Macrobenthic Structure Research Articles

Effect of Water Quality on Benthic Macro Invertebrates in Dikhu River, Nagaland, India

Background: Water quality monitoring is vital for the sustainable conservation of water resources. Benthic macro invertebrates have been documented as the best indicators of water quality serving as a vital link in the aquatic food web. The present work was carried out at Dikhu River, Mokokchung, Nagaland. Methods: The analysis of water samples was done by adopting standard methods and compared against the W.H.O. 1995 drinking quality standards of water. The macroinvertebrates were collected with the help of the Surber and preserved in 5% formalin and examined using inverted microscope. Pearson’s correlation analysis were performed by IBM SPSS package 16.0. Result: All water parameters were within the permissible limit of drinking quality standards except for alkalinity. A total of 646 individual benthic macro invertebrates belonging to three taxa (Annelida, Arthropoda and Mollusca) were recorded during the study. The study depicts the present status of macrobenthic structure of Dikhu River of Nagaland and aims to lay the foundation for further effective work as future prospect.

Biomonitoring of the Application of Monoculture and Integrated Multi-Trophic Aquaculture (IMTA) Using Macrobenthic Structures at Tembelas Island, Kepulauan Riau Province, Indonesia

Sustainable aquaculture needs to be considered when it comes to the utilization of water resources. The aim of this study was to apply biomonitoring using macrobenthic structures on both spatial and temporal applications of monoculture and integrated multi-trophic aquaculture (IMTA) at Tembelas Island, Kepulauan Riau Province, Indonesia. Samples of sediment were taken from three fish farm locations, namely from an IMTA site, a monoculture site, and a reference site. Macrobenthic organisms obtained through rinsing, sieving, and sorting were then identified under a stereo-microscope. Diversity of the macrobenthic assemblages was analyzed with a Shannon-Wiener index (H’). Equitability was expressed through Pielou’s evenness index. Finally, Bray-Curtis’ non-metric multi-dimensional scaling (NMDS) was used for similarities derived from log (X+1) transformed macrobenthic abundance to provide a visual representation of differences in their structure between sites over time. Results showed polychaetes exhibited differences in both variation and abundance of genera between the farm and reference site. The assemblage of macrobenthos at the IMTA site consisted of 9 genera of gastropods, 3 genera of bivalves, 5 genera of polychaetes, and 2 genera of crustaceans. At the monoculture site, 12 genera of gastropods, 4 genera of bivalves, 8 genera of polychaetes, 1 genera of crustaceans, and 1 genera of ophiuroid were observed. A relatively high abundance was observed at the reference site, with 27 genera of gastropods, 11 genera of bivalves, 3 genera of polychaetes, and 1 genera of crustacean. The favorable water conditions and possible absence of waste input from aquaculture resulting in a more suitable habitat for macrobenthic life may explain this relative abundance. Some of them were recognised as opportunistic taxa, i.e., Capitella sp., Heteromastus sp., and Lumbrinereis sp. Based on the diversity and evenness indices and the MNDS ordination, it can be concluded that the application of IMTA systems results in a suppressed or reduced potential impact on environmental disturbance due to aquacultural activities.

Temporal variations of Halodule wrightii meadows and associated fauna near their southern distribution limit in the southwestern Atlantic

AbstractHalodule wrightiimeadows in Southern Brazil have been regressing in an unsheltered area of the subtropical Paranaguá Bay, near their southern limit in the SW Atlantic, since 2006. To identify early indicators of regression events, we assessed variations in plant and macrobenthic structure in two local meadows under unsheltered and protected conditions. Differences between sites increased after an epiphytic overgrowth of the algaHincksia mitchelliaeat the unsheltered site. Seagrass growth was suppressed and the numbers of burrowing and opportunistic benthic species increased with the increase of algal biomass. In the protected meadow, seagrass biomass and number of leaves changed seasonally, but macrobenthic abundance and species richness remained stable. Ecosystem changes were evident when the unsheltered meadow was already collapsing. The number of leaves per shoot, the horizontal internode length, the abundance and structure of the macrofaunal associations, and the host-epiphyte surface interactions, were the first variables to reflect the early stages of seagrass regression. Our results suggest that the persistence ofH. wrightiimeadows at their southern distribution limit in the SW Atlantic will be affected by local hydrodynamics and their ability to compete with ephemeral macroalgal species under stress conditions.

Biomonitoring application using macrozoobenthic assemblanges at coastal area of Menjangan Besar Island, Kepulauan Karimunjawa, Indonesia

The macrozoobenthic structure inhabiting marine ecosystem may be used as a bioindicator of changes in aquatic environmental disturbance. This study is aimed to assess environmental disturbance by application of biomonitoring using macrozoobenthic assemblages at coastal area of Menjangan Besar Island, Kepulauan Karimunjawa, Indonesia. The macrozoobenthic assemblages were assessed at two sampling locations, i.e. floating net cage of monoculture and reference areas. Each sampling location consisted of three stations with three replicates for each station. The samples were taken in two sampling times, i.e. August and November 2018. Data of abiotic parameters included the composition of organic matter content, sediment substrates, DO, pH, salinity, temperature, and water current. Sediments were sampled using Ekman grab from 15 m deep. The relationship between biotics (macrozoobenthos) and abiotics (physical-chemical factors) was assessed using a non-parametric multivariate procedure (BIO-ENV; Primer 6.1.5). Macrobenthic assemblages consisted of 89 species with the total abundance of 50,071 individuals/m2, consisting of 52 families and 4 classes of macrozoobenthos. The values of indices were ranging from 2,54-3,40 for diversity index (H'), 0,99 for Pielou’s evenness index (e’), and 0,09-0,17 for dominance index (C). The most common classes were a member of Gastropods and bivalves. Diversity and evennes indices exhibited differed by location (monoculture vs reference) and time sampling. Fluctuation of macrobenthic structure was considered as a results of environmental changes spatially and temporally, especially sediment composition and food availability as the form of organic matter. Nitrogen and silt were the most chemical and physical factors influencing the structure of macrozoobenthos (r = 0,632; BIO-ENV).

Assessment of environmental status of coastal mangrove area using macrobenthic assemblages: a study case at Tapak Mangrove area, Semarang, Central Java

Macrobenthic structure can be used as a bioindicator in determining the level of disturbance in water ecosystem through their composition, presence or absence spatially and temporally as apart of ecological management. Tapak is a coastal area of Semarang City, Central Java, Indonesia that has potency as an ecotourism area for integrated aquaculture at mangrove area. On the other hand, industrial activity around Tapak coastal area may lead to a degradation of the ecological function of that area. This study aims to assess environmental status at Tapak Mangrove Area through the macrobenthic structure in space and time. Purposive random sampling method was applied, consisting five sampling stations with 3 replicates between March to May 2018. Sediment samples were taken by using Ekman grab and were analyzed through the stages of fixation, rinsing, sieving, preservation, sorting, identification, and enumeration. The biotic parameters observed were the macrobenthic community structure, including species composition, abundance, and diversity, evenness, and dominance indices. Physico-chemical parameters of the water and sediment were measured every month. The Early Warning System (EWS-3SWJ) software was used to assess the level of environmental disturbance at each station. The total of 15 species of macrobenthic assemblages were found. The most common species were Telescopium telescopium, Cerithidea cingulata, and Metapenaeus sp.. The diversity of macrobenthos was considered low at all sampling stations (H’ = 0,56 – 1,52), with marked variability in dominant taxa (D = 0,21 – 0,71). Further analysis using the EWS-3SWJ showed that the environmental status of the Tapak Mangrove Area is categorized as slightly disturbed areas.

Factors structuring spatio-temporal dynamics of macrobenthic communities of three differently modified tropical estuaries

Tropical estuaries of industrialized northwest coast of India, subject to seasonal and multifarious anthropogenic interventions, are poorly studied. Three estuaries, Ulhas, Amba and Savitri were investigated seasonally to identify the principal factors among natural and anthropic stressors that shaped spatio-temporal macrobenthic patterns. The macrobenthic community structure and chemical parameters differed significantly between estuaries, zones and seasons. Multivariate dispersions were significant between the estuaries whereas for the zones and seasons, significant variability was nonexistent. Multivariate regression analysis indicated that both natural and anthropogenic drivers influenced the spatio-temporal variability of macrobenthos of Ulhas and Amba. In Savitri, no anthropogenic factor was significantly influential. Salinity explained a greater proportion of the variability of macrobenthic structure than other factors in all estuaries. The pollution tolerant species responded largely to salinity changes and were observed to inhabit specific salinity zones. Thus, the spatio-temporal patterns of the estuarine macrobenthos were primarily dictated by the salinity.

Evaluation of estuarine biotic indices to assess macro-benthic structure and functioning following nutrient remediation actions: A case study on the Eden estuary Scotland

Despite a wealth of methods currently proposed by the European Water Framework Directive (WFD) to assess macro-benthic integrity, determining good ecological status (GES) and assessing ecosystem recovery following anthropogenic degradation is still one of the biggest challenges in marine ecology research. In this study, our aim was to test a number of commonly used structural (e.g. Shannon–Wiener, Average Taxonomic Diversity (Δ), M-AMBI) and functional indicators (e.g. BTA, BPc) currently used in benthic research and monitoring programmes on the Eden estuary (Scotland). Historically the estuary has a legacy of high nutrient conditions and was designated as a Nitrate Vulnerable Zone (NVZ) in 2003, whence major management measures were implemented in order to ameliorate the risk of eutrophication symptoms. We therefore collected data on intertidal macro-benthic communities over a sixteen year interval, covering a pre-management (1999) and post-management (2015) period to assess the effectiveness of the intended restoration efforts. In the post-management period, the results suggested an improvement in the structure and functioning of the estuary as a whole, but macro-benthic assemblages responded to restoration variably along the estuarine gradient. The greatest improvements were noticed in the upper and central sites of the estuary with functional traits analysis suggesting an increased ability of these sites to provide ecosystem services associated with the benthic environment such as carbon and organic matter cycling. Generally, almost all of the structural and functional indicators detected the prevailing environmental conditions (with the exception of (Pielou’s index and Average Taxonomic Diversity (Δ)), highlighting the appropriateness of such methods to be used in monitoring the recovery of transitional systems. This research also provides a robust baseline to monitor further management actions in the Eden estuary and provides evidence that notable reductions in nitrate concentrations resulting from NVZ designations may result in significant improvements to benthic structure and functioning.

Correlation between macrobenthic structure (biotic) and water-sediment characteristics (abiotic) adjacent aquaculture areas at Tembelas Island, indonesia

Macrobenthic community play important role in sedimentary habitats as a part of food chain. Their structure may be influenced by environmental characteristic spatially and temporally. The purpose of this study is to access the correlation between macrobenthic structure (biotic) and water-sediment characteristics (abiotic) adjacent aquaculture areas at Tembelas Island, Indonesia. Water and sediments samples were taken twice, where the first and second sampling time were taken in June and October 2016, respectively. Samples were taken in the area of fish farming at coastal area of policulture/IMTA (as Location I), site of 1 km away from fish farming area as a reference site (as Location II), and monoculture sites (as Location III), with three stations for each location. Data of abiotic parameters included the composition of sediment substrate and DO, pH, salinity, temperature, and. Sediment samples were taken using Ekman grab. The organisms were 1 mm -size sieved and fixed using 10% formalin for further analysis, i.e. sorting, preserving, enumerating, identifying, and grouping. The relationship between biotics (macrobentos) and abiotics (physical-chemical factors) was assessed using a non-parametric multivariate procedure (BIOENV). This study found 61 species consisting of 46 families and 5 classes of macrobenthos. The most common classes were member of Mollusca and Polychaeta. Total nitrogen, silt, and clay were the abiotic factors most influencing macrobenthic structure (BIO-ENV; r = 0.46; R2 = 21.16%).

The Relationship between Soft-Bottom Macrobenthic Assemblages and Environmental Variables of Boojagh Marine National Park, Southern Caspian Sea, Iran.

Macrobenthic infauna and associated environmental factors influencing the benthic assemblages in the Southern coastal region of Caspian Sea were analyzed in five seasonal surveys from summer 2015 to summer 2016 (18 stations), in order to understand the assemblage structure and the factors influencing the benthic distribution. The results showed that sixteen macrobenthic species in total were collected from the research region. The composition of species was: Polychaeta (4 species); Mollusca (4); Crustacea (6); Clitellata (1) and Thecostraca (1), among which, all of species were common in the sampling of every season. The dominant species varied from season to season; however, the polychaete species Hypania invalida and Clitellata species Stenogammarus carausui were always present year-round. The results of CLUSTER analysis showed that the similarities of macrobenthic structures between the stations were low; most of the similarities in all seasons were at about 25-30% of similarity value, only two stations were up to 80%-90%. In accordance with the similarity values of the macrobenthic structures, we divided the 18 stations into five groups by the similarity level of 30%. Comparing sand percentages among transects, data based on Levene’s test were homogeneous (P>0.05). The results of one-way ANOVA showed that the differences between transects were highly significant (P<0.01). Results suggested that benthos was controlled by a combination of factors such as sediment structure, salinity, pH, the electrical conductivity, turbidity and temperature, and no single factor could be considered as a main influencing factor. Additionally, significant correlations between species abundances and the tested environmental factors were evident. This study highlights the potential consequences of established non-indigenous species in the Southern Caspian Sea.

Intertidal assemblage variation across a subtropical estuarine gradient: How good conceptual and empirical models are?

Variation of intertidal macrobenthic structure at multiple spatial scales is still poorly known in tropical and subtropical estuaries. We have assessed the structural responses of intertidal benthic assemblages, expressed by variation in number of species, abundance and assemblage composition, to key environmental drivers in a subtropical estuary from southern Brazil. We have applied a hierarchical sampling design to assess benthic variation at each of several spatial scales, from meters to kilometers, along a marked estuarine gradient. The hypothesis that many benthic variables vary at the largest spatial scale, corresponding to the salinity gradient, was refuted for number of species but not for total abundance and species composition. However, physiological stress to salinity variation, an important environmental driver in estuaries, could not explain by itself macrobenthic distribution along local intertidal flats. Nutrient, organic matter, photosynthetic pigments contents, pH, grain size, silt–clay content and the redox discontinuity layer also varied at the largest spatial scale acting as confounding factors. Thus, overall distribution patterns of intertidal benthic assemblages resulted from a complex interaction among environmental drivers, including salinity.

Functional response of an adapted subtidal macrobenthic community to an oil spill: macrobenthic structure and bioturbation activity over time throughout an 18-month field experiment

An experimental oil spill was carried out in order to assess in situ responses of a macrobenthic community of shallow subtidal sediments historically exposed to petroleum contamination. Both structural and functional (bioturbation activity) parameters of the community, subjected or not to a pulse acute contamination (25,000 ppm), were studied for 18 months. No difference in the community structure was detected between contaminated and control sediments, from 6 to 18 months of experimentation. Vertical distributions of organisms, however, were affected by the presence of oil contamination leading to a deeper burial of some polychaete species. In the same time, changes in sediment-reworking activity and more especially a deeper particle burying in sediments subjected to acute oil contamination were shown. These results highlight the need to complete the analysis of community structure by assessing functional aspects, such as bioturbation activity, a process integrating various aspects of benthic behaviour (e.g. feeding, locomotion, burrow building) in order to estimate real (structural and functional) and long-term effects of oil contamination on benthic communities.

Macrobenthic community structure and species composition in the Yellow Sea and East China Sea in jellyfish bloom

To understand the characteristics of macrobenthic structures and the relationship between environment and benthic assemblages in jellyfish bloom, we studied the macrobenthos and related environmental factors in the coastal waters of the Yellow Sea and East China Sea. Data were collected during two seasonal cruises in April and August of 2011, and analyzed with multivariate statistical methods. Up to 306 macrobenthic species were registered from the research areas, including 115 species of Polychaeta, 78 of Crustacea, 61 of Mollusca, 30 of Echinodermata, and 22 of other groups. Nine polychaete species occurred at frequencies higher than 25% from the sampling stations: Lumbrineris longifolia, Notomastus latericeus, Ninoe palmata, Ophelina acuminata, Nephtys oligobranchia, Onuphis geophiliformis, Glycera chirori, Terebellides stroemii, and Aricidea fragilis. Both the average biomass and abundance of macrobenthos are higher in August (23.8 g/m2 and 237.7 ind./m2) than those in April (11.3 g/m2 and 128 ind./m2); the dissimilarity of macrobenthic structures among stations is as high as 70%. In terms of the dissimilarity values, we divided the stations into four clusters in spring and eight in summer. The ABC curve shows that the macrofauna communities in high jellyfish abundance were not changed. Canonical correspondence analysis showed that depth, temperature, median grain size, total organic carbon of sediment and total nitrogen in sediment were important factors affecting the macrozoobenthic community in the study area.

Assessment of Environmental Quality of Coastal Fishpond Areas Using Macrobenthic Structure: Multivariate and Graphical Approaches

Environmental degradation that results in decreased quantity of farmed fish production is an issue that often arises in rapid aquaculture industry. This study aims to develop the method of environmental quality assessment of aquaculture using macrobenthic structure to ensure the sustainability of its activity. The research was conducted at three fish farming sites along coastal of Sayung, Demak Regency, Central Java, i.e. milkfish ponds, shrimp ponds, and mixture pond. Determination of the environmental quality of the farms was done by analyzing data and environmental parameters and macrobenthic abundance and biomass using multivariate and the graphical methods. The results of Principle Component Analysis (PCA) projected from an aquatic environment parameters showed no signs of grouping based on three types of ponds, but there are signs of grouping by time sampling, indicating fluctuations in physico-chemical conditions of waters over time. Based on the macrobenthic abundance, study sites were dominated by gastropods (97%), the rest of bivalves (2%) and polychaetes (1%). Results from ordination analysis, ABC curves and k-dominance showed no signs of clustering by types of pond, but between sampling times. This implies that multivariate and graphical methods can sensitively detect any environmental change, particularly changes in macrobenthic community, water quality and sediment over time.

Impacts of maintenance dredged material disposal on macrobenthic structure and secondary productivity

The results of a monitoring programme to assess the spatial impacts associated with ongoing dredged material disposal activity at a dispersive, coastal disposal site (southwest UK) are described. Benthic impacts were assessed using benthic community structure and secondary productivity estimates.Analyses of univariate indices (including secondary production) and multivariate community structure revealed differences between stations inside and those outside the disposal site were minimal. Generally, stations within and outside the disposal site were characterised by the same species. Regression models indicated that the variability in biological structure and secondary production was predominantly accounted for by natural variables (e.g., depth, sediment granulometry) with only a small amount of residual variability being due to contaminant variables. Thus, the elevated levels of certain contaminants in the vicinity of the disposal area were not sufficient to result in significant ecological or ecotoxicological changes. We ascribe such findings partly to the dispersive nature of the disposal site.

The relationship between soft-bottom macrobenthic communities and environmental variables off Ningjin, eastern Shandong Peninsula

Macrobenthic infauna and associated environmental factors influencing the benthic community in the eastern coastal region of Shandong Peninsula were analyzed in four seasonal surveys from January 2007 to October 2007 (30 stations in winter, 20 stations in other three seasons), in order to understand the community structure and the factors unfluencing the benthic distribution. PRIMER 6.0 and SPSS 15.0 software packages were adopted to analyze the environmental and macrobenthic data,. The results show that there were 260 macrobenthic species in total collected from the research region. The composition of species is: Polychaeta (94 species), Crustacea (75), Mollusca (56) and Echinoderm (12), among which, only 23 species were common species in the cruises of every season. The dominant species varied from season to season; however, the polychaete species Paralacydonia paradoxa Fauvel and Echinoderm species Arnphioplus japonicas (Matsumoto) were always present year-round. The abundance and biomass of the macrobenthos in the research region were variable from season to season. The results of CLUSTER and MDS analysis show that the similarities of macrobenthic structures between the stations were low; most of the similarities were at about 30% of similarity value, only two stations were up to 70%. In accordance with the similarity values of the rnacrobenthic structures, we divided the 20 stations into five groups by arbitrary similarity level of 30%. The ABC curve indicates that the marcofauna communities in the research region had not been disturbed massively, except two stations, SB1 and SB3. Ecologically, benthos were controlled by a combination o.f factors such as salinity, phytoplankton, zooplankton, SiO(3)-Si and temperature, and no single factor could be considered as an ecological master factor.

Comparative study based on sediment characteristics and macrobenthic communities in two Italian lagoons

The aims of this study were to analyse sediment characteristics and macrobenthic assemblages in two very close Italian coastal lagoons (Lesina and Varano) and to assess the different behaviour between the two basins and the relationship between sediment matrix and benthic organisms within and between the two lagoons. The comparative study was performed in July 2007 at 13 sampling sites in Lesina lagoon and 15 sites in Varano basin for sediment grain size, total organic carbon (TOC), total nitrogen (TN), total phosphorus (TP) and macrobenthic structure analyses. Both lagoons were generally dominated by fine-grained sediments (clay and silt components). The average contents of TOC and TN measured in Lesina was higher than in Varano (3.31% vs 2.52% for TOC and 5,200 microg.g(-1) vs 3,713 microg.g(-1) for TN); in contrast, the TP was lower (540 microg.g(-1) vs 620 microg.g(-1)). Based on macrobenthic community patterns, the central zone in Varano lagoon and the eastern area in Lesina lagoon were characterised by the lowest abundance (168.7 ind.m(-2) and 503.2 ind.m(-2), respectively) and by the lowest number of species, as highlighted by the diversity indices (Shannon-Wiener, H' range was 0.47-1.45 for Lesina and 0.00-1.68 for Varano; Margalef species richness, d range was 0.00-1.67 for Lesina lagoon and 0.00-2.38 for Varano basin). Ordination diagrams suggested an influence of marine and freshwater inputs on the sediment distribution in Varano lagoon and on macrobenthic assemblages in Lesina lagoon.