New Zealand Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research abstracts
Sediment macrobenthos of upper Otago Harbour, New Zealand
SIMON L. GROVE
P. KEITH PROBERT
Department of Marine Science
University of Otago
P. O. Box 56, Dunedin
New Zealand
email: keith.probert@stonebow.otago.ac.nz
Abstract Sediment macrobenthos of the Upper Otago Harbour,
south-eastern New Zealand, was surveyed in 1993. Replicate samples (0.1
m
2 sieved on 1-mm mesh) were taken using a diver-operated suction
sampler from 15 stations, including some suspected to be contaminated.
Multivariate analysis of abundance data was used to examine patterns of benthic
community structure and their relationship to environmental variables: sediment
grain size, organic content, heavy metal concentration (V, Cr, Mn, Co, Ni, Cu,
Zn, Cd, Pb), sea-floor temperature, dissolved oxygen concentration, water
depth, and macro-algal content. Samples from Sawyers Bay, an area previously
identified as impacted by sewage and industrial waste, were set apart from all
other stations. A combination of percent sand, macro-algal content, water
depth, and chromium concentration correlated best with the observed community
structure.
Keywords macrobenthos; Otago Harbour; New Zealand; sediments;
contaminants; chromium
M97047
Received 1 September 1997; accepted 22 March 1999
PDF file of entire paper: medium quality (1284K); (scanned from paper original: notes about this process)
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