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The Benthic Macrofauna Associated with the Oyster Reefs of the James River Estuary, Virginia, U.S.A.
Author(s) -
Larsen Peter F.
Publication year - 1985
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.19850700605
Subject(s) - estuary , reef , benthic zone , oyster , taxon , ecology , oceanography , community structure , geography , fishery , environmental science , geology , biology
Productive, natural oyster reefs within the James River estuary, were quantitatively sampled for associated macrofauna for a year. The 192 samples yielded 142 taxa. Mean faunal density on these reefs ranged from 5,757 to 57,857 m −2 . Over 770/0 of the individuals collected belonged to 11 taxa. The number of species and informational diversity (H') decreased up the estuarine gradient. The quality of available shell surface was deemed important in determining density. The spatial heterogeneity provided by the shell surface allowed development of a densely populated, diverse faunal assemblage which differs from soft‐bottom assemblages principally in quantitative aspects. The assemblage is not spatially or temporally homogeneous and undergoes significant changes in community structure both seasonally and along the estuarine gradient.