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A SURVEY OF CHEMICAL AND BIOLOGICAL STRUCTURE IN THREE FLORIDA BAYOU-ESTUARIES
Citation:
Butts, G. L. AND M A. Lewis. A SURVEY OF CHEMICAL AND BIOLOGICAL STRUCTURE IN THREE FLORIDA BAYOU-ESTUARIES. GULF OF MEXICO SCIENCE. Dauphin Island Sea Lab, Dauphin Island, AL, 20(1):1-11, (2002).
Impact/Purpose:
The primary objective of this study was to describe this fauna in detail for the first time for the bayous.
Description:
Structural and functional characteristics of the benthic biota were determined and compared for three urbanized bayous, in conjuction with sediment chemical quality and acute toxicity. Sediment chemical contamination in the bayous was common. Numerical sediment quality assessment guidelines were exceeded at 13 of the 16 sampling stations for as many as six analytes. However, the results of whole sediment toxicity tests conducted with the benthic invertebrates, Mysidopsis bahia (epifaunal) and Ampelisca abdita (infaunal), indicated that 14 of the 16 sediments were not acutely toxic. The benthic macroinvertebrate composition was indicative of that for organically-enriched sediments, and the quality was spatially distinct and sometimes improved seaward. Fauna indicative of organic enrichment ranged from 14 to 100% for the 16 sampling stations. Pollution-tolerant infaunal species, such as the polychaetous annelids, Streblospio benedict and the Mediomastus ambiseta,were dominant. The Shannon-Wiener diversity index values ranged from 1.0 to 3.8. Substrate particle size and salinity were factors that significantly affected macroinvertebrate population composition in one of the three bayous.