Fauna and Flora of the Mar Menor

Several factors have been pinpointed as the causes behind the drastic changes in Fauna and Flora happending in the Mar Menor Lagoon:
- Opening of artificial communication channels (as oposed to the already existing channels of las enca?izadas de la Torre y El Ventorrillo in the north of the lagoon) conecting the Mar Menor with the Mediterranean sea: first the Gola Marchamalo (1898) reducing salinty levels from 70gr/l to 50gr/l and later the Gola El Estacio (1972) reducing again the salinity levels from 50gr/l to 40 gr/l -compared to 38gr/l presently in the mediterranean sea- more water flow also decreased temperature extremes and increased the rate of Mediterranean animals flowing into the Mar Menor doubling the number of species with a stable presence in the lagoon. . - Use of fertilizers and pesticides in the fields sorrounding the Mar Menor. Excess of this products eventualy flowing into the Mar Menor after each rain. Since 1997 N:P ratio changed drastically as a consequence of higher nitrate load (more fertilizers washed from the fields) and lower phosphate levels (better wastewater treatment plants) with phosphate becoming the limiting factor for planktonic productivity
- Urbanistic and Human pressure: High number of motor boats, sewage spillings, construction, recreational ports,
- Improvement of the dry river beds to prevent floodings in the area after strong rains resulting in higher level of sediments deposited into the lagoon after each rain
- Natural process of sedimentation and filling of the Lagoon
- Worldwide maritime trade where fauna and flora attched to ship-hulls or contained in balast water is now able to travel much farther than nature would allow under normal circumstances -Invasions of red sea species into the Mediterranean through the suez channel called `Lessepian invasions´ (Bursatella leachi, Branchiomma boholense ) As a consecuence over the last decenia there has been a lot of dimanism among the inhabitants of the lagoon some animals wich used to have high disity have seen their numbers drasticly diminished (Acetabularia mediterranea, Zostera marina,Cymodocea nodosa) while others are on the verge of disapearing alltogether (Aurelia aurita, ,Hippocampus hippocampus) at the same time a lot of new species have entered the lagoon some of them coming rom as far as the red sea (Bursatella leachi,Branchiomma boholense ) and even managed to expand their numbers exponentially (Cotylorhiza tuberculat, Rhyzhostoma pulmo)
A lot of thanks to the following people who have helped with information to this proyect:
Angel Peréz Ruzafa This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. http://webs.um.es/angelpr/miwiki/doku.php?id=contacto_address
José (pepe) Navarro Leandro This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Francisco Javier Murcia Requena This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Jose Luis Rueda This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Francisco J. Oliva Paterna This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. https://webs.um.es/fjoliva/miwiki/doku.php
Jose Franciso verdejo This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

The only one to be blamed for any errors and mistakes that could be in this list is me and none of the persons mentioned. Please feel free to contact me verbeeckmike@hotmail.com for any observation or comment you might have to this list. Bibliography and references consulted for elaborating the list of Fauna and Flora of the Mar Menor and sourrounding area Some very helpfull database sources in the internet from which pictures have been taken: Natural History Museum Rotterdam with a search page Worms World register of Marine Species Conchology Inc Digitum Deposito digital institucional de la universidad de Murcia Fishbase Sealife base Sea Slug Forum Seashells collection Malacologia.es Malakos