Consistent patterns of variation in macrobenthic assemblages and environmental variables over multiple spatial scales...

Area of Science:

• Ecology
• Environmental Science
• Marine Biology

Background:

• Transitional water systems are ecologically significant but sensitive to environmental changes.
• Understanding spatial variability of environmental factors and macrobenthos is crucial for effective management.
• Macrobenthic communities serve as key indicators of ecosystem health.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the spatial variability of environmental factors and macrobenthos in intertidal sediments.
• To determine if macrobenthic functional groups can serve as reliable surrogates for species-level analysis.
• To explore the relationships between key environmental variables and macrobenthic assemblage structure.

Main Methods:

• Examined spatial variability of environmental factors and macrobenthos across scales from centimeters to over 100 kilometers.
• Utilized both species and functional group approaches for macrobenthic assessment.
• Analyzed environmental data including total carbon, salinity, and silt/clay content.

Main Results:

• Environmental variables, diversity, and assemblage structure exhibited highest variability at the 10s of kilometers scale.
• Macrobenthic abundance showed greater variability at the 10s of meters scale.
• Consistent patterns were observed between species and functional group analyses, supporting functional groups as surrogates.
• Total carbon, salinity, and silt/clay content were strongly correlated with macrobenthic assemblages.

Conclusions:

• Macrobenthic functional groups can serve as effective species surrogates in transitional water systems.
• Spatial variability patterns are scale-dependent for different ecological metrics.
• Environmental monitoring programs can be improved by considering scale-dependent variability and refining environmental sampling strategies.
• Findings support better detection of anthropogenic disturbances in transitional ecosystems.