Evidence for the effects of metal contamination on the intertidal macrobenthic assemblages of the Fal Estuary

The intertidal invertebrate macrofauna of five creeks in the Fal estuarine system, Cornwall, UK, is compared with data from 40 locations in six other estuaries in south-west Britain. Multivariate analysis shows that the community composition in the Fal is distinct from all the other estuaries. The differences are principally due to the absence of two crustacean species, Corophium voluntator and Cyathura carinata, and the high abundance of small opportunistic annelid species. The Fal Estuary is heavily contaminated with heavy metals as a result of mining in the catchment, and the faunistic features are commensurate with what is known of the relative sensitivities of marine invertebrate taxa to pollution.