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HABITAT VALUES FOR NEKTON AND BENTHIC MACROFAUNA IN PACIFIC NORTHWEST ESTUARIES
Citation:
Ferraro, S P. AND F A. Cole. HABITAT VALUES FOR NEKTON AND BENTHIC MACROFAUNA IN PACIFIC NORTHWEST ESTUARIES. Presented at Estuarine Research Federation, Seattle, WA, September 14-18, 2003.
Description:
Habitat values for nekton in terms of mean number of species (S), abundance (A), and total biomass (B) were determined for 4 intertidal habitats in Yaquina Bay, OR: eelgrass (Zostera marina), mud shrimp (Upogebia pugettensis), ghost shrimp (Neotrypaea californiensis), and bare mud/sand. Habitat rank order for fish, crabs, other invertebrates, and total nekton SAB was Z. marina > Upogebia > Neotrypaea > bare mud/sand. On average, Upogebia, Neotrypaea, and bare mud/sand habitat had 9-46% S, 5-32% A, and 4-24% B of fish, crabs, other invertebrates, and total nekton compared to Z. marina habitat. Habitat values for benthic macrofauna SAB were determined for 7 habitats [Z. marina, Altantic cordgrass (Spartina alterniflora), Upogebia, Neotrypaea, mud, oyster, subtidal] in Willapa Bay, WA, and 8 habitats [Z. marina, Zostera japonica, Upogebia, Neotrypaea, oyster, mud, sand, subtidal] in Tillamook Bay, OR. Habitat rank order for benthic macrofauna SAB was Z. marina = oyster > Spartina > Upogebia > mud > Neotrypaea > subtidal in Willapa Bay, and Z. japonica > oyster > Upogebia > Z. marina > mud > Neotrypaea > sand > subtidal in Tillamook Bay. Habitat values on SAB and other indicators of nekton and benthic macrofauna community condition can be used to help prioritize habitats for protection and to translate habitat alterations into their large-scale ecological effects.