymodocea nodosa Ucria), were studied in an area located in t he southern basin of the Lagoon of Venice. Two surveys, carried out in Marc h and September 1996, indicated that species composition and numerical domi nants changed with season, with increasing dissimilarity between the transp lanted meadow and the surrounding area. The latter was used as a control ar ea and was characterised by the presence of pleustophytic algae (Ulva rigid a, Gracilaria verrucosa, Chaetomorpha linum). Comparison with a natural C. nodosa bed showed that, only two vegetative seasons after transplant, seagr ass performance and the structure of the macrobenthic community were quite similar to those recorded in a natural meadow. The experiment demonstrated the importance of C. nodosa transplant in the Lagoon of Venice and the chan ges induced in the whole benthic community by the introduction of seagrass in an area previously lacking it.