Presentation Abstract
Since 1989, Ecology’s Marine Sediment Monitoring Program has collected data to assess the condition of Puget Sound’s sediment-dwelling invertebrate communities (benthos). These long-term data reveal declines in benthos abundance and taxa richness in parts of Puget Sound that do not appear to be correlated with concentrations of chemical contaminants in the sediment. In 2016, a biomass and size classification component was added to the suite of benthic community indices analyzed, as part of a large-scale program redesign intended to shed more light on alternate causes of declining benthos, such as climate change and nutrient enrichment. Benthic invertebrate biomass not only influences rates of nutrient cycling in the sediment (as organisms feed and bioturbate), but also relates to the contribution of planktonic larvae to the marine food web. Biomass estimates can provide valuable information on size structure within benthic communities not captured by abundance data alone, and may help us understand the effects of various stressors on the size and development of individual organisms. This poster will present a spatial distribution of benthic invertebrate biomass from the 2016 Long-term Monitoring Program, which will serve as a baseline for future monitoring efforts and allow for the examination of relationships between biological communities and the physical processes that govern them.
Session Title
Posters: Species & Food Webs
Keywords
benthic invertebrates, benthos, biomass, sediment, monitoring
Conference Track
SSE18: Posters
Conference Name
Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference (2018 : Seattle, Wash.)
Document Type
Event
SSEC Identifier
SSE18-113
Start Date
5-4-2018 11:30 AM
End Date
5-4-2018 1:30 PM
Type of Presentation
Poster
Genre/Form
conference proceedings; presentations (communicative events); posters
Contributing Repository
Digital content made available by University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University.
Subjects – Topical (LCSH)
Benthic animals--Washington (State)--Puget Sound; Marine sediments--Sampling--Washington (State)--Puget Sound; Marine ecosystem health--Washington (State)--Puget Sound
Geographic Coverage
Salish Sea (B.C. and Wash.); Puget Sound (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
Fresh Water Studies Commons, Marine Biology Commons, Natural Resources and Conservation Commons, Terrestrial and Aquatic Ecology Commons
Spatial distribution of benthic macroinvertebrate biomass in Puget Sound: establishing a baseline
Since 1989, Ecology’s Marine Sediment Monitoring Program has collected data to assess the condition of Puget Sound’s sediment-dwelling invertebrate communities (benthos). These long-term data reveal declines in benthos abundance and taxa richness in parts of Puget Sound that do not appear to be correlated with concentrations of chemical contaminants in the sediment. In 2016, a biomass and size classification component was added to the suite of benthic community indices analyzed, as part of a large-scale program redesign intended to shed more light on alternate causes of declining benthos, such as climate change and nutrient enrichment. Benthic invertebrate biomass not only influences rates of nutrient cycling in the sediment (as organisms feed and bioturbate), but also relates to the contribution of planktonic larvae to the marine food web. Biomass estimates can provide valuable information on size structure within benthic communities not captured by abundance data alone, and may help us understand the effects of various stressors on the size and development of individual organisms. This poster will present a spatial distribution of benthic invertebrate biomass from the 2016 Long-term Monitoring Program, which will serve as a baseline for future monitoring efforts and allow for the examination of relationships between biological communities and the physical processes that govern them.
