Hypoxia in Chesapeake Bay Tributaries: Worsening effects on Macrobenthic Community Structure in the York River |
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| Authors: | William Christopher Long Rochelle Diane Seitz |
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| Institution: | (1) School of Marine Science, Virginia Institute of Marine Science, The College of William and Mary, P.O. Box 1346, Gloucester Pt, VA 23062, USA;(2) Smithsonian Environmental Research Center, 647 Contees Wharf Rd., Edgewater, MD 21037, USA |
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| Abstract: | We assessed the effects of hypoxia on macrobenthic communities in the York and Rappahannock Rivers, Chesapeake Bay, in box-core
samples before and after hypoxic episodes in 2003 and 2004. Hypoxia occurred in both years and was associated with a decrease
in biomass and a shift in community structure toward opportunistic species in both rivers. Long-term data indicate that the
frequency of hypoxia in the York has increased over the last 22 years. In previous work from ∼20 years ago, the macrobenthic
community structure did not change in response to hypoxia in the York; however, in the present study hypoxia was associated
with a reduction in community biomass and a change in community structure. We conclude that currently hypoxia is a more important
environmental problem in the York than in previous years. Hypoxia likely negatively affects the estuarine food web, as lower
macrobenthic biomass could decrease food availability to epibenthic predators. |
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