Benthic polychaete assemblages and their relationship to the sediment in Port Madison,Washington

Two indices of community association and a 3 dimensional ordination of stations were used to elucidate the relationship between small-scale changes in species, composition of polychaete assemblages and changes in the physical character of the sediment, at 9 stations along a 1.5 km subtidal transect. There were no faunal or physical discontinuities that might have been used to delineate boundaries of polychaete communities, except at a very shallow station where the effects of extreme fluctuations of temperature and salinity were evident. The degree of similarity between assemblages was related to the similarity of the sediments at the different stations. In particular, the changes in species composition appeared to correspond most clearly to differences in the clay content of the sediment.     

Impact of kraft pulp-mill effluents on estuarine and coastal fishes in Apalachee Bay,Florida, USA

A 2-year field study was carried out to determine the impact of kraft pulp-mill effluents on the fish fauna of a shallow-bay system in north Florida (Apalachee Bay, USA). Offshore areas that received kraft-mill effluents (KME) displayed significant increases in color and turbidity and reductions in (benthic) dissolved oxygen compared to a nearby control area. Estuarine and marsh fish assemblages in areas of acute impact were severely reduced in terms of numbers of individuals (N) and species (S). Offshore areas exposed to varying (chronic) levels of KME were characterized by complex interactions that included seasonal variations of impact. A broad offshore area showed reductions in numbers of individuals and species taken per month. However, the cumulative (annual) number of species taken was the same for polluted and unpolluted (control) areas due to a recruitment of relatively rare species in the areas of impact. Such polluted areas showed decreased dominance as well as qualitative differences in species composition compared to control areas. Inshore bay stations that were most severely affected by KME were dominated by the bay anchovy, Anchoa mitchilli. While species richness and species diversity were lower at the highly stressed stations, in other outlying areas of moderate impact (reduced N and S) there were no reductions of such parameters compared to control areas. Thus, species diversity was not an indicator of pollution per se, and was useful only when taken in conjunction with various other parameters. Transition areas (between polluted and unpolluted portions of the bay) showed substantial (although periodic) increases in N, S, and species diversity. Equitability indices were unchanged in polluted portions of the bay. In general, the effects of KME on offshore fish assemblages appeared to be due to a complex combination of habitat alteration, reduced benthic productivity, and individual behavioral reactions. The alterations of fish assemblages were compared to other studies in this area on benthic macrophytes and invertebrates in an effort to assess the usefulness of various indices in studies on the long-term effects of pollution on estuarine and coastal systems. It was found that kraft pulp-mill effluents had a pronounced effect on the benthic standing crop of plants and animals, but that intensive sampling over prolonged periods of time was necessary for an adequate assessment of the problem. Overall, there were some significant changes in the biota such as reduced dominance and productivity in polluted areas that were similar for the various types of organisms sampled.     

Relationship between depth, sediment, latitude, and the structure of benthic infaunal assemblages on the mainland shelf of southern California

A regional benthic survey was conducted in 1994, and the data were used to assess the relationship among three habitat factors (depth, sediment grain size, and latitude) and the distribution of benthic infaunal assemblages on the southern California coastal shelf. Benthic samples were collected with a 0.1 m² Van Veen grab from 251 sites on the continental shelf (10–200 m deep) from Point Conception, California, to the United States–Mexico international border. The relationship between habitat and assemblages was investigated by conducting a Q-mode cluster analysis to define groups of stations with similar species composition and then examining whether differences were present in physical habitat attributes among those groups of stations. Analysis of data from 175 uncontaminated sites yielded four habitat-related benthic infaunal assemblages along the southern California coastal shelf: a shallow-water assemblage from 10–32 m, a mid-depth assemblage between 32 and 115 m, and two deep-water (115–200 m) assemblages, one in fine and one in coarse sediments. These empirically defined points in the depth and sediment grain size gradients can be used to define reference habitats for the development of biocriteria. Benthic abundance and diversity were greatest in the mid-depth assemblage, conforming to predictions for benthic assemblages in regions of upwelling. Within the 500 km of coastline examined, latitude was not an important factor in defining assemblages. Received: 3 December 1999 / Accepted: 9 October 2000     

胶州湾棘皮动物的数量变化及与环境因子的关系

利用1998～2002年19个季度月胶州湾10个站的海洋调查资料，对底栖棘皮动物的数量变化及与环境因子的关系进行了初步研究．胶州湾棘皮动物平均总生物量11．82g／m^3，平均总栖息密度5．63个／m^3．分布区主要在1、3、4、7号站，底质沉积类型为粉砂-粘土、有机质含量较高的区域．棘皮动物的分布除与底质有关外，其数量变化与温度、初级生产力关系较明显，二者升高，其生物量、密度也较明显升高．图5表3参9     

Seasonal variations in Delaware Bay phytoplankton community structure

Whole-water phytoplankton samples were obtained from 3 stations in Delaware Bay on a once- or twice-monthly basis from June 13, 1974 to May 28, 1975. The flora was composed primarily of small flagellates during the summer and early fall, while diatoms dominated from October to May. Peak cell numbers occurred during fall and early spring blooms. Evenness diversity was lowest during periods of maximum diatom abundance and highest when microflagellates predominated. There was a gradual shift in dominance, except during the early spring Skeletonema costatum bloom. Cluster analysis allowed the separation of the flora into 3 time groups and 8 recurrent species groups. The species composition and community structure of Delaware Bay phytoplankton is compared with other USA east-coast estuaries where comparable sampling techniques have been used.Contribution No. 129 from the Ira C. Darling Center and No. 129 from the College of Marine Studies.     

胶州湾多毛类环节动物数量分布与环境因子的关系

根据1998~2002年胶州湾10个站各季度大型底栖动物调查结果,讨论了多毛类环节动物在各站出现种数、生物量、栖息密度与环境因子的关系.结果表明,海底底质是影响多毛类数量分布与变化的重要因子,沙质软泥有利于多毛类生长,而粗沙砾石底质多毛类分布较少;春季多毛类种数、生物量和栖息密度均较高;在一定条件下,盐度是多毛类的限制因子,当盐度升高时,其生物量和栖息密度呈增加趋势.图2表6参14     

Tisbe (Copepoda: Harpacticoida) species from the Lagoon of Venice. I. Seasonal fluctuations and ecology

Distribution and abundance of Tisbe species were studied throughout a period of 3 years at 3 stations in the Lagoon of Venice (Italy). At 2 other stations samples were taken occasionally, as also at the Lido station (open sea). Twelve species may be considered as common inhabitants of the lagoon, and 3 species appear to be occasional transients, compared to the 9 species found at the Lido. A comparison of the physical data shows that the stations were similar in temperature and salinity, but differed primarily in pH values, sediment characteristics, algal substratum and faunal benthic community. The fact that remarkable differences in species composition and distribution of Tisbe could be observed between the various parts of the lagoon and the lagoon and the open sea, indicates that temperature and salinity are not so important for species diversity as are biotic factors. A particularly strong difference existed between samples taken at the bottom and from pilings, which constitute a very special biotope for the benthic communities in the lagoon and seem to be a preferred habitat for T. lagunaris and T. cucumariae. The data suggest that there is a certain interaction between T. holothuriae and the other species. Whenever T. holothuriae was abundant, the other species were rare, but T. clodiensis, T. dobzhanskii (Stations 1 and 2) and Tisbe sp. (Station 3) attained high relative abundance whenever T. holothuriae decreased considerably in number. T. holothuriae represents certainly the hardiest species of the lagoon, displaying a great ability to cope with stress conditions, even those present in the interior lagoon where strong fluctuations in salinity, temperature, pH and oxygen prevail.     

Motile cryptofauna of Tuléar reef flats

A study of the calcareous tube-building polychaete Hydroides dianthus (Verrill) in a temperate estuary (Delaware Bay, USA) revealed an assemblage that was strongly associated with the serpulid. This polychaete species provided numerous microhabitats by means of its tubes and sediment enriched with tube fragments. Quantitative associations for winter and summer tube heads showed that 17 and 12 species, respectively, were statistically dependent on H. dianthus. There were significant associations between number of species, number of individuals, mean number of animals, standard deviation, the size of the tube clump for both seasons (winter and summer), and for scaled standard deviation (SDN) and species diversity (H) during the winter. Successional development of the serpulid assemblage starts with the settling of H. dianthus, progresses through growth, maturation, mortality, and the interaction of associates and predators, resulting in a highly diverse benthic assemblage in this temperate estuary.     

Mercury bioaccumulation in estuarine food webs

We tested for unintended mercury contamination problems associated with estuarine floodplain restoration projects of the Louisiana coastal zone, USA. Barataria Bay and Breton Sound are two neighboring deltaic estuaries that were isolated by levees from the Mississippi River about 100 years ago. These estuaries recently have been reconnected to the nutrient-rich Mississippi River, starting major river diversion (input) flows in 1991 for Breton Sound and in 2004 for Barataria Bay. We collected > 2100 fish over five years from 20 stations in these estuaries to test two hypotheses about Hg bioaccumulation: (H1) Background Hg bioaccumulation in fish would be highest in low-salinity upper reaches of estuaries, and (H2) recent river inputs to these upper estuarine areas would increase Hg bioaccumulation in fish food webs. For H1, we surveyed fish Hg concentrations at several stations along a salinity gradient in Barataria Bay in 2003-2004, a time when this estuary lacked strong river inputs. Results showed that average Hg concentrations in fish communities were lowest (150 ng/g dry mass) in higher salinity areas and -2.4x higher (350 ng/g) in low-salinity oligohaline and freshwater upper reaches of the estuary. For H2, we tested for enhanced Hg bioaccumulation following diversion onset in both estuaries. Fish communities from Breton Sound that had long-term (> 10 years) diversion inputs had -1.7x higher average Hg contents of 610 ng/g Hg vs. 350 ng/g background values. Shorter-term diversion inputs over 2-3 years in upper Barataria Bay did not result in strong Hg enrichments or stable C isotope increases seen in Breton Sound, even though N and S stable-isotope values indicated strong river inputs in both estuaries. It may be that epiphyte communities on abundant submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV) are important hotspots for Hg cycling in these estuaries, and observed lesser development of these epiphyte communities in upper Barataria Bay during the first years of diversion inputs may account for the lessened Hg bioaccumulation in fish. A management consideration from this study is that river restoration projects may unintentionally fertilize SAV and epiphyte-based food webs, leading to higher Hg bioaccumulation in river-impacted floodplains and their food webs.     

Long-term variability in the structure of subtidal benthic communities in Puget Sound,Washington, USA

Data on benthic infauna from 4 permanent stations in Puget Sound off Seattle, USA, collected during 1963–1964, 1967, and 1969, revealed considerable stability in numbers of species and specimens and in diversity within stations among sampling dates. The species composition of the faunal assemblages also remained rather constant during the period of investigation, but the relative dominance among the numerically important species varied somewhat. Biomass data did not differ significantly in 1964 and 1969, but the 1967 data were considerably lower at all stations.     

Annelids of a west African estuarine system

Annelids collected from eight stations in the western part of Lagos Lagoon between May, 1996 and February, 1998 were reported. Rainfall, salinity and sediment type influenced distribution of annelids, which were either dry season species, wet season species or euryhaline species. A total of fifty-five species were collected, thirty-one not recorded in earlier studies. Pollution indicators, Polydora sp., Capitella capitata, Nereis sp. and Tubifex sp. were collected in both dry and wet seasons.     

Animal-sediment relations and community analysis of a Florida estuary

Five species assemblages of the intertidal infauna of Old Tampa Bay, Florida, USA are identified. Two assemblages are judged to constitute distinct communities, while a third is shown to be an interdigitation of the two communities. Dominance by on species is the prevalent pattern within the assemblages. Numbers of deposit feeders are found to be inversely correlated to that of filter feeders, and both trophic types are found to be correlated to the sediment parameters of median grain size, sorting and skewness. Three transects with three stations each were established along the south side of Courtney Campbell Causeway in Tampa Bay, Florida. A faunal sample (0.4 m²), a sediment sample, and a water sample were taken at each station in September, December, and March of 1968/1969. Sediment samples were wet-seived. Animal samples were reduced to numbers of organisms and biomass per species. Trellis diagrams and correlation tests were generated. Support is shown for the trophic group-amensalims hypothesis, however, the silt-clay fraction is apparently of lesser importance to deposit feeders in Florida sediments than in Buzzards Bay sediments. An attempt is made to relate an analysis of the optimal grain size for filter feeders to the trophic group-amensalism hypothesis. A view of communities as abstractions from continua is more realistic than communities as discrete units.     

Research On Zooplankton in the Gulf of Rapallo

Zooplankton samples, collected in autumn 1996 from two stations in the Gulf of Rapallo, Ligurian Sea (Rapallo Harbour and Prelo Bay, which is a more open site with lower human impacts) were analysed. at both stations, the community was dominated by copepods (mainly juveniles and adults of different species of Acartia and Oithona) and meroplankton (mainly polychaete larvae). Total zooplankton abundance in the harbour waters was significantly higher than in the nearby bay. the occurrence of Acartia grani in Rapallo Harbour and Pteriacartia josephinae in Prelo Bay is noteworthy, as they are reported for the first time in the Ligurian Sea, and A. grani has not previously been recorded to the Italian coastline. A three-day benthic chamber experiment aimed to quantify nutrient fluxes between the sediment and water column was performed in the Rapallo Harbour: the profound effects of confinement on the composition and abundance of zooplankton within the incubation chamber are discussed.     

Macrofaunal responses to structural complexity are mediated by environmental variability and surrounding habitats

Investigating the context that surrounds each habitat is crucial to understand local responses of assemblages of species to habitats. Here, I tested whether responses of benthic macroinvertebrates to the structural complexity of experimental habitats were mediated by the characteristics of their surrounding habitats (i.e. rockpools or emergent-rock surfaces). Each type of surrounding habitat provided particular biotic (e.g. algal growth) and abiotic (e.g. temperature, water movement) conditions that were expected to affect benthic assemblages. The results show that (1) composition of entire assemblages was affected by the matrix and type of habitat; (2) effects of the matrix on the number of species varied depending on the different types of habitats; (3) abundant species showed specific responses to type of habitat, independently of the matrix; and (4) relationships between numbers of species and two major environmental variables (i.e. micro-algal biomass and sediment) varied depending on the type of habitats and the surrounding matrix. Generally, these findings demonstrate that understanding the consequences of the spatial structure of these habitats is essential to advance our knowledge on patterns of abundance and distributions of functionally important species and ultimately the structure of intertidal assemblages.     

Catastrophic Decline in Mollusc Diversity in Eastern Tasmania and Its Concurrence with Shellfish Fisheries

Abstract:  We used historical patterns of deposition of mollusc shells to infer changes to inshore benthic assemblages in the southeastern Tasmanian region over the past 120 years. We identified and counted shells in slices embedded within 1m long ²¹⁰Pb-dated sediment cores were collected at 13 sites in water depths of 8–16 m. Declines in mollusc species richness and shell production occurred during the past century at all sites studied, with a mean decline per 5-cm sediment slice from 21 species in 1890 to 7 species in 1990 and in shell abundance from 150 to 30 individuals over the same period. The time course of decline notably corresponded with the history of the scallop dredge fishery, presumably either because scallop dredging caused general declines in populations of mollusc species or because other factors caused a catastrophic regional decline in molluscs that included scallops. As a consequence, the fishery was forced to close. Of major concern is that losses had not previously been recognized but extended throughout the 100-km coastal span of the study. Given that fishing and other anthropogenic impacts, as well as a lack of observational data, are virtually ubiquitous for the coastal zone, major recent losses in mollusc biodiversity may be globally widespread but have gone unnoticed.     

Similar soft-bottom polychaete diversity in Arctic and Antarctic marine inlets

The diversity of soft-bottom polychaete assemblages in one Antarctic (Admiralty Bay) and two Arctic (Kongsfjord and van Mijenfjord) localities was compared. The data sets included 79 (Admiralty Bay), 80 (Kongsfjord) and 44 (van Mijenfjord) samples collected with use of 0.1 m² van Veen grab. The number of species per sample in Kongsfjord (mean 19.9 ± 8.0 SD) was higher than that in Van Mijenfjord (13.7 ± 8.3) or Admiralty Bay (15.7 ± 9.4). The differences in species numbers reflected differences in numbers of individuals in samples: 310.4 ind/0.1 m² ± 178.0 in Kongsfjord, 132.7 ind/0.1 m² ± 88.7 in Van Mijenfjord and 138.9 ind/0.1 m² ± 91.5 in Admiralty Bay. The Hurlbert diversity for 50 individuals (ES _[50]) was similar at all sites: 10.7 ± 3.4 in Kongsfjord, 9.7 ± 4.2 in van Mijenfjord, 10.5 ± 4.9 in Admiralty Bay. The shape of species accumulation curves was also similar for all localities. There was no significant difference (at P < 0.05) either in the total number of species or in species richness as estimated by Chao1 and Chao2 estimators. The generic and family richness at three sites was also similar. We found no substantial differences in the distribution of species among families. At both poles Terebellidae, Ampharetidae, Maldanidae, Spionidae and Polynoidae were dominant in terms of species numbers. The similarity of infaunal polychaete diversity at the polar sites studied contrasts with the substantial differences reported for epi-megafauna. Our study suggests that the patterns of diversity of polar benthic communities are shaped by patterns of habitat heterogeneity which appears to mask any historical processes.     

Compositional analysis of overdispersed counts using generalized estimating equations

Multivariate abundance data are commonly collected in ecology, and used to explore questions of “community composition”—how relative abundance of different taxa changes with environmental conditions. In this paper, we propose a log-linear marginal modeling approach for analyzing such compositional count data, via generalized estimating equations. This method exploits the multiplicative nature of log-linear models for counts, by reparameterizing models that describe marginal effects on mean abundance. This allows partitioning into “main effects” and compositional effects, which is appealing for interpretation. We apply the proposed approach to reanalyze compositional counts of benthic invertebrates from Delaware Bay, and data of invertebrate communities inhabiting Acacia plants in eastern Australia. In both cases we resort to a resampling approach to make inferences about regression parameters, because the number of clusters was not large compared to cluster size.     

Add-on conservation benefits of marine territorial user rights fishery policies in central Chile.

To combine the rational use of marine benthic resources and economic development of small-scale fishers, Chile passed legislation in 1991 establishing a comanagement policy that grants exclusive territorial user rights for fisheries (TURFs) to artisanal fisher organizations in well-defined inshore coastal areas, known as Management and Exploitation Areas for Benthic Resources (MEABRs). In general the policy has been proclaimed a management and economic success because benthic resource abundances have increased inside MEABRs in comparison with open-access areas. However, there is a lack of studies assessing the impact of this management policy on nontargeted subtidal species and community assemblages and the policy's implications for biodiversity and conservation. This study starts to fill this gap and links the allocation of TURFs for benthic resources with add-on conservation benefits for species that are not directly linked with the fishery policy. Comparative subtidal surveys inside vs. outside MEABRs were used to assess the effects of three MEABRs on managed targeted benthic species, biodiversity (species richness), and community assemblages in central Chile. Surveys focused exclusively on subtidal kelp forest habitats dominated by Lessonia trabeculata, spanning 4-12 m in depth and with similar levels of habitat complexity. The study comprised: (1) quantification of kelp forest complexity, (2) understory survey of sessile species, (3) quantification of conspicuous benthic macroinvertebrates, including those under management, and (4) quantification of reef-fish species inside the kelp habitat. Results showed population enhancement of target-managed invertebrates inside MEABRs. Moreover, reef-fish species were significantly more diverse and abundant inside MEABRs, and community assemblages of nontarget benthic invertebrates and reef fish were significantly different inside vs. outside MEABRs. The comanagement of inshore benthic resources in Chile, through MEABRs aims for the sustainability of invertebrate and algae stocks. However, our study shows that this management tool, which in practice restricts access to the entire management area, provides important conservation add-on effects for species that are not the focus of the management policies. Therefore, in Chile, the hundreds of already established MEABRs could represent an important ancillary network, which complements the biodiversity objectives of fully protected areas such as no-take marine protected areas or others.     

Effects of kraft-mill effluents on benthic macrophyte assemblages in a shallow-bay system (Apalachee Bay,North Florida,USA)

A 14-month study was carried out to determine the impact of kraft-mill effluents on the offshore benthic macrophyte distribution in a shallow north Florida Bay (USA). A polluted river drainage system was compared to an adjoining (unpolluted) one. The affected area was characterized by elevated levels of color and turbidity. Inshore areas associated with high levels of KME were characterized by severely reduced benthic macrophyte biomass, reduced numbers of species/unit area, and altered species composition when compared to control stations. Areas of chronic impact also had reduced levels of biomass, although the total number of species taken were not significantly different from the controls. In polluted areas, red and brown algae were proportionately more abundant than chlorophytes and spermatophytes. Dominance generally was reduced in areas of the Bay affected by KME. Except for areas of acute impact, there was no significant difference in species diversity (H) between polluted and unpolluted portions of the Bay. There were uniform increases in the total number of species on either side of the affected drainage system. Such areas were considered to be transition zones between the polluted and unpolluted parts of Apalachee Bay. Benthic macrophyte distribution, in terms of biomass and species (community) composition, was considered an important indicator of the impact of KME on the shallow coastal systems in question. The pattern of macrophyte species composition reflected various water-quality parameters. Species normally inhabiting deeper water were found in areas of increased turbidity and color. It was postulated that reduction of normal dominants such as Thalassia testudinum and Halimeda incrassata allowed the colonization of such areas by opportunistic species. This would explain the maintenance of comparable (total) numbers of species in polluted areas and the lack of effect of KME on species diversity even though biomass was severely restricted. These parameters were analogous to the epibenthic fish distribution in the respective drainage areas. Near-shore coastal systems in Apalachee Bay thus were affected by gradients in water quality in addition to natural (seasonal) fluctuations in key physical and chemical parameters. The benthic plant assemblages reflected variations in dominance, the occurrence of opportunistic species, and ecological diversity that resulted in a continuum of disturbance phenomena ranging from sparsely distributed groups in grossly polluted systems to well developed plant assemblages in areas that remain unaffected by KME.