High diversity and sensitivity to coastal development of fish and invertebrates of the Novigrad and Karin seas: a metacommunity study in the northern Adriatic, Croatia

Demersal fish and benthic macroinvertebrates were censused in spring 2009 in six embayments and one open Adriatic shallow water location. Relative faunal abundance and species richness, diversity, and evenness were calculated and compared across bays and across natural and developed coastline within bays. We found that the faunal communities of the most enclosed bays, Novigrad Sea and Karin Sea, (1) exhibit significantly higher fish richness and faunal diversities than any of the other bays, (2) were more dissimilar from the open Adriatic community, (3) experienced significant reductions in biodiversity at developed compared to natural coastlines and (4) harbor two threatened fish and highest densities of juvenile fish. Their diversity, uniqueness, und sensitivity to development make Novigrad and Karin seas candidates for legal protection.