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Benthic community structure near the Woods Hole sewage outfall
Author(s) -
Nichols Jean Ann
Publication year - 1977
Publication title -
internationale revue der gesamten hydrobiologie und hydrographie
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.524
H-Index - 52
eISSN - 1522-2632
pISSN - 0020-9309
DOI - 10.1002/iroh.1977.3510620203
Subject(s) - outfall , benthic zone , fauna , community structure , environmental science , invertebrate , ecology , abundance (ecology) , oceanography , animal ecology , meiobenthos , hydrology (agriculture) , geology , biology , environmental engineering , geotechnical engineering
Abstract Birge‐Ekman box cores were used to sample the benthic invertebrate fauna near the Woods Hole, Massachusetts sewage outfall and a nearby control area. Community structure in terms of numbers and taxa fluctuated seasonally at both control site and at the outfall. The outfall fauna was dominated by small nematode worms, and the year‐round maintenance of a nematode‐dominated community may be a mechanism for utilization of the unpredictable, unnatural, excess organic material available around the outfall. Based on the small size of the invertebrates at the outfall compared to the other areas, it is suggested that the relationship between macrofaunal abundance and average individual size in an assemblage is a measurement of community structure which can be useful in assessing environmental disturbance.