Comparative efficacy of benthic biotic indices in assessing the Ecological Quality Status (EcoQS) of the stressed Ulhas estuary, India

Mulik, Jyoti; Sukumaran, Soniya; Srinivas, T. N. R.; Vijapure, Tejal

doi:10.1016/j.marpolbul.2017.05.014

Cited by 37 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 59 publications

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“…Studies investigating the efficacy of BBIs in determining the estuarine ecological status along the NWI India have gathered momentum in the past decade. AZTI's indices (AMBI/M-AMBI) were successful in discerning an appropriate ecological status of most of the salinity zones across four estuaries (Ulhas, Amba, Savitri, and Kundalika) (Mulik et al, 2017(Mulik et al, , 2020aDias et al, 2018) and coastal zones (Nandgaon coastal waters, adjacent to the atomic power station in Maharashtra, Sivaraj et al, 2014;Mumbai and Ratnagiri coastal waters;Sivadas et al, 2016). The exclusion of monsoon data and averaging the status of the non-monsoonal seasons for the efficient application of benthic indices was recommended.…”

Section: Univariate and Benthic Biotic Indicesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Several studies conducted in temperate zones have recommended the application of multiple indices to get a better assessment of the ecological status of estuaries considering that the macrobenthic communities are complex and geographically unlike (Salas et al, 2006;Kröncke and Reiss, 2010;Wetzel et al, 2012) and that indices were originally developed for particular stressors (Afli et al, 2008). However, the NWI studies as well as a number of other tropical estuaries have successfully applied AMBI for ecological quality status assessment (Borja and Tunberg, 2011;Valença and Santos, 2012;Brauko et al, 2015;Mulik et al, 2017Mulik et al, , 2020a. The ecological assignments made available by European databases for the application of AMBI may not work in a tropical setting.…”

Section: Overview and General Trendsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The ecological assignments made available by European databases for the application of AMBI may not work in a tropical setting. Therefore, some of the Indian studies required the re-assignation of species to appropriate ecological groups based on expert judgment and knowledge of study area as recommended by Teixeira et al, 2010. In the Ulhas estuary, the opportunistic species, Streblospio gynobranchiata was classified to EG V from EG IV (Mulik et al, 2017(Mulik et al, , 2020a. In another study from the Mandovi and Zuari estuaries, Magelona sp.…”

Section: Overview and General Trendsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Of late, multivariate indices like AMBI and M-AMBI are considered to be more effective in evolving the ecological status of estuaries and coasts (Sivaraj et al, 2014;Sivadas et al, 2016, Mulik et al, 2017, 2020aDias et al, 2018) and are more reliable than the application of H'. Few studies have applied any BBI other than the Shannon Diversity index.…”

Section: Gaps and Limitationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Marine Macrobenthos of NorthWest India-Reviewing the Known and Unknown

et al. 2021

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Tropical ecosystems sustain higher biodiversity and face faster species extinction. However, baseline information of these areas is either inadequate or scattered due to various reasons. The 2,360 km long coast of North West India (NWI), is a heavily industrialized and urbanized zone. This coast with unique biogeographical and climatic features with two notified marine protected areas also supports rich biodiversity. This review was motivated by a need to construct a synoptic view on marine benthic ecology and functioning by consolidating available information of macrobenthos. Two thousand seventy-eight macrobenthic taxa belonging to 14 phyla were compiled from 147 references and were composed mostly by Polychaeta (n = 617), Gastropoda (n = 602), and Bivalvia (n = 216). Habitat wise, intertidal and subtidal zones were more intensely studied and contributed most to the diversity records. Sediment texture and salinity were the major drivers of macrobenthic community structure in the subtidal areas and estuaries, respectively. In the intertidal zones, zonation patterns related to the tidal levels and time of exposure were distinct with the high water zones being sparsely populated and lower intertidal zones sustaining higher species and functional diversities. All zones of NWI coast were distinctly impacted to various extent by anthropogenic activities affecting the resident macrobenthos. Decline in species richness and species substitution due to pollution were reported in urbanized zones. Non-monsoonal months favored a more conducive environment for the macrobenthic diversity and functionality. Hypoxia tolerant polychaete species mainly belonging to Spionidae and Cossuridae dominated during the low oxygen conditions of upwelling and OMZ zones of NWI. Inadequate identification and inconsistency of sampling methods were major deterrents for concluding trends of distributions. Suggestions for future macrobenthic research include focusing on lesser studied groups and areas, seasonal as well anthropogenic hypoxic zones and well planned long-term monitoring studies. Major data lacunae were identified in the taxonomy, molecular, functional aspects, and bioinvasive studies of macrobenthos in this geographical zone despite clear evidence of high diversity of extant macrofauna. This compendium should help prioritize research areas and objectives aimed at enhancing our understanding of macrobenthos and improve predictive capabilities of community shifts that may occur due to global climate change scenarios.

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Section: Univariate and Benthic Biotic Indicesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Overview and General Trendsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Overview and General Trendsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Gaps and Limitationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Marine Macrobenthos of NorthWest India-Reviewing the Known and Unknown

et al. 2021

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“…The patterns of marine organism populations would be affected by environmental factors, such as temperature gradient, salinity, and water circulation (Carvalho et al, 2005;Yan et al, 2020); therefore, global warming could strongly affect not only the physicochemical environment but also the marine communities. Recently, increased attention has been directed toward macrofaunal communities in marine coastal areas (Bon et al, 2021;Mulik et al, 2017;Xu et al, 2018;Yan et al, 2020).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Relationship between Salinity and Benthic Fauna Diversity and Abundance at Songkhla Port, Thailand

Jombodin

Songkai

Wichachucherd

et al. 2021

Journal of Coastal Research

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Benthic fauna plays an important role in marine ecosystems as the primary food for other aquatic animals, and this animal group helps reduce sediment nutrients by filter feeding. The aim of this study was to evaluate and explain the diversity and abundance of the benthic fauna community at the Songkhla port, where both human activities and environmental fluctuations affect this community. Benthic fauna and water samples were collected at 2-month intervals from January to November 2017. The results show that most physical parameters had wide ranges and varied by month. The benthic fauna in the Songkhla lagoon was observed in this study. The results showed a higher number of taxa compared with a previous study. Three phyla, namely, Annelida, Arthropoda, and Mollusca, had 25 taxa recorded in this study. Crustaceans were the most diverse (nine taxa) and abundant (2981 6 313 ind/m 2 ) group, followed by polychaetes (eight families, 2350 6 288 ind/m 2 ) and mollusks (eight taxa, 633 6 200 ind/m 2 ). Barnacles were the dominant group of crustaceans (2153 6 758 ind/m 2 ), whereas Serpulidae (1864 6 647 ind/m 2 ) and Mytilidae (447 6 367 ind/m 2 ) were the dominant families of polychaetes and mollusks, respectively. Cluster analysis showed that the distribution of benthic fauna and physicochemical water quality varied with similar patterns. Clustering gave two groups: for rainy season from November to January and for dry season from May to November. According to canonical correspondence analysis, salinity and transparency were the main environmental factors associated with the distribution pattern of benthic fauna in the area. In conclusion, the activities at the Songkhla port have not yet created problems for marine benthic fauna; instead, seasonal changes appear to drive changes in benthic fauna. However, future construction developments can affect the geographical area, complementing stresses from parameter changes at local scales.

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The Egyptian Nile estuarine habitats: a review

Abdelsalam,

Tadros,

Moneer

et al. 2024

Aquat Sci

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Estuaries are nutrient-rich environments characterized by a gradient in salinity due to the mixing of freshwater and seawater. These bodies of water play vital functions in nature and provide a wide variety of essential ecosystem services. In general, many natural and/or man-made activities have strongly stressed the Egyptian Nile estuarine habitats, as has the water shortage that was expected after the construction of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam. In recent decades, the Nile Delta has been considered to be one of the most important productive oil-producing petroleum regions due to onshore and offshore gas discoveries alongside gasoline and base oil generation. Up-to-date systematic reviews of the Egyptian estuarine habitats (Rosetta and Damietta) are missing, and the review reported here was undertaken to fill this gap. In this review, we consider the physical, chemical, geological, pollution, and biological parameters of Egyptian Nile estuaries. In this context, our aim is to contribute to a broader understanding of the Egyptian estuarine habitat; moreover, we provide potential warning signals that may aid in estuarine environmental protection. We found that most of the previous studies had focused on the two branches of the Nile or on the marine waters adjacent to these branches, and that only a few studies focused on the estuarine habitats themselves. In most of these previous studies, the salinity gradient of water was reported to be a significant factor in the distribution of the different measured parameters while, in contrast, more recent investigations confirm the importance of potential effluent sources in affecting the distribution of these parameters. We highly recommend that the data reported here be updated in future studies on different environmental aspects.

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Comparative efficacy of benthic biotic indices in assessing the Ecological Quality Status (EcoQS) of the stressed Ulhas estuary, India

Cited by 37 publications

References 59 publications

Marine Macrobenthos of NorthWest India-Reviewing the Known and Unknown

Marine Macrobenthos of NorthWest India-Reviewing the Known and Unknown

The Relationship between Salinity and Benthic Fauna Diversity and Abundance at Songkhla Port, Thailand

The Egyptian Nile estuarine habitats: a review

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