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Dispersal dynamics in a wind‐driven benthic system
Author(s) -
Commito J. A.,
Thrush S. F.,
Pridmore R. D.,
Hewitt J. E.,
Cummings V. J.
Publication year - 1995
Publication title -
limnology and oceanography
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.7
H-Index - 197
eISSN - 1939-5590
pISSN - 0024-3590
DOI - 10.4319/lo.1995.40.8.1513
Subject(s) - biological dispersal , benthic zone , water column , bed load , range (aeronautics) , ecology , sediment , environmental science , oceanography , wind speed , sediment transport , geology , biology , geomorphology , population , materials science , demography , sociology , composite material
Bedload and water column traps were used with simultaneous wind and water velocity measurements to study postlarval macrofaunal dispersal dynamics in Manukau Harbour, New Zealand. A 12‐fold range in mean wind condition resulted in large differences in water flow (12‐fold), sediment flux (285‐fold), and trap collection of total number of individuals (95‐fold), number of the dominant infaunal organism (84‐fold for the bivalve Macomona liliana ), and number of species (4‐fold). There were very strong, positive relationships among wind condition, water velocity, sediment flux, and postlarval dispersal, especially in the bedload. Local density in the ambient sediment was not a good predictor of dispersal. Results indicate that postlarval dispersal may influence benthic abundance patterns over a range of spatial scales.