The emergent fouling population after severe eutrophication in the Mar Menor coastal lagoon

Mar Menor is one of the largest coastal lagoons in Mediterranean basin. Over years, has suffered a significant environmental degradation due to multiple factors with anthropogenic origin. The transformation from rain-fed basin intensive irrigated agriculture led an rise water inflow and nutrients basin, which provoked severe eutrophication. increase changes structure function lagoon ecosystems. epibenthic suspension feeder organisms have benefited this imbalance, proliferating reaching high population density. composition abundance species assemblage found sub-coastal bottoms after crisis occurred 2016, using artificial settlement structures. variation community density affinity between sampling sites 2017 2018, were determined. A total 31 belonging 27 genera 7 phyla observed 11 samples. best represented class are polychaeta (Phylum Annelida) identified species. genus greatest richness was Hydroides two species: H. dianthus (Verrill, 1873), elegans (Haswell, 1883), both them considered potentially invasive opportunistic followed by Serpula , S. vermicularis (Linnaeus, 1767), concharum (Langerhans, 1880) Branchiomma another exotic species, B. boholense (Grube, 1878), only collectors 2018. These results allowed knowledge about effect eutrophication fouling succession lagoon.