The influence of elevation on benthic community responses to heavy metals in Rocky Mountain streams

We examined the influence of elevation on benthic macroinvertebrate community responses to heavy metals at 33 sites in six Colorado streams where zinc (Zn) concentration ranged from 2 to 691 μg/L and elevation ranged from 2200 to 3500 m above sea level. We assigned the 33 sites to one of four categories, on the basis of the total Zn concentration and the hardness-based criterion for Zn. Number of taxa, abundance, and species richness of mayflies (Ephemeroptera), and abundance of most mayfly and stonefly (Plecoptera) taxa were significantly reduced at sites where Zn concentration exceeded the hardness-based criterion. Although most measures of benthic community structure were not affected at sites where the Zn concentration was less than the criterion, the species richness of mayflies and the abundance of Heptageniidae, Drunella, and Rhyacophila were significantly reduced. Results of stepwise multiple regression analysis and canonical discriminant analysis showed that the effects of Zn on benthic community structure were influenced by elevation. These natural changes in benthic communities confound results of biomonitoring studies and must be considered when assessing heavy metal impacts. Total abundance and species richness of mayflies, and abundance of Heptageniidae were the most reliable indicators of heavy metal impacts in our southern Rocky Mountain streams.

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Benthic biodiversity changes due to the opening of an artificial channel in a tropical coastal lagoon (Mexican Caribbean)

Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom ◽

10.1017/s0025315410002043 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 91 (5) ◽

pp. 969-978 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

Héctor A. Hernández-Arana ◽

Brenda Ameneyro-Angeles

Keyword(s):

Species Richness ◽

Community Structure ◽

Coastal Lagoon ◽

Benthic Community ◽

Marine Organisms ◽

Suitable Habitat ◽

Benthic Community Structure ◽

Benthic Assemblages ◽

Relative Significance ◽

Artificial Channel

The construction of an artificial channel to a small embayment in the Chetumal Bay coastal lagoon complex, located on the Caribbean coast of Mexico, provided an opportunity to evaluate how large environmental changes influenced the structure of a low diversity benthic system. The objective of this study was to demonstrate that despite the absence of previous baseline information, the artificial channel has induced measurable changes in the biodiversity patterns of a hard substrata benthic community. The experimental design took into account the environmental setting influencing local benthic community structure and the sources of variability as a result of different substrate types and water depth. Four localities with ten replicates each were surveyed, and the presence/absence of macrobenthic biota species recorded during the rainy season. Our analysis using permutational multivariate analysis of variance indicated a significant increase in species richness in locations adjacent to the artificial channel. The highest species richness (66 species) was observed in the immediate area adjacent to the artificial channel and where exclusive species density was three to six times (18 exclusive species) than those present in other localities (6, 5 and 3 species) away from the channel. The presence of six species of hard corals indicated that the artificial channel offers a more suitable habitat for marine organisms colonizing the area than the natural channel. This study indicates the relative significance of confinement in structuring coastal lagoon benthic assemblages in tropical systems. Our results are similar to other findings underscoring the rate of colonization of marine organisms as a relevant process to explain benthic assemblage gradients and the importance of spatial–temporal interactions. The changes in species diversity caused by the artificial channel were clearly identified based on a sampling design that incorporated the main sources of environmental variability (distance to channels, substrate type and depth). Our study further demonstrates that changes in benthic community structure in the Chetumal Bay lagoon complex, as a result of human impacts, can be assessed even when community structure data before impact are absent.

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Shift in polar benthic community structure in a fast retreating glacial area of Marian Cove, West Antarctica

Scientific Reports ◽

10.1038/s41598-020-80636-z ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Hanna Bae ◽

In-Young Ahn ◽

Jinsoon Park ◽

Sung Joon Song ◽

Junsung Noh ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Community Structure ◽

Benthic Community ◽

Adaptive Strategy ◽

Ecological Impacts ◽

Glacier Retreat ◽

Benthic Diatoms ◽

Subtidal Zone ◽

Benthic Community Structure ◽

Community Shift ◽

Global Issue

AbstractGlacier retreat is a major long-standing global issue; however, the ecological impacts of such retreats on marine organisms remain unanswered. Here, we examined changes to the polar benthic community structure of “diatoms” under current global warming in a recently retreated glacial area of Marian Cove, Antarctica. The environments and spatiotemporal assemblages of benthic diatoms surveyed in 2018–2019 significantly varied between the intertidal (tidal height of 2.5 m) and subtidal zone (10 and 30 m). A distinct floral distribution along the cove (~ 4.5 km) was characterized by the adaptive strategy of species present, with chain-forming species predominating near the glacier. The predominant chain-forming diatoms, such as Fragilaria striatula and Paralia sp., are widely distributed in the innermost cove over years, indicating sensitive responses of benthic species to the fast-evolving polar environment. The site-specific and substrate-dependent distributions of certain indicator species (e.g., F. striatula, Navicula glaciei, Cocconeis cf. pinnata) generally reflected such shifts in the benthic community. Our review revealed that the inner glacier region reflected trophic association, featured with higher diversity, abundance, and biomass of benthic diatoms and macrofauna. Overall, the polar benthic community shift observed along the cove generally represented changing environmental conditions, (in)directly linked to ice-melting due to the recent glacier retreat.

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Do installed stream logjams change benthic community structure?

Limnologica ◽

10.1016/j.limno.2014.09.002 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 49 ◽

pp. 68-72 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Todd Wellnitz ◽

Se Yeon Kim ◽

Eric Merten

Keyword(s):

Community Structure ◽

Benthic Community ◽

Benthic Community Structure

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An evaluation of benthic community structure in and around the Sackville Spur closed area (Northwest Atlantic) in relation to the protection of vulnerable marine ecosystems

ICES Journal of Marine Science ◽

10.1093/icesjms/fss004 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 69 (2) ◽

pp. 213-222 ◽

Cited By ~ 12

Author(s):

Christopher R. S. Barrio Froján ◽

Kevin G. MacIsaac ◽

Andrew K. McMillan ◽

María del Mar Sacau Cuadrado ◽

Philip A. Large ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Community Structure ◽

Benthic Community ◽

Evaluation Process ◽

Marine Ecosystems ◽

Benthic Community Structure ◽

Sponge Spicule ◽

Northwest Atlantic ◽

Depth Limit ◽

Closed Area ◽

Macrofaunal Community

Abstract Barrio Froján, C. R. S., MacIsaac, K. G., McMillan, A. K., del Mar Sacau Cuadrado, M., Large, P. A., Kenny, A. J., Kenchington, E., and de Cárdenas González, E. 2012. An evaluation of benthic community structure in and around the Sackville Spur closed area (Northwest Atlantic) in relation to the protection of vulnerable marine ecosystems. – ICES Journal of Marine Science, 69: 213–222. The benthic macrofaunal community structure is investigated within and around a closed area at Sackville Spur in the Northwest Atlantic to ascertain whether continued exclusion of bottom fishing can be justified. This and other similar closed areas have been introduced by the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organisation (NAFO) to protect areas of likely occurrence of taxa that are indicative of vulnerable marine ecosystems (VMEs) from the damaging effects of bottom-contact fishing gear. Results reveal subtle yet significant differences in macrofaunal assemblage composition and community structure between inside and outside the closed area, between above and below the 1200-m depth contour (i.e. the historical depth limit of fishing), and between areas where dense sponge spicule mats are either present or absent. Differences were observed in many assemblage metrics; however, the most revealing was the greater abundance, biomass, diversity, and number of VME indicative taxa inside the closed area than outside. Overall community composition is also significantly different between treatments. Depth, sediment temperature, and the proportion of clay within sediments are important in shaping the faunal assemblage. The importance of the effects of fishing is discussed, although it is not possible to ascertain if fishing is the direct cause behind observed differences in the macrofaunal assemblage. A continued closure of the area is recommended, as well as options for streamlining the evaluation process of other closed areas.

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Hydrologic disturbance and nutrient effects on benthic community structure in midwestern US streams: a covariance structure analysis

Journal of the North American Benthological Society ◽

10.1899/0887-3593(2004)023<0309:hdaneo>2.0.co;2 ◽

2004 ◽

Vol 23 (2) ◽

pp. 309-326 ◽

Cited By ~ 49

Author(s):

C. M. Riseng ◽

M. J. Wiley ◽

R. J. Stevenson

Keyword(s):

Community Structure ◽

Structure Analysis ◽

Benthic Community ◽

Covariance Structure ◽

Covariance Structure Analysis ◽

Benthic Community Structure ◽

Hydrologic Disturbance ◽

Nutrient Effects

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Changes in benthic community structure following construction of a harbour impoundment scheme

Netherlands Journal of Aquatic Ecology ◽

10.1007/bf02084243 ◽

1995 ◽

Vol 29 (3-4) ◽

pp. 449-457 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

J. A. Smith ◽

G. E. Millward ◽

N. H. Babbedge ◽

M. J. Attrill ◽

M. B. Jones

Keyword(s):

Community Structure ◽

Benthic Community ◽

Benthic Community Structure

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Characteristics of Benthos communities in Laoting area of Hebei Province

E3S Web of Conferences ◽

10.1051/e3sconf/202020602024 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 206 ◽

pp. 02024

Author(s):

Li Guanglou ◽

Cao Hongmei ◽

Ye wei

Keyword(s):

Community Structure ◽

Benthic Community ◽

Dominant Species ◽

Diversity Index ◽

Hebei Province ◽

Benthic Community Structure ◽

Number Of Species ◽

Evenness Index ◽

Sea Area ◽

Richness Index

According to a survey of benthos in the Laoting sea area of Hebei Province on May 24th 2019, a total of 40 benthos species were obtained, of which mollusks have the largest number, followed by annelids and arthropods. The dominant species are Sternaspis sculata and Ringicula doliaris. The number of species obtained in this survey is much lower than the historical average. The diversity index is significantly lower than that in the April 2008 survey, and the evenness index and richness index have declined slightly, indicating that the benthic community structure in this sea area tends to be simplistic, stability tends to deteriorate.

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Slow Community Development Enhances Abiotic Limitation of Benthic Community Structure in a High Arctic Kelp Bed

Frontiers in Marine Science ◽

10.3389/fmars.2021.592295 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 8 ◽

Author(s):

Christina Bonsell ◽

Kenneth H. Dunton

Keyword(s):

Community Structure ◽

Community Development ◽

Benthic Community ◽

Beaufort Sea ◽

High Arctic ◽

Coralline Algae ◽

Physical Factors ◽

Crustose Coralline Algae ◽

Benthic Community Structure ◽

Kelp Bed

We examined the patterns of propagule recruitment to assess the timescale and trajectory of succession and the possible roles of physical factors in controlling benthic community structure in a shallow High Arctic kelp bed in the Beaufort Sea, Alaska. Spatial differences in established epilithic assemblages were evaluated against static habitat attributes (depth, distance from river inputs) and environmental factors (temperature, salinity, current speed, underwater light) collected continuously over 2–6 years. Our measurements revealed that bottom waters remained below freezing (mean winter temperatures ∼−1.8°C) and saline (33–36) with negligible light levels for 8–9 months. In contrast, the summer open water period was characterized by variable salinities (22–36), higher temperatures (up to 8–9°C) and measurable irradiance (1–8 mol photons m–2 day–1). An inshore, near-river site experienced strong, acute, springtime drops in salinity to nearly 0 in some years. The epilithic community was dominated by foliose red algae (47–79%), prostrate kelps (2–19%), and crustose coralline algae (0–19%). Strong spatial distinctions among sites included a positive correlation between cover by crustose coralline algae and distance to river inputs, but we found no significant relationships between multi-year means of physical factors and functional groups. Low rates of colonization and the very slow growth rates of recruits are the main factors that contribute to prolonged community development, which augments the influence of low-frequency physical events over local community structure. Mortality during early succession largely determines crustose coralline algal and invertebrate prevalence in the established community, while kelp seem to be recruitment-limited. On scales > 1 m, community structure varies with bathymetry and exposure to freshwater intrusion, which regulate frequency of primary and physiological disturbance. Colonization rates (means of 3.3–69.9 ind. 100 cm–1 year–1 site–1) were much lower than studies in other Arctic kelp habitats, and likely reflect the nature of a truly High Arctic environment. Our results suggest that community development in the nearshore Beaufort Sea occurs over decades, and is affected by combinations of recruitment limitation, primary disturbance, and abiotic stressors. While seasonality exerts strong influence on Arctic systems, static habitat characteristics largely determine benthic ecosystem structure by integrating seasonal and interannual variability over timescales longer than most ecological studies.

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