Macroinvertebrates of a rocky shore in the freshwater tidal Hudson River

We studied the macroinvertebrate fauna of a rocky shore in the freshwater tidal Hudson River during 1992–1994, the early years of the zebra mussel (Dreissena polymorpha) invasion. The macroinvertebrate community was numerically dominated by chironomids, nematodes, oligochaetes, gastropods, zebra mussels, and planarian flatworms. The community was a mixture of species typical of stony warm water rivers and lake shores, freshwater generalists, and semiterrestrial species. Overall macroinvertebrate densities were moderate to low (2,800–14,600 m⁻²). Density was a strong function of season and elevation, with consistently low densities in the early spring and in the intertidal zone. This pattern suggests that physical harshness (alternating submergence and desiccation;ice and low temperatures) limits the distribution of invertebrates at this site. Zebra mussels occurred at our study site chiefly below the low tide mark, but only at moderate abundance (usually <1,000 m⁻²). A weak correlation between the densities of zebra mussels and those of other macroinvertebrates nonetheless suggests that the zebra mussel invasion may have affected community structure.     

Dynamics of epiphytic photoautotrophs and heterotrophs inZostera marina (eelgrass) microcosms: Responses to nutrient enrichment and grazing

The combined effects of nutrient enrichment and grazing by isopods and amphipods on abundances of seagrass epiphytes were tested inZostera marina L. (eelgrass) microcosms. Using epifluorescence microscopy, densities of epiphytic diatoms, cyanobacteria, heterotrophic flagellates, and heterotrophic bacteria were enumerated after 1 mo and 2 mo of treatment. In general, numbers of diatoms decreased, in the presence of grazers and showed little response to nutrient enrichment, whereas numbers of cyanobacteria increased with nutrient enrichment and showed little response to grazing. Thus, macrofaunal grazing maintained a photoautotrophic community domainated by cyanobacteria, particularly under nutrient enriched conditions. Following 2 mo of treatment, dense macroalgal growth under nutrient-enriched conditins with grazers absent appeared to limit populations of both epiphytic autotrophs. Patterns of abundance of heterotrophic bacteria suggested that the original bacteria population was nutrient limited. Bacteria populations may have been limited by organic carbon supplies at the end of the experiment. Abundances of heterotrophic flagellates and bacteria were strongly correlated on both sampling dates. Results suggest that heterotrophic flagellates might serve as a link between heterotrophic bacterial production and higher trophic levels in seagrass epiphyte food webs.     

Food habits of two larval flies (Dolichopodidae: Diptera) in two gulf coast oligohaline tidal marshes

Food habits of two species of dolichopodid fly larvae, from two Gulf Coast oligohaline tidal marshes, were analyzed from monthly collections taken between June 1979 and May 1980. Larvae ofPelastoneurus abbreviatus Loew andThinophilus frontalis Van Duzee, taken from aJuncus roemerianus Scheele dominated marsh, fed predominantly on oligochaetes and nematodes.Pelastoneurus abbreviatus, collected in a nearbySpartina cynosuroides (L.) Roth marsh, also fed on oligochaetes but consumed more polychaetes than nematodes. By being predators and prey in turn, these larvae serve in the transfer of energy between benthic, aquatic, and terrestrial components of the marsh, system.     

Photosynthesis and Growth of Temperate and Sub-Tropical Estuarine Phytoplankton in a Scenario of Nutrient Enrichment under Solar Ultraviolet Radiation Exposure

We compared the responses of two estuarine phytoplankton communities, one from a temperate (Chubut River estuary (CH), Argentina) and one from a sub-tropical site (Babitonga Bay (BB), Brazil), in a scenario of nutrient enrichment under solar ultraviolet radiation (UVR) exposure. Seawater samples were exposed in microcosms to two nutrients, ambient vs. enriched, and two radiation conditions, with and without UVR, and exposed to solar radiation for 4 days. We evaluated the short- (PSII photochemistry, during 90 min light and 90 min dark cycles, before and after the , whereas in BB, nutrient effects prevailed. Such differences were related to the previous light history of the cells and to the ambient nutrient status. After acclimation, an overall improvement of the photosynthetic performance was observed at both sites, either by reducing the relative inhibition or by increasing the recovery of the effective photochemical quantum yield. Interactive effects of UVR and nutrients on growth at CH were antagonistic, while at BB, no differences were observed between the interactive and the sum of effects. Part of the differences in the mid-term observed responses can be attributed to taxonomic changes, with the CH community dominated by diatoms throughout the experiment, but with a shift from a diatom to a flagellate-dominated community in BB. Temperature differences between both sites might have favored higher growth rates and flagellates dominance in BB under the nutrient enriched conditions.     

Stable Isotopes Reveal Complex Changes in Trophic Relationships Following Nutrient Addition in a Coastal Marine Ecosystem

Complex links between the top-down and bottom-up forces that structure communities can be disrupted by anthropogenic alterations of natural habitats. We used relative abundance and stable isotopes to examine changes in epifaunal food webs in seagrass (Thalassia testudinum) beds following 6 months of experimental nutrient addition at two sites in Florida Bay (USA) with different ambient fertility. At a eutrophic site, nutrient addition did not strongly affect food web structure, but at a nutrient-poor site, enrichment increased the abundances of crustacean epiphyte grazers, and the diets of these grazers became more varied. Benthic grazers did not change in abundance but shifted their diet away from green macroalgae + associated epiphytes and towards an opportunistic seagrass (Halodule wrightii) that occurred only in nutrient addition treatments. Benthic predators did not change in abundance, but their diets were more varied in enriched plots. Food chain length was short and unaffected by site or nutrient treatment, but increased food web complexity in enriched plots was suggested by increasingly mixed diets. Strong bottom-up modifications of food web structure in the nutrient-limited site and the limited top-down influences of grazers on seagrass epiphyte biomass suggest that, in this system, the bottom-up role of nutrient enrichment can have substantial impacts on community structure, trophic relationships, and, ultimately, the productivity values of the ecosystem.     

Climatic Influences on Autochthonous and Allochthonous Phytoplankton Blooms in a Subtropical Estuary, St. Lucie Estuary, Florida, USA

The St. Lucie Estuary, located on the southeast coast of Florida, provides an example of a subtropical ecosystem where seasonal changes in temperature are modest, but summer storms alter rainfall regimes and external inputs to the estuary from the watershed and Atlantic Ocean. The focus of this study was the response of the phytoplankton community to spatial and temporal shifts in salinity, nutrient concentration, watershed discharges, and water residence times, within the context of temporal patterns in rainfall. From a temporal perspective, both drought and flood conditions negatively impacted phytoplankton biomass potential. Prolonged drought periods were associated with reduced nutrient loads and phytoplankton inputs from the watershed and increased influence of water exchange with the Atlantic Ocean, all of which restrict biomass potential. Conversely, under flood conditions, nutrient loads were elevated, but high freshwater flushing rates in the estuary diminished water residence times and increase salinity variation, thereby restricting the buildup of phytoplankton biomass. An exception to the latter pattern was a large incursion of a cyanobacteria bloom from Lake Okeechobee via the St. Lucie Canal observed in the summer of 2005. From a spatial perspective, regional differences in water residence times, sources of watershed inputs, and the proximity to the Atlantic Ocean influenced the composition and biomass of the phytoplankton community. Long water residence times in the North Fork region of the St. Lucie Estuary provided an environment conducive to the development of blooms of autochthonous origin. Conversely, shorter residence times in the mid-estuary limit autochthonous increases in biomass, but allochthonous sources of biomass can result in bloom concentrations of phytoplankton.     

Influence of Organic Enrichment and <Emphasis Type="Italic">Spisula subtruncata</Emphasis> (da Costa, 1778) on Oxygen and Nutrient Fluxes in Fine Sand Sediments

The role of labile organic material and macrofaunal activity in benthic respiration and nutrient regeneration have been tested in sublittoral fine sand sediments from the Gulf of Valencia (northwestern Mediterranean Sea). Three experimental setups were made using benthic chambers. One experiment was performed in-situ through the annual cycle in a well-sorted fine sand community. The remaining experiments were carried out with mesocosms under laboratory conditions: one with different concentrations of organic enrichment (mussel meat and concentrated diatoms culture), and the other adding two different densities of the endofaunal bivalve Spisula subtruncata. Biochemical variables in surface sediment and changes in oxygen consumption and nutrient fluxes throughout incubation period were studied in each experiment. In the in situ incubations, dissolved oxygen (DO) fluxes showed a strong correlation with sedimentary biopolymeric fraction of organic carbon. Organic enrichment in the laboratory experiments was responsible for increased benthic respiration. However, sediment response (expressed as DO uptake and dissolved inorganic nitrogen—DIN—release) between oligotrophic and eutrophic conditions was more intense than between eutrophic and hypertrophic conditions. S. subtruncata abundances close to 400 and 850 ind m^?2 also intensified benthic metabolism. DO uptake and DIN production in mesocosms with added fauna were between 60 and 75 % and 65–100 % higher than in the control treatment respectively. The results of these three experiments suggest that the macrobenthic community may increase the benthic respiration by roughly a factor of two in these bottoms, where S. subtruncata is one of the dominant species. Both organic enrichment and macrobenthic community in general, and S. subtruncata in particular, did not seem to have a relevant role in P and Si cycles in these sediments.     

The Growth of Estuarine Resources (Zostera marina, Mercenaria mercenaria, Crassostrea virginica, Argopecten irradians, Cyprinodon variegatus) in Response to Nutrient Loading and Enhanced Suspension Feeding by Adult Shellfish

While many coastal ecosystems previously supported high densities of seagrass and abundant bivalves, the impacts of overfishing, eutrophication, harmful algal blooms, and habitat loss have collectively contributed to the decline of these important resources. Despite improvements in wastewater treatment in some watersheds and subsequent reduced nutrient loading to neighboring estuaries, seagrass and bivalve populations in these locations have generally not recovered. We performed three mesocosm experiments to simultaneously examine the contrasting effects of nutrient loading and historic suspension-feeding bivalve densities on the growth of eelgrass (Zostera marina), juvenile bivalves (northern quahogs, Mercenaria mercenaria; eastern oysters, Crassostrea virginica; and bay scallops, Argopecten irradians), and juvenile planktivorous fish (sheepshead minnow, Cyprinodon variegatus). High nutrient loading rates led to significantly higher phytoplankton (chlorophyll a) levels in all experiments, significantly increased growth of juvenile bivalves relative to controls with lower nutrient loading rates in two experiments, and significantly reduced the growth of eelgrass in one experiment. The filtration provided by adult suspension feeders (M. mercenaria and C. virginica) significantly decreased phytoplankton levels in all experiments, significantly increased light penetration and the growth of eelgrass in one experiment, and significantly decreased the growth of juvenile bivalves and fish in two experiments, all relative to controls with no filtration from adult suspension feeders. These results demonstrate that an appropriate level of nutrient loading can have a positive effect on some estuarine resources and that bivalve filtration can mediate the effects of nutrient loading to the benefit or detriment of different estuarine resources. Future ecosystem-based approaches will need to simultaneously account for anthropogenic nutrient loading and bivalve restoration to successfully manage estuarine resources.     

The Role of Zooplankton Grazing and Nutrient Loading in the Occurrence of Harmful Cyanobacterial Blooms in Florida Bay,USA

Florida Bay is Florida’s (USA) largest estuary and has experienced harmful picocyanobacteria blooms for nearly two decades. While nutrient loading is the most commonly cited cause of algal blooms in Florida Bay, the role of zooplankton grazing pressure in bloom occurrence has not been considered. For this study, the spatial and temporal dynamics of cyanobacteria blooms, the microbial food web, microzooplankton and mesozooplankton grazing rates of picoplankton, and the effects of nutrients on plankton groups in Florida Bay were quantified. During the study, cyanobacteria blooms (>3 × 10⁵ cells mL⁻¹) persisted in the eastern and central regions of Florida Bay for more than a year. Locations with elevated abundance of cyanobacteria hosted microzooplankton grazing rates on cyanobacteria that were significantly lower (p < 0.001) and less frequently detectable compared to sites without blooms. Consistent with this observation, cyanobacteria abundances were significantly correlated with ciliates and heterotrophic nanoflagellates at low cyanobacteria densities (p < 0.001) but were not correlated during bloom events. The experimental enrichment of mesozooplankton abundance during blooms yielded a significant decrease in the net growth rate of picoplankton but had the opposite effect when blooms were absent, suggesting that the cascading effect of mesozooplankton grazing on the microbial food web was also altered during blooms. While inorganic nutrient enrichment significantly increased the net growth rates of eukaryotic phytoplankton and heterotrophic bacteria, such nutrient loading had no effect on the net growth rates of cyanobacteria. Hence, this study demonstrates that low rates of zooplankton grazing and low rates of inorganic nutrient loading contribute to the persistence of cyanobacteria blooms in Florida Bay.     

Impacts of temperature and nutrients on coastal lagoon plant communities

We investigated the independent and interactive effects of nutrient loading and summer water temperature on phytoplankton, drift macroalgae, and eelgrass (Zostera marina) in a coastal lagoon mesocosm experiment conducted from May through August 1999. Temperature treatments consisted of controls that approximated the 9-yr mean daily temperatures for Ninigret and Point Judith Lagoons in Rhode Island (United States) and treatments approximately 4°C above and 4°C below the controls. Nutrient treatments consisted of the addition of 6 mmol N m⁻²d⁻¹ and 0.5 mmol P m⁻² d⁻¹ to mesocosms 4°C above and 4°C below the 9-yr daily mean. Nutrient enrichment produced marked phytoplankton blooms in both cool and warm treatments during early summer. These were replaced after midsummer by dramatic growths of macroalgal mats ofEnteromorpha flexuosa and, to a lesser degree,Cladophora sericea. No phytoplankton blooms were observed in the cool unenriched treatments, but blooms did develop in the mean temperature and warm mesocosms during the second half of the summer that were similar in intensity, though of shorter duration, than those observed earlier in the enriched systems. Macroalgal blooms did not occur in the unenriched mesocosms. Sustained warm water temperatures markedly decreased eelgrass density and belowground production and increased the time interval between the initiation of new leaves, particuarly when the biomass of macroalgae was high. The negative effect of elevated water temperature on eelgrass was significantly increased under conditions of elevated inorganic nutrient input. By the end of summer, virtually all of the measures of eelgrass health declined in rank order from cool, to mean, to cool enriched, to warm, to warm enriched treatments. It is likely that the marked declines in eelgrass abundance observed during recent decades in the Northeast have resulted from an interaction of increasing nutrient enrichment combined with increasing summer water temperatures.     

白云岩风化剖面元素地球化学特征:对黔中九架炉组“三稀金属”富集机制的启示

黔中早石炭世九架炉组铝土矿含矿岩系富集Ti、Li、Sc、V、Ga、Nb、Ta、Zr、Hf、Th和稀土(REEs)等"三稀金属",具有成为独立矿床或伴生资源的潜力。这些元素大部分与九架炉组共有同一母岩,且富集程度受母岩的成分和风化作用控制。本研究选取九架炉组母岩乌当娄山关群白云岩和纳雍牛蹄塘组泥质白云岩的现代风化剖面为研究对象,研究元素在风化作用过程中的迁移特征及分布规律,进而为九架炉组微量元素的富集机制提供启示。研究获得以下认识:1)依据剖面结构、ZrHf、Nb-Ta、Y-Ho二元图特征及REE配分曲线和Eu/Eu*值的相似性表明研究区土层主要来源于基底或母岩的风化; 2)白云岩风化成土过程中Si、Fe、Cr、As、Sb、Ti、Nb、Ta、Zr、Hf、Th、REEs等元素化学性质相对稳定,富集程度较高,而Ca、Mg、Na、K、Sr、P、Mo、Cd等元素化学性质活泼,容易淋失亏损; 3)纳雍剖面REEs~(3+)和Ca~(2+)半径差与REEs富集系数相关性良好,表明碳酸盐岩风化过程中,含钙矿物磷灰石是稀土元素分配的重要控制因素; 4)九架炉组的母岩也是Ti、Li、Sc、V、Ga、Nb、Ta、Zr、Hf、Th等微量元素的主要物质来源,母岩风化过程中,这些微量元素首先在副矿物、黏土矿物、铝矿物及磷灰石等矿物相中初步富集,之后随风化碎屑物一起沉积形成微量元素超常富集地层; 5)纳雍剖面地表和地下水提供了部分P、Be、Zn、Sb、Pb、Y及REEs来源,指示水体迁入作用也是九架炉组REEs富集的重要原因。研究表明黔中九架炉组微量元素的来源较复杂,风化-沉积过程中,化学性质稳定的元素残留在风化碎屑物中并被搬运-沉积在负地形中,而化学性质活泼的元素首先被带入水体,在沉积-成岩过程中特定条件下发生二次富集作用(例如次生矿物的形成及吸附)形成微量元素富集的地层。     

丹寨汞矿卤素元素地球化学特征

丹寨汞矿是产于碳酸盐岩地层中以汞为主伴生金的浅成低温层控矿床。本文对该矿床矿石及围岩中的卤素元素分布特征进行了一定的研究。研究结果表明,（１）矿区内Ｂｒ、Ｉ的富集程度远比Ｆ、Ｃｌ高,从远矿围岩→近矿围岩→汞矿石Ｂｒ、Ｉ含量呈增加趋势,金矿石中Ｂｒ、Ｉ含量比近矿及远矿围岩含量低,且Ｉ的富集系数小于１;（２）Ｆ在金矿化岩石及近矿围岩中含量较高;（３）Ｃｌ的变化规律不甚明显,且富集系统均小于１;（４）垂     

Consensus among multiple trophic levels during high- and low-water stands over the last two millennia in a northwest Ontario lake

We investigated the modern distribution of fossil midges within a dimictic lake and explored downcore patterns of inferred lake depths over the last 2000 years from previously published proxies. Modern midge distribution within Gall Lake showed a consistent and predictable pattern related to the lake-depth gradient with recognizable assemblages characteristic of shallow-water, mid-depth and profundal environments. Interpretations of downcore changes in midge assemblages, in conjunction with quantitative lake-depth inferences across a priori defined (based on diatom data) ~ 500-yr wet and dry periods, demonstrated that both invertebrate and algal assemblages exhibited similar timing and nature of ecological responses. Midges were quantified by their relative abundance, concentrations and an index of Chaoborus to chironomids, and all showed the greatest differences between the wet and dry periods. During the low lake-level period of the Medieval Climate Anomaly (MCA: AD 900 to 1400), profundal chironomids declined, shallow-water and mid-depth chironomids increased, chironomid-inferred lake level declined and the Chaoborus-to-chironomid index decreased. The coherence between multiple trophic levels provides strong evidence of lower lake levels in Gall Lake during the MCA.     

Deciphering the Seasonal Cycle of Copepod Trophic Dynamics in the Strait of Georgia,Canada, Using Stable Isotopes and Fatty Acids

Characterizing trophic flows is central to our understanding of energy transfer in marine ecosystems. The food webs of coastal systems are difficult to study because the proportion of autochthonous to allochthonous sources often varies seasonally and is often overlaid on a seasonal cycle of zooplankton composition. Here, we use a combination of fatty acids and stable isotopes to disentangle the trophic pathways in a productive coastal system (the Strait of Georgia (SoG), Canada). Over the span of a year, Metridia pacifica, a ubiquitous omnivorous copepod, can utilize a wide range of dietary items including diatoms, flagellates, bacteria, detritus, and microzooplankton. M. pacifica can switch from herbivory to carnivory in response to declining chlorophyll concentrations after the spring bloom and can occasionally utilize detrital sources. These findings are discussed in the context of previous knowledge of the SoG ecosystem, the current state of ecosystem modeling in the region, and the use of stable isotopes and fatty acids to assess trophic dynamics.     

Ecosystem Engineering Effects of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Aster tripolium</Emphasis> and <Emphasis Type="Italic">Salicornia procumbens</Emphasis> Salt Marsh on Macrofaunal Community Structure

This paper examines how perennial Aster tripolium and annual Salicornia procumbens salt marshes alter the biomass, density, taxon diversity, and community structure of benthic macrofauna, and also examines the role of elevation, sediment grain size, plant cover, and marsh age. Core samples were collected on a fixed grid on an intertidal flat in the Westerschelde estuary (51.4° N, 4.1° E) over 5 years (2004–2008) of salt marsh development. In unvegetated areas, macrobenthic biomass, density, and taxon diversity were highest when elevation was highest, benthic diatoms were most abundant, and sediment median grain size was smallest. In contrast, in salt marsh areas, macrobenthic biomass and taxon diversity increased with median grain size, while the effects of elevation and diatom abundance on macrobenthic biomass, density, and diversity were not significant. In fine sediments, macrofaunal community structure in the salt marsh was particularly affected; common polychaetes such as Nereis diversicolor, Heteromastus filiformis, and Pygospio elegans had low abundance and oligochaetes had high abundance. Marsh age had a negative influence on the density of macrofauna, and A. tripolium stands had lower macrofaunal densities than the younger S. procumbens stands. There were no significant effects of marsh age, plant cover, and vegetation type on macrobenthic biomass, taxon diversity, and community structure. The results highlight that ecosystem engineering effects of salt marsh plants on macrofauna are conditional. Organic enrichment of the sediment and mechanical hindering of macrofaunal activity by plant roots are proposed as plausible mechanisms for the influence of the salt marsh plants on macrofauna.     

Chironomid grazing on benthic microalgae in a Louisiana salt marsh

Field experiments were conducted to examine spatial and temporal variation in chironomid (predominantlyTanypus clavatus) abundance, and their trophic relationship with benthic microalgae. High performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis of chironomid gut pigments indicated that diatoms comprised the bulk of the microalgae ingested by chironomids.¹⁴C-feeding studies were used to obtain quantitative estimates of chironomid, copepod, ostracod, and nematode grazing on benthic microalgae. Daily consumption of standing microalgal biomass by chironomids ranged from 0.12% (January) to 125% (May), but was highly variable. There were no significant diel, temporal (over the scale of months), or spatial patterns in individual chironomid grazing rates. There was significant temporal variation in the proportion of microalgal biomass consumed by the total meiofaunal assemblage, and highest grazing impacts occurred in May, coincident with high abundances of chironomids, harpacticoid copepods, and ostracods. The grazing impact of chironomids was comparable to or greater than that of other known grazers of microalgae (copepods, ostracods). Functional-response experiments performed in the laboratory revealed that chironomid ingestion rates increased with increasing food availability over short (1 to 2 h) time scales. Field data did not indicate a functional response to food availability over longer (mo) time scales, possibly because of other environmental incluences. Gut residence time (determined using fluorescently labeled beads) changed with variable feeding rates, which were in turn a function of variable food availability. Chironomid larvae have the ability to consume significant fraction of the microphytobenthos in absolute terms, and relative to other meiofauna, indicating that they are an important component of the salt marsh food web.     

On the ecology of oligochaetes: Monthly variation of community composition and environmental characteristics in two South Carolina tidal creeks

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.     

Organic Matter Sources Supporting Lower Food Web Production in the Tidal Freshwater Portion of the York River Estuary, Virginia

The Mattaponi River is part of the York River estuary in Chesapeake Bay. Our objective was to identify the organic matter (OM) sources fueling the lower food web in the tidal freshwater and oligohaline portions of the Mattaponi using the stable isotopes of carbon (C) and nitrogen (N). Over 3 years (2002–2004), we measured zooplankton densities and C and N stable isotope ratios during the spring zooplankton bloom. The river was characterized by a May–June zooplankton bloom numerically dominated by the calanoid copepod Eurytemora affinis and cladocera Bosmina freyi. Cluster analysis of the stable isotope data identified four distinct signatures within the lower food web: freshwater riverine, brackish water, benthic, and terrestrial. The stable isotope signatures of pelagic zooplankton, including E. affinis and B. freyi, were consistent with reliance on a mix of autochthonous and allochthonous OM, including OM derived from vascular plants and humic-rich sediments, whereas macroinvertebrates consistently utilized allochthonous OM. Based on a dual-isotope mixing model, reliance on autochthonous OM by pelagic zooplankton ranged from 20% to 95% of production, declining exponentially with increasing river discharge. The results imply that discharge plays an important role in regulating the energy sources utilized by pelagic zooplankton in the upper estuary. We hypothesize that this is so because during high discharge, particulate organic C loading to the upper estuary increased and phytoplankton biomass decreased, thereby decreasing phytoplankton availability to the food web.     

AreSpartina marshes a replaceable resource? A functional approach to evaluation of marsh creation efforts

Marsh creation has come into increasing use as a measure to mitigate loss of valuable wetlands. However, few programs have addressed the functional ecological equivalence of man-made marshes and their natural counterparts. This study addresses structural and functional interactions in a man-made and two natural marshes. This was done by integrating substrate characteristics and marsh utilization by organisms of two trophic levels. Sediment properties, infaunal community composition, andFundulus heteroclitus marsh utilization were compared for a man-madeSpartina salt marsh (between ages 1 to 3 yr) in Dills Creek, North Carolina, and adjacent natural marshes to the east and west. East natural marsh and planted marsh sediment grain-size distributions were more similar to each other than to the west natural marsh due to shared drainage systems, but sediment organic content of the planted marsh was much lower than in either natural marsh. This difference was reflected in macrofaunal composition. Natural marsh sediments were inhabited primarily by subsurface, deposit-feeding oligochaetes whereas planted marsh sediments were dominated by the tube-building, surface-deposit feeding polychaetesStreblospio benedicti andManayunkia aestuarina. Infaunal differences were mirrored inFundulus diets. Natural marsh diets contained more detritus and insects, because oligochaetes, though abundant, were relatively inaccessible. Polychaetes and algae were major constituents of the planted marshFundulus diet. Though naturalmarsh fish may acquire a potentially less nutritive, detritus-based diet relative to the higher animal protein diet of the planted marsh fish,Fundulus abundances were markedly lower in the planted marsh than in the natural marshes, indicating fewer fish were being supported. LowerSpartina stem densities in the planted marsh may have provided inadequate protection from predation or insufficient spawning sites for the fundulids. After three years, the planted marsh remained functionally distinct from the adjacent natural marshes. Mitigation success at Dills Creek could have been improved by increasing tidal flushing, thereby enhancing, access to marine organisms and by mulching withSpartina wrack to increase sediment organic-matter content and porosity. Results from this study indicate that salt marshes should not be treated as a replaceable resource in the short term. The extreme spatial and temporal variability inherent to salt marshes make it virtually impossible to exactly replace a marsh by planting one on another site.     

Benthic macrofaunal communities in partially impounded salt marshes in Delaware: Comparisons with natural marshes and responses to sediment exposure

This two-part study examined the benthic macrofaunal community in Delaware salt marsh impoundments having partial tidal restriction. The first part compared abundance, diversity, and taxonomic composition in three habitat types in impoundments—creeks, vegetated creek banks, and ponds—to those found in natural marshes. Impoundment effects were present but were habitat-specific. Abundances were higher in natural marsh creeks than in impoundment creeks, and diversities were higher in impoundment ponds than in natural marsh ponds. Vegetated bank communities in impoundments were about 50% insects and arachnids and 50% oligochaetes, while natural bank communities were primarily oligochaetes and the polychaeteManayunkia aestuarina. This is likely due to the decrease in flooding of the vegetated high marsh caused by partial impoundment. Pond and creek community composition also showed impoundment effects: in comparison with natural marshes, impoundments had higher proportions of the burrowing anemoneNematostella vectensis, nemerteans, andTubificoides sp. oligochaetes and lower proportions of the oligochaeteClitellio arenarius. The second part of the study compared benthic macrofauna in an impoundment before, during, and after the water level was lowered so that some bottom sediments were exposed and some covered with just a few centimeters of water for several weeks. During this event, macrofaunal abundances were reduced and the community shifted from being dominated by annelids, anemones, and nemerteans toward one dominated by annelids and insects. About 6 wk after reflooding, persistent effects of this disturbance were still suggested by greatly increased abundances and 96% dominance by one species of oligochaete,Paranais litoralis. Impoundment management plans calling for periods of sediment exposure or very low water may want to consider the potential for strong and persistent effects on the macrofaunal community.