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RECORD NUMBER: 12 OF 13

Main Title Taxonomic Level Sufficient for Assessing a Moderate Impact on Macrobenthic Communities in Puget Sound, Washington, USA.
Author Ferraro, S. P. ; Cole, F. A. ;
CORP Author Environmental Research Lab.-Narragansett, Newport, OR. Mark O. Hatfield Marine Science Center.
Publisher c1992
Year Published 1992
Report Number EPA/600/J-93/138 ;ERLN-N183;
Stock Number PB93-185858
Additional Subjects Washington ; Puget Sound ; Biological communities ; Benthic fauna ; Water pollution effects(Animals) ; Taxonomy ; Sampling ; Reprints ; Everett Harbor
Holdings
Library Call Number Additional Info Location Last
Modified
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Status
NTIS  PB93-185858 Some EPA libraries have a fiche copy filed under the call number shown. 07/26/2022
Collation 7p
Abstract
Macrobenthic data obtained using three sampling schemes (0.06-sq m x 8-cm-deep sampling unit and 1.0- or 0.5-mm-mesh sieves, and 0.1-sq m x 8-cm-deep sampling unit and 1.0-mm-mesh sieve) previously identified as optimal or near-optimal for detecting differences between a reference and a moderately impacted station when animals were identified to species were reanalyzed at the genus, family, order, and phylum level to determine the taxonomic level sufficient to detect differences between the stations with t-tests on five measures of community structure. Taxonomically sufficient levels for number of taxa were family in 1.0-mm-mesh samples and species in 0.5-mm-mesh samples. Specific identification was usually required for a Dominance, Shannon's, 1 - Simpson's, and McIntosh's Index in 1.0- and 0.5-mm-mesh samples, suggesting limits to the utility of the taxonomic sufficiency concept when using those indices to detect moderate impacts. This and a previous study indicate that one could reliably (alpha = 0.05, 1 - beta about 0.80) detect moderate benthic impacts at the study site on number of taxa and five other measures of community structure with five to seven replicate 0.06-sq m x 8-cm-deep, 1.0-mm-mesh samples per station and identification to family only. Taxonomic sufficiency can vary depending upon the animal size fraction sampled and the measure used.