Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

The relative influence of hypoxia, anoxia, andassociated environmental factors as determinants ofmacrobenthic community structure in aNorthern Gulf of Mexico estuary

  • Published:
Journal of Aquatic Ecosystem Stress and Recovery

Abstract

Seasonal patterns (i.e., December 1986, and April and October 1987) in benthic macroinfaunal abundance,distribution, and taxa composition at 19 sites in Perdido Bay, AL/FL, are evaluated to assess the relative importance of environmental factors as determinants of community structure. A total of 46 taxa from five phyla were collected with diver-held bottom corers. Polychaetes were numerically dominant followed by crustaceans. Seventeen taxa co-occurred in samples during all three study periods. Maximum animal densities and taxa richness showed no statistically significant bay-wide seasonal pattern,however, a bay-wide trend was detected where these response parameters tended to be greater in April than December or October. Deeper upper bay stations were depauperate during December and October. Low dissolved oxygen (DO) largely explained the depauperate pattern. Mean taxa richness per core(10 cm dia.) ranged from 0.0 to 5.0, 1.2 to 4.6, and0.0 to 4.4 in December, April and October,respectively. Mean densities ranged from zero to 368,0 to 960, and 0 to 430 individuals per 0.1 m2 in December, April, and October, respectively. Results of a three-season statistical regression model indicated that DO deficiency was a primary determinant of taxa richness (partial R 2: 0.27) but was less important in explaining animal densities (partialR 2: 0.16). For December, when additional environmental variables were measured, DO was supplanted by weight loss on ignition (R 2: 0.24)and the sediment C:N ratio (R 2: 0.44) as highest explanatory factors for taxa richness and density,respectively. Application of a benthic index of environmental condition indicated wide-spread ecological stress on the benthic macroinfaunal assemblages.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Boesch, D.F., 1977. A new look at zonation of benthos along the estuarine gradient. In: B.C. Coull (ed.), Ecology of Marine Benthos. University of South Carolina Press, Columbia, SC: 245–266.

    Google Scholar 

  • Carriker. M.R., 1967. Ecology of estuarine benthic invertebrates: A perspective. In: G.H. Lauff (ed.), Estuaries. Am. Assoc. for Adv. Sci. Publ. No. 83, Washington, DC: 442–487.

  • Carriker, M.R., J.W. Anderson, W.P. Davis, D.R. Franz, G.F. Mayer & others, 1982. Effects of pollutants on benthos. In: G.F. Mayer (ed.), Ecological Stress and the New York Bight: Science and Management. Estuarine Research Federation, Columbia, SC: 3–21.

    Google Scholar 

  • Chester, A.J., R.L. Ferguson & G. Thayer, 1983. Environmental gradients and benthic macroinvertebrates in a shallow North Carolina estuary. Bull. Mar. Sci. 33: 282–295.

    Google Scholar 

  • Clarke, D. & T. Miller-Way, 1982. An environmental assessment of the effects of open-water disposal of maintenance dredged material on benthic resources in Mobile Bay, Alabama. Dredging Operations Technical Program, Miscellaneous Paper D-92-1, U.S. Army Engineer Waterways Experiment Station, Vicksburg, Mississippi.

    Google Scholar 

  • Clarke, K.R., 1993. Non-parametric multivariate analyses of changes in community structure. Austr. J. of Ecol. 18: 117–143.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cowan, J.L.W., J.R. Pennock & W.R. Boynton, 1996. Seasonal and interannual patterns of sediment-water nutrient and oxygen fluxes in Mobile Bay, Alabama (USA): Regulating factors and ecological significance. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. 141: 229–245.

    Google Scholar 

  • Culliton, T.J., M.A. Warren, T.R. Goodspeed, D.G. Remer, C.M. Blackwell & J.J. McDough, III, 1990. 50 years of population growth along the Nation’s coasts, 1960-2010. Strategic Assessment Branch, Ocean Assessments Division, Office of Oceanography and Marine Assessment, National Ocean Survey, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Rockville, Maryland, 41 pp.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dardeau, M.R., 1987. Structure of soft bottom assemblages in middle Perdido Bay. Dauphin Island Sea Laboratory Technical Report 87-001, p. 7.

  • Dardeau, M.R., R.F. Modlin, W.W. Schroeder & J.P. Stout, 1992. Estuaries. In: C.T. Hackney, S.M. Adams & W.A. Martin (eds), Biodiversity of Southeastern United States/Aquatic Communities. John Wiley and Sons, New York: 615–744.

    Google Scholar 

  • Day, J.W., Jr., C.A.S. Hall, W.M. Kemp & A. Yanez-Arancibia, 1989. Estuarine Ecology. John Wiley and Sons, New York.

    Google Scholar 

  • Deegan, L.A., J.W. Day, Jr., J.G. Gosselink, A. Yanez-Arancibia, G.S. Chavez & P. Sanchez-Gil, 1986. Relationships among physical characteristics, vegetation distribution and fisheries yield in Gulf of Mexico estuaries. In: D. A. Wolfe. Estuarine Variability. Academic Press, Inc., New York: 83–100.

    Google Scholar 

  • Diaz, R.J., 1989. Pollution and tidal benthic communities of the James River Estuary, Virginia. Hydrobiologia 180: 195–211.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Diaz, R.J., R.J. Neubauer, L.C. Schaffner, L. Pihl & S.P. Baden, 1992. Continuous monitoring of dissolved oxygen in an estuary experiencing periodic hypoxia and the effect of hypoxia on macrobenthos and fish. Sci.of the Tot. Environ. (Suppl. 1992): 1055–1068.

  • Diaz, R.J. & R. Rosenberg, 1995. Marine benthic hypoxia: A review of its ecological effects and the behavioral responses of benthic macrofauna. Oceanography and Marine Biology: An Annual Review 33: 245–303.

    Google Scholar 

  • Engle, V.D., J.K. Summers & G.R. Gaston, 1994. A benthic index of environmental condition of Gulf of Mexico estuaries. Estuaries 17: 372–384.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Flemer, D.A., E.M. Lores & C.M. Bundrick, 1998. Potential Sediment Denitrification Rates in Estuaries of Northern Gulf of Mexico. J. Environ. Qual. 27(4): 859–868.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Flemer, D.A., B.F. Ruth, C.M. Bundrick & G.R. Gaston, 1997. Macrobenthic community colonization and community development in dredged material disposal habitats off coastal Louisiana. Environ. Pollut. 96: 141–154.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Flint, R.W. & R.D. Kalke, 1985. Benthos structure and fluctuation in a south Texas estuary. Contrib. Mar. Sci. 28: 33–53.

    Google Scholar 

  • Flint, R.W. & J.A. Younk, 1983. Estuarine benthos: long-term community structure variations, Corpus Christi Bay, Texas. Estuaries 6: 126–144.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Franz, D.R. & W.H. Harris, 1988. Seasonal and spatial variability in macrobenthos communities in Jamaica Bay, New York–an urban estuary. Estuaries 11: 15–28.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Gaston, G.R. & K.A. Edds, 1994. Long-term study of benthic communities on the continental shelf off Cameron, Louisiana: A review of brine effects and hypoxia. Gulf Research Reports 9:57–64.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gaston, G.R. & J.C. Nasci, 1988. Trophic structure of macrobenthic communities in the Calcasieu Estuary, Louisiana. Estuaries 11: 201–211.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gray, J.S., 1974. Animal sediment relationships. Oceanogr. Mar. Biol. Ann. Rev. 12: 223–261.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gunter, G., 1961. Some relations of estuarine organisms to salinity. Limnol. Oceanogr. 6: 182–190.

    Google Scholar 

  • Haas, L.W., 1977. The effect of spring-neap tidal cycle on the vertical salinity structure of the James, York, and Rappahannock Rivers, Virginia, U.S.A.. Est. and Coast. Mar. Sci. 5: 485–496.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hall, S.J., D. Raffaelli & S.F. Thrush, 1994. Patchiness and disturbance in shallow water benthic assemblages. In: P.S. Giller, A.G. Hildrew & D.G. Raffaelli (eds), Aquatic Ecology–Scale, Pattern, and Process. Blackwell Scientific Publications, Boston: 333–375.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hoese, H.D., 1960. Biotic changes in a bay associated with the end of a drought. Limnol. Oceanogr. 5: 326–336.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Holland, J.S., N.J. Maciolek & C.H. Oppenheimer, 1973. Galveston Bay benthic community structure as an indicator of water quality. Contrib. Mar. Sci. 17: 169–188.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Hopkins, S.H., J.W. Anderson & K. Horvath, 1973. The brackish water clam Rangia cuneataas indicator of ecological effects of salinity changes in coastal waters. Texas A&M University, College Station, TX. 250 pp.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ieno, E.N. & R.O. Bastida, 1998. Spatial and temporal patterns in coastal macrobenthos of Samborombon Bay, Argentina: A case study of very low diversity. Estuaries 21(4B): 690–699.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kemp, W.M., P.A. Sampou, J. Garber, J. Tuttle & W.R. Boynton, 1992. Seasonal depletion of oxygen from bottom waters of Chesapeake Bay: roles of benthic and planktonic respiration and physical exchange processes. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. 85: 137–152.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Kinne, O., 1966. Physiological aspects of animal life in estuaries with special reference to salinity. Nether. J. Sea Res. 3: 222–244.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Long, E.R., D.D. McDonald, S.L. Smity & F.D. Calder, 1995. Incidence of adverse biological effects within ranges of chemical concentrations in marine and estuarine sediments. Environ. Manage. 19: 81–95.

    Google Scholar 

  • J.M., J.K. Summers & V.D. Engle. Estimating the ecological condition of the estuaries of the Gulf of Mexico (1991–1994) statistical summary. U.S. EPA Environ. Monit. Assess. Prog. Gulf Breeze, FL. In press.

  • Mahoney, B.M., 1982. Seasonal fluctuations of benthic macrofauna in the Apalachicola Estuary, Florida: Role of predation and larval availability. Doctor of Philosophy Thesis, Department of Biology, Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida.

  • Mayer, M.S., L. Schaffner & W.M. Kemp, 1995. Nitrification potentials of benthic macrofaunal tubes and burrow walls: effects of sediment NH +4 and animal irrigation behavior. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. 121: 157–169.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • McCall, P.L., 1977. Community patterns and adaptive strategies of the infaunal benthos of Long Island Sound. J. Mar. Res. 35: 221–266.

    Google Scholar 

  • McRae, G., D.K. Camp, W.G. Lyons & T.L. Dix, 1998. Relating benthic infaunal community structure to environmental variables in estuaries using nonmetric multidimensional scaling and similarity analysis. Environ. Monitoring and Assessment 51: 233–246.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Neter, J., M.H. Kutner, C.J. Nachtshiem & W. Wasserman, 1996. Applied Linear Statistical Models. 4th edn. Irwin, Inc., Chicago.

  • Nixon, S.W., 1995. Coastal marine eutrophication: A definition, social causes, and future concerns. Ophelia 41: 199–219.

    Google Scholar 

  • Officer, C.B., R.B. Biggs, J.L. Taft, L.E. Cronin, M.A. Tyler & W.R. Boynton, 1984. Chesapeake Bay anoxia: Origin, development, and significance. Science 223(4631): 22–27.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Parker, N.M., 1968. A sedimentologic study of Perdido Bay and adjacent offshore environments. Master of Science Thesis, Florida State University, 57 pp.

  • Pearson, T.H. & R. Rosenberg, 1978. Macrobenthic succession in relation to organic enrichment and pollution of the marine environment. Oceanogr. Mar. Biol. Ann. Rev. 16: 229–311.

    Google Scholar 

  • Peterson, C.H., 1979. Predation, competitive exclusion, and diversity in the soft-sediment benthic communities of estuaries and lagoons. In: R.J. Livingston (ed.), Ecological Processes in Coastal andMarine Systems. Plenum Press, New York: 233–264.

    Google Scholar 

  • Probert, P.K., 1984. Disturbance, sediment stability, and trophic structure of soft-bottom communities. J. Mar. Res. 42: 893–921.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rabalais, N.N., 1992. An updated summary of status and trends in indicators of nutrient enrichment in the Gulf of Mexico. Report to Gulf of Mexico Program, Nutrient Enrichment Subcommittee, Publication No. EPA/800-R-92-004, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Water, Gulf of Mexico Program, Stennis Space Center, Mississippi, 421 pp.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rakocinski, C.F., S.S. Brown, G.R. Gaston, R.W. Heard, W.W. Walker & J.K. Summers, 1997. Macrobenthic responses to natural and contaminant-related gradients in northern Gulf of Mexico estuaries. Ecol. Appl. 7: 1278–1298.

    Google Scholar 

  • Reice, S.R., 1994. Nonequilibrium determinants of biological community structure. Am. Sci. 82: 424–435.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rhoads, D.C., 1974. Organism-sediment relations on the muddy sea floor. Oceanogr. Mar. Biol. Ann. Rev. 12: 263–300.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ritter, C. and P.A. Montagna, 1999. Seasonal hypoxia and models of benthic response in a Texas estuary. Estuaries 22(3): 7–20.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rowe, G.T. & K.L. Smith, 1977. Benthic-pelagic coupling in the mid-Atlantic Bight. In: B.C. Coull (ed.), Ecology of Marine Benthos. University of South Carolina Press, Columbia, SC: 55–66.

    Google Scholar 

  • Santos, S.L. & J.L. Simon, 1980. Response of soft-bottom benthos to annual catastrophic disturbance in a south Florida estuary. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. 3: 347–355.

    Google Scholar 

  • SAS, 1989. SAS/STAT User’s Guide, Version 6, 4th edn. Volumes 1 and 2. SAS Institute, Inc., Cary, NC.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schaffner, L.C., 1990. Small-scale organism distributions and patterns of species diversity: evidence for positive interactions in an estuarine benthic community. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. 61: 107–117.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schelske, C.L. & E.P. Odum, 1962. Mechanisms maintaining high productivity in Georgia estuaries. Proceedings of the Gulf and Caribbean Fisheries Institute 14: 75–80.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schropp, S.J., F.D. Calder, G.M. Slone, K.O. Swanson, J.C. Carlton, G.L. Halcomb, H.L. Windom, F. Huan & R.B. Taylor, 1991. A report on physical and chemical processes affecting the management of Perdido Bay. Results of the Perdido Bay Interstate Project. Alabama Dept. of Environmental Management, Mobile, Alabama, and Florida Dept. Of Environmental Regulation, Coastal Zone Management Section, Tallahassee, Florida, 323 pp.

    Google Scholar 

  • Summers, J.K. & V.D. Engle, 1993. Evaluation of sampling strategies to characterize dissolved oxygen conditions in Gulf of Mexico estuaries. Environ. Monit. Assess. 24: 219–229.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Tenore, K.R., 1972. Macrobenthos of the Pamlico River estuary, North Carolina. Ecological Monographs 42: 51–69.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Thistle, D., 1981. Natural physical disturbances and communities of marine soft bottoms. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. 6: 223–228.

    Google Scholar 

  • U.S. ACOE, 1982. Benthic macroinfauna community characterizations in Mississippi Sound and adjacent waters. 287 pp. Contract No. DACW01-80-C-0427. U.S. Army Engineer District, Mobile, Alabama.

    Google Scholar 

  • U.S. EPA, 1975. Environmental and recovery studies of Escambia Bay and the Pensacola Bay system Florida. 904/9-76-016. Washington, DC.

  • U.S. EPA, 1982. Standard operating procedures. Vol. II, Environmental Biology Section, Ecological Support Branch, Environmental Services Division, Region IV, Athens, Georgia.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wass, M.L., 1967. Biological and physiological basis of indicator organisms and communities. II. Indicators of Pollution. In: T.A. Olsen & F.J. Burgess (eds), John Wiley and Sons, New York: 271–283.

    Google Scholar 

  • Weisberg, S.B., D.M. Dauer, L.C. Schaffner, R.J. Diaz & J.B. Frithsen, 1997. An estuarine benthic index of biotic integrity (B-IBI) for Chesapeake Bay. Estuaries 20: 149–158.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Whitledge, T.E., 1985. Nationwide review of oxygen depletion and eutrophication in estuarine and coastal waters. Executive summary. Report to U.S. Dept. Of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Ocean Service, Office of Oceanography and Marine Assessment, Ocean Assessment Division. Brookhaven National Laboratory, Oceanographic Sciences Division, Upton, New York, 28 pp. (F-9 through G-27).

    Google Scholar 

  • Wiens, J.A., 1989. Spatial scaling in ecology. Funct. Ecol. 3: 385–397.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zajac, R.N. & R.B. Whitlatch, 1982. Responses of estuarine infauna to disturbance. II. Spatial and temporal variation of succession. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. 10: 15–27.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Author notes

  1. David A. Flemer

    Present address: Office of Water, Office of Science & Technology, Health & Criteria Division, U.S. EnvironmentalProtection Agency, 401 M St.,SW, Washington, DC, 20460, U.S.A.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. GulfEcology Division, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 1 Sabine Island Drive, Gulf Breeze, FL, 32561, U.S.A.

    David A. Flemer

  2. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region IV, In care of: Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, P.O. Box 500368, Marathon, FL, 33050, U.S.A.

    William L. Kruczynski

  3. Florida Department ofEnvironmental Protection Water Facilities, 160Governmental Center, Pensacola, FL, 32501, U.S.A.

    Barbara F. Ruth

  4. Department of Mathematics and Statistics, Universityof West Florida, Pensacola, FL, 32514, U.S.A.

    Charles M. Bundrick

Authors
  1. David A. Flemer
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. William L. Kruczynski
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Barbara F. Ruth
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Charles M. Bundrick
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Flemer, D.A., Kruczynski, W.L., Ruth, B.F. et al. The relative influence of hypoxia, anoxia, andassociated environmental factors as determinants ofmacrobenthic community structure in aNorthern Gulf of Mexico estuary. Journal of Aquatic Ecosystem Stress and Recovery 6, 311–327 (1998). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1009997713109

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1009997713109

Search

Navigation