Potential impacts of climate change and humans on the trophic network organization of estuarine food webs

Abstract

Estuaries are naturally dynamic and complex ecosystems that provide nursery habitats, spawning grounds, refuge from predators, and migratory routes for many species Being very productive Human interaction with estuary and nearshore marine food webs over thousands of years has clearly impacted the abundance and diversity of species in these systems, as demonstrated for the Adriatic Sea The ecosystem of the present study, the Tagus Estuary (Portugal, NE Atlantic, 38N, 8W), has long sustained important fisheries and fishing communities and is currently surrounded by a population of 2 million people.