A bibliography of samplers for benthic invertebrates

This annotated bibliography covers literature to the end of November 1977, and includes references to samplers that could be used for the rapid removal of benthic invertebrates from natural substrata of rivers and streams. Marine samplers which have been, or could be, used in freshwater. Coverage of Russian literature is incomplete, although a selection of recent and important references are included. The references are arranged under the following headings, Reviews; Nets and quadrat samplers; Scoops, shovels and dredges; Grabs; Corers; Suction and air-lift samplers; Electroshocking samplers; Efficiencies and comparisons; and Samplers from catalogues. There is an index to samplers (by the common name) and an author index.

A supplement to a bibliography of samplers for benthic invertebrates

A supplement to the earlier bibliography compiled by Elliott and Tullett 1978 (FBA Occas. Publ. No. 4) covering literature from December 1977 - December 1982 on samplers that could be used for the rapid removal of benthic intertebrates from the natural substrata of rivers and streams. In addition it includes papers on marine samplers that have been or could be used in freshwater.

Benthic invertebrates that form habitat on deep banks off southern California, with special reference to deep sea coral

There is increasing interest in the potential impacts that fishing activities have on megafaunal benthic invertebrates occurring in continental shelf and slope ecosystems. We examined how the structure, size, and high-density aggregations of invertebrates provided structural relief for fishes in continental shelf and slope ecosystems off southern California. We made 112 dives in a submersible at 32−320 m water depth, surveying a variety of habitats from high-relief rock to flat sand and mud. Using quantitative video transect methods, we made 12,360 observations of 15 structure-form-ing invertebrate taxa and 521,898 individuals. We estimated size and incidence of epizoic animals on 9105 sponges, black corals, and gorgonians. Size variation among structure-form-ing invertebrates was significant and 90% of the individuals were <0.5 m high. Less than 1% of the observations of organisms actually sheltering in or located on invertebrates involved fishes. From the analysis of spatial associations between fishes and large invertebrates, six of 108 fish species were found more often adjacent to invertebrate colonies than the number of fish predicted by the fish-density data from transects. This finding indicates that there may be spatial associations that do not necessarily include physical contact with the sponges and corals. However, the median distances between these six fish species and the invertebrates were not particularly small (1.0−5.5 m). Thus, it is likely that these fishes and invertebrates are present together in the same habitats but that there is not necessarily a functional relationship between these groups of organisms. Regardless of their associations with fishes, these invertebrates provide structure and diversity for continental shelf ecosystems off southern California and certainly deserve the attention of scientists undertaking future conservation efforts.

Drill holes in shells of Permian benthic invertebrates

Newly discovered benthic fossils and specimens illustrated in the paleontological literature indicate that drilling predators (or parasites) were present in the Permian. New field data from southern Brazil document the first drill holes ever reported for Permian bivalve mollusks. In addition, a literature review revealed drill holes in shells of articulate brachiopods from Russia, Greece, and West Texas. Holes range in size from 0.1 to 5.8 mm and are typically round, cylindrical, singular penetrations perpendicular to the valve surface. Incomplete, healed, and multiple holes are absent. Drilling frequency, a proxy for predation intensity, is very low: less than 1 percent (this estimate may be seriously affected by taphonomic and monographic biases). Literature data suggest that frequency of drilled specimens varied significantly among higher brachiopod taxa. The geography and stratigraphy of drilled specimens indicate that drilling organisms were worldwide in their occurrence and continuously present in marine ecosystems throughout the Permian. This report is consistent with other recent studies indicating that although drillers were continuously present throughout the Phanerozoic, drilling intensity was lower in the Late Paleozoic and early Mesozoic.

Benthic invertebrates in selected streams of the Piceance Creek Basin, northwestern Colorado, water years 1977-81 /

Bibliography: p. 40-41.

Variation in composition of macro-benthic invertebrates as an indication of water quality status in three bays in Lake Victoria

Knowledge of how biota can be used to monitor ecosystem health and assess impacts by human alterations such as land use and management measures taken at different spatial scales is critical for improving the ecological quality of aquatic ecosystems. This knowledge in Uganda is very limited or unavailable yet it is needed to better understand the relationship between environmental factors at different spatial scales, assemblage structure and taxon richness of aquatic ecosystems. In this study, benthic invertebrate community patterns were sampled between June 2001 and April 2002 and analysed in relation to water quality and catchment land use patterns from three shallow near-shore bays characterized by three major land uses patterns: urban (Murchison Bay); semi-urban (Fielding Bay); rural (Hannington Bay). Variations in density and guild composition of benthic macro-invertebrates communities were evaluated using GIS techniques along an urban-rural gradient of land use and differences in community composition were related to dissolved oxygen and conductivity variation. Based on numerical abundance and tolerance values, Hilsenhoff's Biotic Index ofthe invertebrates was determined in order to evaluate the relative importance of water quality in the three bays. Murchison Bay supported a relatively taxa-poor invertebrate assemblage mainly comprising stenotopic and eurytopic populations of pollution-tolerant groups such as worms and Chironomus sp. with an overall depression in species diversity. On the contrary, the communities in Fielding and Hannington bays were quite similar and supported distinct and diverse assemblages including pollution-intolerant forms such as Ephemeroptera (mayflies), Odonata (dragonflies). The Hilsenhoff Biotic Index in Murchison Bay was 6.53. (indicating poor water quality) compared to 6.34 for Fielding Bay and 5.78 for Hannington Bay (both indicating fair water quality). The characterization of maximum taxa richness balanced among taxa groups with good representation of intolerant individuals in Hannington Bay relative to Fielding and Murchison bays concludes that the bay is the cleanest in terms of water quality. Contrary, the dominance of few taxa with many tolerant iqdividuals present in Murchison Bay indicates that the bay is degraded in terms of water quality. These result are ofimportance when planning conservation and management measures, implementing large-scale biomonitoring programs, and predicting how human alterations (e.g nutrient loading) affect water ecosystems. Therefore, analysis of water quality in relation to macro-invertebrate community composition patterns as bio-indicators can lead to further understanding of their responses to environmental manipulations and perturbations.

Comparison of small remotely operated vehicles and diver-operated video of circalittoral benthos

Underwater video transect methods using small remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) and diveroperated video (DOV) are commonly used in benthic biodiversity assessments. Constraints posed by deeper waters have made surveys of the circalittoral zone ([30 m depth), a particularly challenging problem. Here we compare benthic diversity metrics and cluster analyses obtained with ROV and DOV between 45 and 65 m depth off southwest Iberia, across local (tens to hundreds of meters) and regional scales (tens of kilometers). Results showed no difference between methods in terms of the benthic species richness, taxonomic distinctness, and beta diversity, but only minor differences in the spatial structure depicted at the regional level. At the local scale, DOV performed better at discriminating patterns likely because of the divers visual acuity. We found that small ROV and DOV are reliable and comparable methods for the study of circalittoral benthic assemblages and can be used in a complimentary way to detect the greatest amount of variation in benthic ecosystems. Our study facilitates the understanding of capabilities and limitations of two underwater video methods and provides important insight into choice of the most appropriate technique.

A History of Benthic Research in the NMFS Northeast Fisheries Science Center

The Northeast Fisheries Science Center of NOAA's National Marine Fisheries Service has a long history of research on benthic invertebrates and habitats in support of the management of living marine resources. These studies began in the 1870's under Spencer F. Baird's guidance as part of an effort to characterize the Nation's fisheries and living marine resources and their ecological interactions. This century and a quarter of research has included many benthic invertebrate studies, including community characterizations, shellfish biology and culture, pathology, ecosystem energy budget modeling, habitat evaluations, assessments of human impacts, toxic chemical bioaccumulation in demersal food webs, habitat or endangered species management, benthic autecology, systematics (to define new species and species population boundaries), and other benthic studies. Here we review the scope of past and current studies as a background for strategic research planning and suggest areas for further research to support NOAA's goals of sustainable fisheries management, healthy coastal ecosystems, and protected species populations.

Consequences of a simulated rapid ocean acidification event for benthic ecosystem processes and functions

Whilst the biological consequences of long-term, gradual changes in acidity associated with the oceanic uptake of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) are increasingly studied, the potential effects of rapid acidification associated with a failure of sub-seabed carbon storage infrastructure have received less attention. This study investigates the effects of severe short-term (8 days) exposure to acidified seawater on infaunal mediation of ecosystem processes (bioirrigation and sediment particle redistribution) and functioning (nutrient concentrations). Following acidification, individuals of Amphiura filiformis exhibited emergent behaviour typical of a stress response, which resulted in altered bioturbation, but limited changes in nutrient cycling. Under acidified conditions, A. filiformis moved to shallower depths within the sediment and the variability in occupancy depth reduced considerably. This study indicated that rapid acidification events may not be lethal to benthic invertebrates, but may result in behavioural changes that could have longer-term implications for species survival, ecosystem structure and functioning.