Can the leaf-bag technique detect benthic macrofauna responses to sediment contamination by metals and metalloids in estuaries?. Issue 1 (15th November 2017)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Lopes, Marta Lobão; Rodrigues, Ana Maria; Quintino, Victor
• Is Part Of: Marine pollution bulletin. Volume 124:Issue 1(2017)
• Page Start: 171
• Page End: 180
• Publication Date: 2017-11-15
• Subjects: Metal contamination -- Phragmites australis -- Fucus vesiculosus -- Macroinvertebrate communities -- Ecological quality assessment -- Ria de Aveiro; Marine pollution -- Periodicals; Marine Biology -- Periodicals; Water Pollution -- Periodicals; Mer -- Pollution -- Périodiques; Publications périodiques; Pollution des mers; Lutte antipollution; Electronic journals; 363.7394
• DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2017.07.027
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0025-326X

Abstract

Abstract: The Estarreja Channel, Ria de Aveiro, Portugal, received industrial effluents for over 70 years. Despite the discharges stopped a decade ago, a recent study showed negative ecological effects still associated with the metal and metalloid contaminated sediments. In contaminated versus reference channels, this study compared the benthic macrofauna collected with corer and mesh-bags for community structure and synthesis descriptors, namely taxa richness (S), Shannon-Wiener diversity (H′), taxonomic (AMBI and M-AMBI) and non-taxonomic (ISS) biotic indices and functional indicators (decomposition rates). The corer infauna dominated community and the associated S, H′, M-AMBI and ISS indices detected significant differences between contaminated and reference channels, otherwise undistinguished by the decomposition rates and the mesh-bags epifauna dominated community and associated indices. This suggests that sediment contamination in the deeper layers is not being transferred to the surface layers, explaining the non-affectation of the benthic macrofauna communities sampled in the leaf-bags. Highlights: Benthic descriptors in contaminated and reference channels were compared. The benthic community was sampled with corer and leaf-bags. The biomass loss and the decay rates of a macrophyte and an alga were studied. Taxonomic (AMBI and M-AMBI) and non-taxonomic (ISS) indices were applied. The fauna of the leaf-bags were not able to identify the sediment contamination.