Abstract
The aim of this paper was to assess how much of the variation in abundance ofRuppia megacarpawithin Wilson Inlet, Western Australia, could be attributed to variations in conductivity, turbidity, depth, dissolved oxygen, pH and temperature of the water column (hydrological variables).R. megacarpawas collected from six sites within Wilson Inlet, a bar built estuary in southwestern Australia. Hydrological variables were measured and seasonal variation assessed using non-metric Multi-Dimensional Scaling (non-metric MDS). Canonical Correlation Analysis (CCA) was used to determine correlations betweenRuppiaabundance and these hydrological variables, for the same time period and with a lag time of 2, 4 and 6 months. Strong seasonal patterns in hydrological variables in Wilson Inlet were related to seasonal rain and the annual winter opening of the channel to the ocean by the local council. Conductivity, turbidity and depth were related to approximately 40% of the variation inR. megacarpaabundance. Morphological plasticity is hypothesized to be an important component of the unexplained 60% of variation inR. megacarpaabundance. Strongest relationships betweenR. megacarpaabundance and individual hydrological variables were over different time periods: turbidity was directly related; depth with a lag of 2 months; and conductivity with a lag of 4 months. This study confirms that in a variable estuarine system there is a strong relationship between hydrological and biological variables.
Published Version
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