Presentation Abstract
Puget Sound benthic infaunal invertebrate assemblages (benthos) have been sampled and characterized for eight regions and six urban bays as part of the Puget Sound Ecosystem Monitoring Program (PSEMP) since 1997. A suite of structural abundance and diversity indices, and an overarching Benthic Index, have been applied to the benthos data to illustrate and interpret community condition both spatially and temporally throughout the Sound. In general, community composition varies between locations, and significant declines in condition have been observed for most of the resampled study areas. Relational analyses conducted on baseline data collected from 1997-1999 showed correspondence between community structure, station depth, and the related variables of sediment particle size and percent total organic carbon; however, no clear relationship was seen between community structure and levels of toxic contaminants in the sediments. To better understand the mechanisms driving community composition and its changes over time, feeding guild and functional role classifications have been assigned to 1,589 benthic taxa and applied to all benthos data. All benthos data collected from 1997-2012 have been reexamined to recharacterize the regional and urban bay benthic assemblages on a functional, rather than structural level. Relationships are examined between these functional measures of benthic assemblages and their associated suite of physical and chemical sediment measurements. Results will be discussed, along with a discussion of other environmental measures which may affect benthos community composition, including water column parameters, phytoplankton shifts, nutrient conditions, and chemicals of concern not currently measured by the PSEMP.
Session Title
Session S-03A: Changes in Salish Sea Water Quality
Conference Track
Marine Water Quality
Conference Name
Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference (2014 : Seattle, Wash.)
Document Type
Event
Start Date
30-4-2014 3:30 PM
End Date
30-4-2014 5:00 PM
Location
Room 615-616-617
Genre/Form
conference proceedings; presentations (communicative events)
Contributing Repository
Digital content made available by University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University.
Subjects – Topical (LCSH)
Benthos--Ecology--Washington (State)--Puget Sound
Geographic Coverage
Puget Sound (Wash.); Salish Sea (B.C. and Wash.)
Rights
This resource is displayed for educational purposes only and may be subject to U.S. and international copyright laws. For more information about rights or obtaining copies of this resource, please contact University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University, Bellingham, WA 98225-9103, USA (360-650-7534; heritage.resources@wwu.edu) and refer to the collection name and identifier. Any materials cited must be attributed to the Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference Records, University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University.
Type
Text
Language
English
Format
application/pdf
Included in
Characterizing changes in Puget Sound benthic infaunal invertebrate assemblages: A functional approach
Room 615-616-617
Puget Sound benthic infaunal invertebrate assemblages (benthos) have been sampled and characterized for eight regions and six urban bays as part of the Puget Sound Ecosystem Monitoring Program (PSEMP) since 1997. A suite of structural abundance and diversity indices, and an overarching Benthic Index, have been applied to the benthos data to illustrate and interpret community condition both spatially and temporally throughout the Sound. In general, community composition varies between locations, and significant declines in condition have been observed for most of the resampled study areas. Relational analyses conducted on baseline data collected from 1997-1999 showed correspondence between community structure, station depth, and the related variables of sediment particle size and percent total organic carbon; however, no clear relationship was seen between community structure and levels of toxic contaminants in the sediments. To better understand the mechanisms driving community composition and its changes over time, feeding guild and functional role classifications have been assigned to 1,589 benthic taxa and applied to all benthos data. All benthos data collected from 1997-2012 have been reexamined to recharacterize the regional and urban bay benthic assemblages on a functional, rather than structural level. Relationships are examined between these functional measures of benthic assemblages and their associated suite of physical and chemical sediment measurements. Results will be discussed, along with a discussion of other environmental measures which may affect benthos community composition, including water column parameters, phytoplankton shifts, nutrient conditions, and chemicals of concern not currently measured by the PSEMP.
