Abstract |
The optimum macrobenthic sampling protocol (sampling unit, sieve mesh size, and sample size) was determined for detecting ecologically important pollution impacts in the Southern California Bight, U.S.A. Cost, in Laboratory processing time, was determined for samples obtained using fourteen sampling units (0.005 - 0.1 sq m surface area) and two sieve mesh sizes (1.0 and 0.5 mm). Five replicate, 0.02 sq m x 5 cm deep, 1.0 mm mesh samples per station could reliably distinguish reference from impacted conditions on nine or ten measures of community structure at less than one quarter of the cost of the standard sampling protocol of 5 replicate, 0.1 sq m, 1.0 mm mesh samples per station. About 5 replicate, small (< 0.1 sq m), 1.0 mm mesh samples per station may often be optimal for detecting important structural changes in macrobenthic communities with naturally high species richness and abundance. (Copyright (c) 1994 Kluwer Academic Publishers.) |