Fish assemblage diversity and dynamics in the Venice lagoon

Fish fauna is an important component of transitional waters biodiversity. Different ways of using these systems and their resources can be identified, and fish fauna of transitional waters can be categorized accordingly into several functional groups (or guilds). These functional groups are presented and described in this paper, with regard to fish adaptations to Northern Adriatic transitional water environments, and the Venice lagoon in particular. The temporal and spatial dynamics of fish fauna in such a variable and heterogeneous system is also reviewed, by taking into consideration both the taxonomical and functional (guilds) characteristics of the lagoon assemblage. The use of guilds, in fact, highlights the functional structure of complex ecosystems, such as estuaries and coastal lagoons, by accounting for availability of ecological niches within the overall physical– chemical functioning of transitional water systems.