Abstract
Review 2: Response of macrobenthic communities to changes in water quality in a subtropical, microtidal estuary (Oso Bay, Texas)
Highlights
Coastal systems are increasingly subject to environmental degradation due to stressors of both natural and anthropogenic origin
This study focuses on spatial differences in land cover and the influence of nutrient inputs on macrobenthic communities to inform ongoing management activities by state (Texas Commission on Environmental Quality) and federal (U.S Environmental Protection Agency) environmental management agencies
Sampling occurred at six sites within Oso Bay, including the head of Oso Bay below a hypersaline discharge point to Oso Creek (Yorktown Bridge, YB), and the mouth at Oso Bay inlet (OI), as well as four sites in the western region of the bay: an active golf course that uses reclaimed wastewater from for watering (AG), a defunct golf course (DG), a mix of agricultural land and impervious surface (AI), and a mixed residential area with outflow dominated by effluent from a municipal wastewater treatment plant (WP) (Figure 1)
Summary
Coastal systems are increasingly subject to environmental degradation due to stressors of both natural and anthropogenic origin. Macrobenthos are sensitive to organic enrichment, making these communities useful for studying the influence of nutrient inputs on a system (Pearson & Rosenberg, 1978). Microtidal, low-flow estuaries such as Oso Bay are believed to be more sensitive to anthropogenic influences than “classical” estuaries with strong riverine and/or tidal influences due to limited flushing (Bricker et al, 2007). This sensitivity makes management of these systems more challenging
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