Temporal and spatial variability of benthic macrofauna communities in the Yangtze River estuary and adjacent area

Authors

  • Lu Shou College of Life Sciences, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing 210046, China
  • Jiangning Zeng Second Institute of Oceanography, State Oceanic Administration, Hangzhou 310012, China
  • Yibo Liao Second Institute of Oceanography, State Oceanic Administration, Hangzhou 310012, China
  • Ting Xu Hangzhou June-5 Environment Technology Co., Ltd., Hangzhou 310012, China
  • Aigen Gao Second Institute of Oceanography, State Oceanic Administration, Hangzhou 310012, China
  • Ziqiang Chen Second Institute of Oceanography, State Oceanic Administration, Hangzhou 310012, China
  • Quanzhen Chen Second Institute of Oceanography, State Oceanic Administration, Hangzhou 310012, China
  • Jiaxin Yang College of Life Sciences, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing 210046, China

Keywords:

macrobenthos, biomass, density

Abstract

Four cruise surveys were carried out in summer, winter, spring, and autumn from 2006 to 2007 to evaluate the seasonal distribution of macrobenthos in the Yangtze River estuary and its adjacent waters. A total of 59 sites were sampled and divided into three areas (estuary, inshore, and offshore areas). In all, 335 taxa were collected with polychaetes and mollusks being the dominant groups. Two-way ANOVA revealed significant differences among the numbers of species, densities, and biomasses in the areas. However, several differences were found among seasons. SIMPER analysis showed that the dominant species of macrobenthos varied in different areas, and the inshore area was the most complex of the three. The abundance/biomass comparison (ABC) curve of macrobenthos in the inshore area showed apparent rises and falls, which are characteristic of disturbance to macrobenthos. Canonical correspondence analysis showed that echinoids were closely related to the presence of silicates and temperature, whereas polychaetes were closely related to depth and temperature.

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Published

2013-01-02

Issue

Vol. 16 No. 1 (2013)

Section

Research article

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