Mosaic of submerged habitats in the Venice lagoon shows signs of marinization

The relationships between habitat patterns and ecosystem functioning have been widely explored in terrestrial ecosystems, but less in marine and coastal ecosystems, calling for further research in this direction. This work focuses on the mosaic of submerged habitats in the Venice lagoon, Italy. It aims to describe the habitats’ spatial patterns at multiple spatial scales, and to explore their linkages with the ecological status defined according to the EU Water Framework Directive (WFD, 2000/60/EC). The submerged habitats’ mosaic has been analysed by calculating a set of seascape metrics at different spatial scales. These metrics have been linked with the biological quality elements (BQEs) that are monitored in the lagoon in compliance to the WFD. The results show that the habitats’ spatial patterns differ between the areas of the lagoon with marine-like features and the areas which still retain more lagoon characteristics. The similarity between the pattern found in the whole lagoon and those found in marine-like areas suggests a general loss of lagoon characteristics at the lagoon scale. Regarding the ecological status, every BQE seems to be associated with a different habitat configuration at the water body scale. This does not facilitate the joint improvement of the BQEs, as required by the Directive. If we cannot achieve that, at some point we will probably have to choose what to prioritize. On a broader perspective, this calls for a reflection on what lagoon we want for the future, a vision that should be shared and account for the lagoon’s complexity, current trends and challenges.