biostudies-literatureTomasovych AAustrian Science Fund FWFAgentúra na Podporu Výskumu a Vývoja781-807https://www.ebi.ac.uk/biostudies/studies/S-EPMC6446828biostudies-literatureUnknown66(3)Carbonate sediments in non-vegetated habitats on the north-east Adriatic shelf are dominated by shells of molluscs. However, the rate of carbonate molluscan production prior to the 20th century eutrophication and overfishing on this and other shelves remains unknown because: (i) monitoring of ecosystems prior to the 20th century was scarce; and (ii) ecosystem history inferred from cores is masked by condensation and mixing. Here, based on geochronological dating of four bivalve species, carbonate production during the Holocene is assessed in the Gulf of Trieste, where algal and seagrass habitats underwent a major decline during the 20th century. Assemblages of sand-dwelling <i>Gouldia minima</i> and opportunistic <i>Corbula gibba</i> are time-averaged to >1000 years and <i>Corbula gibba</iSedimentologyA decline in molluscan carbonate production driven by the loss of vegetated habitats encoded in the Holocene sedimentary record of the Gulf of Trieste.PMC6446828P24901VEGA 0136/15P 24901Zuschin MTomasovych AMavric BGallmetzer IHaselmair AKaufman DSfalseA decline in molluscan carbonate production driven by the loss of vegetated habitats encoded in the Holocene sedimentary record of the Gulf of Trieste.Carbonate sediments in non-vegetated habitats on the north-east Adriatic shelf are dominated by shells of molluscs. However, the rate of carbonate molluscan production prior to the 20th century eutrophication and overfishing on this and other shelves remains unknown because: (i) monitoring of ecosystems prior to the 20th century was scarce; and (ii) ecosystem history inferred from cores is masked by condensation and mixing. Here, based on geochronological dating of four bivalve species, carbonate production during the Holocene is assessed in the Gulf of Trieste, where algal and seagrass habitats underwent a major decline during the 20th century. Assemblages of sand-dwelling <i>Gouldia minima</i> and opportunistic <i>Corbula gibba</i> are time-averaged to >1000 years and <i>Corbula gibba</i2019-01-01T00:00:00Z2019 Apr2026-05-07T03:50:53.859Z2019-06-06T21:05:42ZS-EPMC64468283098363910.1111/sed.12516