Macrobenthic Distribution within the Sediment along an Estuarine Salinity Gradient

✍ Scribed by Dr. Daniel M. Dauer; R. Michael Ewing; Anthony J. Rodi Jr.

• Book ID: 102869729
• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 1987
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 679 KB
• Volume: 72
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 1434-2944
• DOI: 10.1002/iroh.19870720502

✦ Synopsis

The distribution of the macrobenthic infauiial community wit,hin the upper 25 cm of the sediment was studied a t 16 stations in the lower Chesapeake Bay. Stations were located from the tidal freshwater t o the polyhaline zone of major tributaries (James, York and Rappa,hannock Rivers) and in the polyhaline portion of the lower bay mainstem. Profiles for total number of individuals, total ash-free dry weight biomass and species encountered with depth were cillculated. Except, for the deep dwelling bivalve, 3fucoma balthica, tribut,ary macrobenthic communities had a shallow depth distribution compared t o the mainstem sites which were found in generally coarser sediments in t,he higher salinity region of the estuary.