Abstract
Changes in benthic macrofaunal communities are indicative of environmental stressors, including eutrophication and hypoxia. However, some species are sensitive not only to hypoxia but also to various environmental contaminants. We tested which of the environmental predictors (sediment organic carbon, sediment concentrations of metals and polyaromatic hydrocarbons [PAHs], bottom water oxygen, salinity, temperature, and surface chlorophyll-a concentration) that best explained the following response variables: (1) macrofauna community composition, (2) abundance of a benthic sentinel species, the amphipod Monoporeia affinis; and (3) the Benthic Quality Index (BQI). All data originated from 29 reference monitoring stations in the Baltic Sea and the statistical tests included both uni- and multivariate analyses. The community composition and BQI were best explained by the same combination of salinity, depth, temperature and PAH concentrations. The abundance of M. affinis, which is sensitive to hypoxia and chemical exposure, was best explained by PAHs as a single predictor. Our findings suggest that benthic communities in the Baltic Sea are influenced by anthropogenic contaminants, which should be taken into account when benthos is used for eutrophication status assessment.
Highlights
Anthropogenic impacts, such as pollution with nutrients and hazardous substances, together with the progressing climate change threaten biodiversity and ecosystem integrity worldwide (Halpern et al, 2008; Cloern et al, 2016)
The Baltic Sea is characterized by a permanent salinity gradient that is decreasing northwards and a permanent halocline at about 80 m depth in the Baltic Proper
This study shows that at reference stations within the Swedish macrobenthic monitoring program along the Baltic Sea coast, concentrations of 11 priority congeners of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in sediment often exceed the level “low” in the national guidelines
Summary
Anthropogenic impacts, such as pollution with nutrients and hazardous substances, together with the progressing climate change threaten biodiversity and ecosystem integrity worldwide (Halpern et al, 2008; Cloern et al, 2016). Benthic communities in marine soft sediments, the world’s second largest habitat, are increasingly subjected to multiple stressors resulting from these pressures. Benthic ecosystems are commonly exposed to contaminant loading. Hereafter macrobenthos, respond relatively fast to environmental. PAHs and Baltic Benthos disturbances but with species-specific sensitivity/tolerance to stressors (Pearson and Rosenberg, 1978). The composition of macrobenthos integrates environmental conditions over longer periods (years to decades). Macrobenthos is commonly used as indicators of ecosystem status and health (Pearson and Rosenberg, 1978; Dauer, 1993; Borja et al, 2000; Muniz et al, 2005). Studies on recruitment and its relation to depth in Finnish coastal waters during the period 1922-1959.
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