Abstract
Zoobenthos and sediments from the littoral zones in western Lake Erie and Saginaw Bay were sampled. Littoral zones were inhabited mostly by infaunal species of Tubificidae and Chironomidae. Particle size and organic content of sediments were highly and significantly correlated with abundance and mean size of zoobenthic groups; weight and mean size of zoobenthos were greatest in organically rich silts and clays, and least in organically poor sands. Relative abundance and mean size of zoobenthos in sands were greatly influenced by the proximity of fine-grained sediments. Sandy sediments next to muddy sediments had zoobenthic groups with weights and mean size similar to those in adjacent muddy sediments. Low to moderate densities of submerged macrophytes on muddy sediments had a small, non-significant (p>.05) impact on zoobenthic abundance and composition compared to similar sediments without macrophytes. In well-mixed littoral zones, with sediments of diameters less than 1.5 mm, particle size and organic matter in sediment may serve as a reliable index to standing stocks of zoobenthos.
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