Environmental assessment of the effects of polluting discharges: Stage I: Developing a post-facto baseline

Broom, Mark; Davies, Jeremy; Hutchings, B.; Halcrow, W T

doi:10.1016/0272-7714(91)90071-i

Cited by 5 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 21 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Previous studies of stress‐related effects on estuarine biotic integrity recognize many of the same or similar tolerant bioindicators of anthropogenic stress as did this study, including Capitella capitata, Mediomastus spp., Streblospio benedicti, Cossura spp., Limnodrilus spp., Tubificoides sp., Corophium sp., Macoma mitchilli, Corbicula fluminea hydrobiids (e.g., Probythinella louisianae Texadina sphinctostoma ), Coelotanypus sp. (Pearson and Rosenberg 1978, Boesch and Rosenberg 1981, Pearson 1981, Flint and Younk 1983, Houston et al 1983, , , , Broom et al 1991). Our analysis elucidated specific relationships between these taxa and levels of various sediment contaminants, after accounting for important natural variables.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Macrobenthic Responses to Natural and Contaminant-Related Gradients in Northern Gulf of Mexico Estuaries

Rakocinski

Brown

Gaston

et al. 1997

Ecological Applications

110

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Effects of pollution on biotic integrity are difficult to identify when correlations occur between environmental gradients and contaminant effects, as they do in estuaries. In this broad‐scale study, we used canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) to distinguish influences of natural and contaminant‐related gradients on macrobenthic community structure among 319 sites from estuaries throughout the northern Gulf of Mexico. Natural gradients in salinity, depth, and sediment composition obscured the detection of macrobenthic responses to sediment contamination. After adjusting for natural environmental variability, however, partial CCA revealed important macrobenthic variation in relation to sediment contamination. A rotated principal component analysis (PCA) distinguished five composite environmental factors, each largely reflecting contaminant or natural variation. Two complex gradients in sediment contamination identified by the PCA diverged in partial CCA space and correlated with different macrobenthic indicator taxa. Contaminant gradients represented variation in two different classes of sediment contaminants: trace metals and organic chemicals. Dispersion patterns of CCA site coordinates enabled cross validation of implied contamination‐related variation in community function and the utility of several interpretive or management metrics. Trophic diversity decreased with sediment contamination, linking shifts in macrobenthic community function and community structure along contaminant gradients. The CCA model complemented an earlier benthic index developed from these data to examine biotic integrity, but the benthic index could not discern macrobenthic responses to the different contaminant gradients. Neither was the benthic index useful for showing transitions in macrobenthic community structure commensurate with different levels of contamination. Ampelisca amphipod sediment bioassays were inadequate for identifying contaminant effects on biotic integrity, whereas Mysidopsis mysid sediment bioassays conservatively reflected sediment contamination and associated macrobenthic indicators.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%