Study of Benthic Communities (eBook)

Front Cover 1
The Study of Benthic Communities: A Model and a Review 4
Copyright Page 5
CONTENTS 10
PREFACE 6
CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION 12
Previous community studies in the Woods Hole Region 15
CHAPTER 2. STUDY AREA AND METHODS 18
Measurement of physical—chemical variables 20
Testing and use of marine water monitoring system 25
Treatment of sediment samples 28
Miscellaneous environmental parameters 29
Collection and treatment of the biological data 29
Registration of the data by computer techniques 31
CHAPTER 3. RESULTS OF THE PHYSICAL—CHEMICAL INVESTIGATIONS 36
Circulation. current velocity, and waves 36
Micro-topography of the bottom 39
Sediments of Hadley Harbor 42
Eel grass cover 57
Light penetration 59
Hydrogen-ion concentration (pH) of the bottom 66
Reduction—oxidation potentials (Eh) of the bottom 71
Salinity 79
Water temperature 84
CHAPTER 4. RESULTS OF THE BIOLOGICAL INVESTIGATIONS 88
Distribution patterns of individual species 89
Patterns of community distribution 136
Subjective analysis of benthic animal aggregations 138
Areal and temporal changes at total population and higher taxa levels 164
Factor analysis of aggregations of benthic animals 177
CHAPTER 5. COMPARISONS BETWEEN BENTHIC STUDIES 202
Benthic communities of Woods Hole, Massachusetts 202
Other Massachusetts’ communities 221
Other related regional studies 231
Danish bottom communities 236
Benthic communities of the Texas—Louisiana Coast and Gulf of California 239
CHAPTER 6. APPLICATION OF BENTHIC COMMUNITY STUDIES TO PRACTICAL ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEMS 246
Brazos—Colorado estuarine survey for Dow Chemical Company 247
Study of baseline conditions to establish future industrial use of an estuary 249
Effects of oil field brine disposal on estuarine ecosystems 250
Biological assessment of major oil spill damage 253
Determination of river discharge controls on faunal productivity of its estuary 257
CHAPTER 7. CONCLUSIONS 260
REFERENCES 264
INDEX 272