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The influence of dry-season conditions on the bottom dwelling fauna of an east Australian sub-tropical estuary

journal contribution
posted on 2017-12-06, 00:00 authored by DR Currie, Kirsty Small
Spatial patterns in benthic in faunal community structure of Port Curtis estuary (north-eastern Australia) were determined from quantitative grab samples and examined in relation to environmental variables. A total of 149 riverine, estuarine and open coastal stations were sampled during the winter survey, and 5744 individuals from 466 species identified. Filter-feeding organisms (primarily polychaetes, molluscs and crustaceans) dominated the benthos, and accounted for 50% of the total species abundance and 30% of the total species richness. Most taxa were uncommon, and 98% of species individually represented less than 2% of the total abundance. Distributional patterns in total species richness and abundance were highly correlated, and both parameters varied significantly with sediment grain size. Numbers of species and individuals were typically highest in coarse-sand and gravel sediments, and were lowest in fine, well-sorted, sands. Cluster analysis of species abundance data revealed nine community groupings characterised by small species sub-sets with restricted distributions. These groupings were primarily related to sediment grain size, sediment organic carbon content, salinity and depth. Not all variation in community structure was explained by these environmental variables, and it is likely that other unmeasured factors play an important role in determining benthic faunal composition in the estuary.

Funding

Category 1 - Australian Competitive Grants (this includes ARC, NHMRC)

History

Volume

560

Issue

1

Start Page

345

End Page

361

Number of Pages

17

eISSN

1573-5117

ISSN

0018-8158

Location

Netherlands

Publisher

Springer Verlag

Language

en-aus

Peer Reviewed

  • Yes

Open Access

  • No

Acceptance Date

2005-12-03

Era Eligible

  • Yes

Journal

Hydrobiologia