On the ecology of oligochaetes: Monthly variation of community composition and environmental characteristics in two South Carolina tidal creeks |
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| Authors: | David J Gillett A Frederick Holland Denise M Sanger |
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| Institution: | 1.Grice Marine Biological Laboratory,Charleston;2.Hollings Marine Laboratory,Charleston;3.South Carolina Department of Natural Resources Marine Resources Research Institute,Charleston |
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| Abstract: | In the tidal creeks of the southeastern United States, the numerically and ecologically dominant macrobenthic organisms are
typically oligochaetes. Due to their relatively small size and difficult taxonomy, little is known about the short-term and
seasonal changes in the oligochaetes of tidal creeks. This study presents a report of the spatial and temporal changes of
the oligochaete taxa within and between two tidal creeks in southern South Carolina, at monthly intervals over a 13-month
period. These changes are framed within the reference of monthly changes in benthic chlorophylla, sediment composition, and porewater ammonia, as well as in the perspective of seasonal changes in the entire tidal creek
macrobenthic community. The most abundant oligochaete found in this study was the tubificidMonopylephorus rubroniveus, followed by the naidParanais litoralis and the tubificidsTubificoides heterochaetus andT. brownae. All of the oligochaetes exhibited strong month-to-month and spatial changes, indicative of changes in water quality and
sediment habitat characteristics (e.g., low dissolved oxygen, high benthic chlorophylla). There were significant correlations between the abundance of most species and either benthic chlorophylla concentration or the silt-clay fraction of the sediment. Looking at short-term changes in this rapidly changing component
of the macrobenthic community provides insight not only into the ecology of the oligochaetes, but also into the changes in
the tidal creek ecosystem and their potential effects on other biota. |
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