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Status of the amphipod Diporeia ssp. in coastal waters of the Laurentian Great Lakes
Citation:
Scharold, J., W. Bartsch, AND T. Corry. Status of the amphipod Diporeia ssp. in coastal waters of the Laurentian Great Lakes. Association for Sciences of Limnology and Oceanography, Santa Fe, NM, June 05 - 10, 2016.
Impact/Purpose:
not applicable
Description:
Diporeia has historically been the dominant benthic macroinvertebrate in deeper waters of the Laurentian Great Lakes, and its abundance has been proposed as an indicator of ecological condition. In 2010, the USEPA incorporated the Great Lakes into the National Coastal Condition Assessment, a probability-based survey of US coastal waters. The Great Lakes survey comprised US nearshore waters (<30 m depth and within 5 km from shore) and included bays as a distinct class. Benthic macroinvertebrates were collected at 311 sites distributed across all five lakes. Diporeia was found only in Lake Superior, consistent with population declines in the lower Great Lakes over the last two decades. In Lake Superior, Diporeia was present at 43 of 73 sampled sites, with a weighted mean density of 454 + 80 (SE) m-2. Density in bays (120 + 34 m-2) was lower than in the nearshore zone (485 + 91 m-2). Analysis of relationships between Diporeia density and associated environmental parameters will facilitate its use as an indicator of ecological condition for the shallow nearshore zone of Lake Superior.