Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

The influence of estuarine water quality on cover of barnacles and Enteromorpha spp.

  • Published:
Environmental Monitoring and Assessment Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The influence of ambient water quality on the settlement of barnacles and the green alga Enteromorpha spp. to an artificial substratum in the estuaries of Sydney, Australia, was investigated to test the efficacy of both groups of organisms as indicators of changes in water quality due to urban stormwater runoff and/or sewage overflows. Wooden settlement panels were immersed for 4 months on 17 occasions between 1996 and 2005 at 11 locations known to vary in water-quality parameters (conductivity, total uncombined ammonia, oxidised nitrogen, total nitrogen, filterable phosphorus, total phosphorus, faecal coliforms and chlorophyll-a) and ambient meteorological conditions (total rainfall, maximum rainfall). Water-quality data were collected during the time that the settlement panels were deployed. Cover of barnacles was highly variable among locations (range 1.2–55.2%). Hierarchical partitioning found that chlorophyll-a, total phosphorus and total nitrogen had significant independent positive effects on barnacle cover. Together, these variables explained 26% of the variation in barnacle cover. Mean cover of Enteromorpha spp., however, did not vary significantly among locations suggesting that other potentially more important factors are influencing its settlement and growth. The results of this study suggest that barnacle cover is likely to be a useful indicator of some components of water quality.

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

  • Anderson, M. J. & Underwood, A. J (1994). Effects of substratum on the recruitment and development of an intertidal estuarine fouling assemblage. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology, 184, 217–236.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • APHA [American Public Health Association, American Water Works Association and Water Pollution Control Federation] (1998). Standard methods for the examination of water and wastewater, 20th Edition. Washington DC: American Public Health Association.

  • AWT - Ensight (1996). Biological Indicators Pilot Studies—May 1994 to December 1995. Prepared for Clean Waterways Programme, Sydney Water Corporation.

  • Atilla, N. (2000). Meiofaunal colonization of artificial substrates in an estuarine embayment. Marine Ecology, 21, 69–83.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Barr, N. G., & Rees, T. A. V. (2003). Nitrogen status and metabolism in the green seaweed Enteromorpha intestinalis: An examination of three natural populations. Marine Ecology Progress Series, 249, 133–144.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bellgrove, A., Clayton, M. N., & Quinn, G. P. (1997). Effects of secondarily treated sewage effluent on intertidal macroalgal recruitment processes. Marine and Freshwater Research, 48, 137–46.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Bertness, M. D., Gaines, S. D., Bermudez, D., & Sanford, E. (1991). Extreme spatial variation in the growth and reproductive output of the acorn barnacle Semibalanus balanoides. Marine Ecology Progress Series, 75, 91–100.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Browne, K. A., & Zimmer, R. K. (2001). Controlled field release of a waterborne chemical signal stimulates planktonic larvae to settle. The Biological Bulletin, 200, 87–91.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Bulleri, F., & Chapman, M. G. (2004). Intertidal assemblages on artificial and natural habitats in marinas on the north-west coast of Italy. Marine Biology, 145, 381–391.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bulleri, F., Chapman, M. G., & Underwood, A. J. (2005). Intertidal assemblages on seawalls and vertical rocky shores in Sydney Harbour, Australia. Austral Ecology, 30, 655–667.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cadotte, M. W., & Fukami, T. (2005). Dispersal, spatial scale, and species diversity in a hierarchically structured experimental landscape. Ecology Letters, 8, 548–557.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cadotte, M. W., Drake, J. A., & Fukami, T. (2005). Constructing nature: Laboratory models as necessary tools for investigating complex ecological communities. Advanced Ecological Research, 37, 333–353.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Caffey, H. M. (1985). Spatial and temporal variation in settlement and recruitment of intertidal barnacles. Ecological Monographs, 55, 313–332.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Calcagno, J. A., López Gappa, J., & Tablado, A. (1998). Population dynamics of the barnacle Balanus amphitrite in an intertidal area affected by sewage pollution. Journal of Crustacean Biology, 18, 128–137.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chevan, A., & Sutherland, M. (1991). Hierarchical Partitioning. American Statistician, 45, 90–96.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cohen, R. A., & Fong, P. (2004). Nitrogen uptake and assimilation in Enteromorpha intestinalis (L.) Link (Chlorophyta): Using 15N to determine preference during simultaneous pulses of nitrate and ammonium. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology, 309, 67–77.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Cohen, R. A., & Fong, P. (2005). Experimental evidence supports the use of δ 15N content of the opportunistic green macroalga Enteromorpha intestinalis (Chlorophyta) to determine nitrogen sources to estuaries. Journal of Phycology, 41, 287–293.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Cohen, R. A., & Fong, P. (2006). Using opportunistic green macroalgae as indicators of nitrogen supply as sources to estuaries. Ecological Applications, 16, 1405–1420.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Courtenay, G., Gladstone, W., & Schreider, M. (2005). Assessing the response of estuarine intertidal assemblages to urbanised catchment discharge. Environmental Monitoring and Assessment, 107, 375–398.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Das, P., Marchesiello, P., & Middleton, J. H. (2000). Numerical modelling of tide-induced residual circulation in Sydney Harbour. Marine and Freshwater Research, 51, 97–112.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Day, J. W., Hall, C. A. S., & Kemp, W. M. (1989). Estuarine ecology. New Jersey: Wiley.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dean, T. A., & Hurd, L. E. (1980). Development in an estuarine fouling community: The influence of early colonists on later animals. Oecologia, 46, 295–301.

    Google Scholar 

  • Desai, D. V., Anil, A. C., & Venkat, K. (2006). Reproduction in Balanus amphitrite Darwin (Cirripedia: Thoracica): Influence of temperature and food concentration. Marine Biology, 149, 1431–1441.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • DiDonato, G. T., Stewart, J. R., Sanger, D. M., Robinson, B. J., Thompson, B. C., Frederick Holland, A. et al. (2009). Effects of changing land use on the microbial water quality of tidal creeks. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 58, 97–106.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Egan, E. A., & Anderson, D. T. (1986). Larval development of Balanus amphitrite Darwin and Balanus variegates Darwin (Cirripedia, Balanidae) from New South Wales, Australia. Crustaceana, 51, 188–207.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ellien, C., Thiébaut, E., Dumas, F., Salomon, J., & Nival, P. (2004). A modelling study of the respective role of hydrodynamic processes and larval mortality on larval dispersal and recruitment of benthic invertebrates: Example of Pectinaria koreni (Annelida: Polychaeta) in the Bay of Seine (English Channel). Journal of Plankton Research, 26, 117–132.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fairfull, S. J. L., & Harriott, V. J. (1999). Succession, space and coral recruitment in a subtropical fouling community. Marine and Freshwater Research, 50, 235–240.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fairweather, P. G. (1991). Implications of “supply-side” ecology for environmental assessment and management. Trends in Ecology and Evolution, 6, 60–63.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Fairweather, P. G. (1999). Determining the ‘health’ of estuaries: Priorities for ecological research. Australian Journal of Ecology, 24, 441–451.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fletcher, R. L., & Callow, M. E. (1992). The settlement, attachment and establishment of marine algal spores. British Phycology Journal, 27, 303–329.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fong, P., Boyer, K. E., & Zedler, J. B. (1998). Developing an indicator of nutrient enrichment in coastal estuaries and lagoons using tissue nitrogen content of the opportunistic alga, Enteromorpha intestinalis (L. Link). Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology, 231, 63–79.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fong, P., Fong, J. J., & Fong, C. R. (2004). Growth, nutrient storage, and release of dissolved organic nitrogen by Enteromorpha intestinalis in response to pulses of nitrogen and phosphorus. Aquatic Botany, 78, 83–95.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Fry, B., Gace, A., & McClelland, J. W. (2003). Chemical indicators of anthropogenic nitrogen loading in four Pacific estuaries. Pacific Science, 57, 77–101.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Gombach, M., Bressan, G., & Seriani, M. (1992). Microfouling Seasonality in a locality of the Gulf of Trieste (1986–1988). In R. A. Vollenweider, R. Marchetti, & R. Viviani (Eds.), Marine Coastal Eutrophication (pp. 441–443). Oxford: Elsevier.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hargrave, B. T. (1991). Impacts of man’s activities on aquatic systems. In R. S. K. Barnes, & K. H. Mann (Eds.), Fundamentals of aquatic ecology (pp. 245–264). Oxford: Blackwell.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hentschel, B. T., & Emlet, R. B. (2000). Metamorphosis of barnacle nauplii: Effects of food variability and a comparison with amphibian models. Ecology, 81, 3495–3508.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hindell, J. S., & Quinn, G. P. (2000). Effects of sewage effluent on the population structure of Brachidontes rostratus (Mytilidae) on a temperate intertidal rocky shore. Marine and Freshwater Research, 51, 543–51.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Hunter, P. R. (2002). Does calculation of the 95th percentile of microbiological results offer any advantage over percentage exceedence in determining compliance with bathing water quality standards. Letters in Applied Microbiology, 34, 283–286.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Jarrett, J. N., & Pechenik, J. A. (1997). Temporal variation in cyprid quality and juvenile growth capacity for an intertidal barnacle. Ecology, 78, 1262–1265.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jones, A. B., O’Donohue, M. J., Udy, J., & Dennison, W. C. (2001). Assessing ecological impacts of shrimp and sewage effluent: Biological indicators with standard water quality analyses. Estuarine and Coastal Shelf Science, 52, 91–109.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Kamer, K., & Fong, P. (2001). Nitrogen enrichment ameliorates the negative effects of reduced salinity on the green macroalga Enteromorpha intestinalis. Marine Ecology Progress Series, 218, 87–93.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Kennish, M. J. (1992). Ecology of estuaries: Anthropogenic effects. Boca Raton: CRC.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kennish, M. J. (2002). Environmental threats and environmental future of estuaries. Environmental Conservation, 29, 78–107.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Keough, M. J. (1998). Responses of settling invertebrate larvae to the presence of established recruits. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology, 231, 1–19.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Loeb, S. L. (1994). An ecological context for biological monitoring. In S. L. Loeb, & A. Spacie (Eds.), Biological monitoring of aquatic systems (pp. 3–7). Boca Raton: Lewis.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lopez, C., & Dates, G. (1998). The efforts of community volunteers in assessing watershed ecosystem health. In D. Rapport, R. Costanza, P. R. Epstein, C. Gaudet, & R. Levins (Eds.), Ecosystem health (pp. 103–128). Oxford: Blackwell.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lotze, H. K., Worm, B., & Sommer, U. (2000). Propagule banks, herbivory and nutrient supply control population development and dominance patterns in macroalgal blooms. Oikos, 89, 46–58.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • MacNally, R. (2000). Regression and model building in conservation biology, biogeography and ecology: The distinction between—and the reconciliation of—‘predictive’ and ‘explanatory’ models. Biodiversity and Conservation, 9, 655–671.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • MacNally, R. (2002). Multiple regression and inference in ecology and conservation biology: Further comments on identifying important predictor variables. Biodiversity and Conservation, 11, 1397–1401.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mann, K. H. (2000). Ecology of coastal waters. Oxford: Blackwell.

    Google Scholar 

  • Martins, I., Oliveira, J. M., Flindt, M. R., & Marques, J. C. (1999). The effect of salinity on the growth rate of the macroalgae Enteromorpha intestinalis (Chlorophyta) in the Mondego estuary (west Portugal). Acta Oecologica, 20, 259–265.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McGuiness, K. A. (1989). Effects of some natural and artificial substrata on sessile marine organisms at Galeta Reef, Panama. Marine Ecology Progress Series, 52, 201–208.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Moreira, J. (2006). Patterns of occurrence of grazing molluscs on sandstone and concrete seawalls in Sydney Harbour (Australia). Molluscan Research, 26, 51–60.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nordby, C. S., & Zedler, J. B. (1991). Responses of Fish and Macrobenthic Assemblages to Hydrologic Disturbances in Tijuana Estuary and Los Peňasquitos lagoon, California. Estuaries, 14, 80–93.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Olivier, F., Tremblay, R., Bourget, E., & Rittschof, D. (2000). Barnacle settlement: Field experiments on the influence of larval supply, tidal level, biofilm quality and age on Balanus amphitrite cyprids. Marine Ecology Progress Series, 199, 185–204.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Paerl, H. W., Pinckney, J. L., Fear, J. M., & Peierls, B. L. (1998). Ecosystem responses to internal and watershed organic matter loading: Consequences for hypoxia in the eutrophying Neuse River Estuary, North Carolina, USA. Marine Ecology Progress Series, 166, 17–25.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Pech, D., Ardisson, P. L., & Bourget, E. (2002). Settlement of a tropical marine epibenthic assemblage on artificial panels: Influence of substratum heterogeneity and complexity scales. Estuarine and Coastal Shelf Science, 55, 743–750.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pierson, W. L., Bishop, K., Van Senden, D., Horton, P. R., & Adamantidis, C. A. (2002). Environmental Flows Initiative Technical Report: Environmental Water Requirements to Maintain Estuarine Processes. Canberra: Environment Australia.

    Google Scholar 

  • Quinn, G. P., & Keough, M. J. (2002). Experimental design and data analysis for biologists. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ross, P. M. (2001). Larval supply, settlement and survival of barnacles in a temperate mangrove forest. Marine Ecology Progress Series, 215, 237–249.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Saiz-Salinas, J. I., & González-Oreja, J. A. (2000). Stress in estuarine communities: Lessons from the highly-impacted Bilbao estuary (Spain). Journal of Aquatic Ecosystem Stress and Recovery, 7, 43–55.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Sanford, E., & Menge, B. A. (2001). Spatial and temporal variation in barnacle growth in a coastal upwelling system. Marine Ecology Progress Series, 209, 143–157.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Satumanatpan, S., Keough, M. J., & Watson, G. F. (1999). Role of settlement in determining the distribution and abundance of barnacles in a temperate mangrove forest. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology, 241, 45–66.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Scammell, M., & Besley, C. (1995). Biological indicators pilot study: Intertidal settlement - June 1995, Prepared for Clean Waterways Programme, Sydney Water Corporation, Report No. 95/79.

  • Sousa, A. I., Martins, I., Lillebø, A. I., Flindt, M. R., & Pardal, M. A. (2007). Influence of salinity, nutrients and light on the germination and growth of Enteromorpha sp. spores. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology, 341, 142–150.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Starr, M., Himmelman, J. H., & Therriault, J. (1991). Coupling of nauplii release in barnacles with phytoplankton blooms: A parallel strategy to that of spawning in urchins and mussels. Journal of Plankton Research, 13, 561–571.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tamburri, M. N., Finelli, C. M., Wethey, D. S., & Zimmer-Faust, R. K. (1996). Chemical Induction of Larval Settlement Behavior in Flow. The Biological Bulletin, 191, 367–373.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Thiyagarajan, V., Hung, O. S., Chiu, J. M. Y., Wu, R. S. S., & Qian, P. Y. (2005). Growth and survival of juvenile barnacle Balanus amphitrite: Interactive effects of cyprid energy reserve and habitat. Marine Ecology Progress Series, 299, 229–237.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Thrush, S. F., Hewitt, J. E., Cummings, V. J., Green, M. O., Funnell, G. A., & Wilkinson, M. R. (2000). The generality of field experiments: Interactions between local and broad-scale processes. Ecology, 81, 399–415.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tremblay, R., Olivier, F., Bourget, E., and Rittschof, D. (2007). Physiological condition of Balanus amphitrite cyprid larvae determines habitat selection success. Marine Ecology Progress Series, 340, 1–8.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Underwood, A. J. (1997). Experiments in ecology: Their logical design and interpretation using analysis of variance. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • UNESCO (1980). UNESCO Technical Papers in Marine Science 1978. Journal of Oceanographic Engineering, Vol.OE-5, No.1, January 1980.

  • Valiela, I. (1991). Ecology of coastal ecosystems. In R. S. K. Barnes, & K. H. Mann (Eds.), Fundamentals of aquatic ecology (pp. 57–76). Oxford: Blackwell.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Van Dolah, R. F., Riekerk, G. H. M., Bergquist, D. C., Felber, J., Chestnut, D. E., & Fredrick Holland, A. (2008). Estuarine habitat quality reflects urbanization at large spatial scales in South Carolina’s coastal zone. Science of The Total Environment, 390, 142–154.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Walsh, C., & MacNally R. (2004). The hier.part package’ available at http://cran.r-project.org/web/packages/hier.part/hier.part.pdf. Accessed 6 August 2008.

  • Wisely, B., & Blick, R. A. P. (1964). Seasonal abundance of first stage nauplii in 10 species of barnacles at Sydney. Australian Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research, 15, 162–171.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Worm, B., & Lotze, H. K. (2006). Effects of eutrophication, grazing, and algal blooms on rocky shores. Limnology and Oceanography, 51, 569–579.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Author notes

  1. William Gladstone

    Present address: Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Technology, Broadway, P.O. Box 123, Sydney, 2007, NSW, Australia

Authors and Affiliations

  1. coEco, 40 Hillcrest St, Terrigal, 2260, NSW, Australia

    Glenn Courtenay

  2. School of Environmental and Life Sciences, University of Newcastle, P.O. Box 127, Ourimbah, 2258, NSW, Australia

    William Gladstone

  3. Sydney Water Corporation, P.O. Box 399, Parramatta, 2124, NSW, Australia

    Marcus Scammell, Renée Kidson & Julie Wood

Authors
  1. Glenn Courtenay
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. William Gladstone
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Marcus Scammell
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Renée Kidson
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Julie Wood
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Glenn Courtenay.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Courtenay, G., Gladstone, W., Scammell, M. et al. The influence of estuarine water quality on cover of barnacles and Enteromorpha spp.. Environ Monit Assess 175, 685–697 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-010-1561-x

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-010-1561-x

Keywords

Search

Navigation