Skip to main content

IMIS

A new integrated search interface will become available in the next phase of marineinfo.org.
For the time being, please use IMIS to search available data

 

[ report an error in this record ]basket (1): add | show Print this page

one publication added to basket [367347]
Macrozoobenthic diversity along an oxygen gradient in the deep trough of the Gulf of St. Lawrence (Canada)
Zettler, M.L.; Pollehne, F. (2023). Macrozoobenthic diversity along an oxygen gradient in the deep trough of the Gulf of St. Lawrence (Canada). Diversity 15(7): 854. https://dx.doi.org/10.3390/d15070854
In: Diversity. MDPI: Basel. ISSN 1424-2818; e-ISSN 1424-2818, more
Peer reviewed article  

Available in  Authors 

Keyword
    Marine/Coastal
Author keywords
    biodiversity; hypoxia; stress; macrofauna

Authors  Top 
  • Zettler, M.L., more
  • Pollehne, F.

Abstract
    In 2015, we studied the macrozoobenthic community composition along a dissolved oxygen gradient in the deep trough of the Gulf of St. Lawrence (Canada). We sampled the seabed at nine stations using box corers (three replicates per station), starting in the outer Gulf and ending in the Lower St. Lawrence River Estuary. We found four different communities dominated by polychaetes, crustaceans, and molluscs, with the emphasis shifting from mollusc to polychaete communities as oxygen saturation decreased. Contrary to our expectations, the stations furthest upstream in the estuary with the lowest oxygen saturation levels had the highest species diversity, and also the highest density and biomass values. Key genera of the hypoxic zone included bivalves (Thyasira), cumaceans (Diastylis), amphipods (Harpinia), and polychaetes such as Ampharete, Ceratocephale, Galathowenia, and Trochochaeta. We attribute this to the stability of the environmental conditions and the absence of stress, where the constant supply of oxygen, even at low concentrations, seems to be more important than the absolute oxygen concentration.

All data in the Integrated Marine Information System (IMIS) is subject to the VLIZ privacy policy Top | Authors