Responses of a Mediterranean soft bottom community to short-term (1993-1996) hydrological changes in the Rhone river.
Mar Environ Res
; 55(5): 409-27, 2003 May.
Article
en En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-12628194
The polychaete fauna of muddy bottoms off the Rhone delta (NW Mediterranean) was seasonally sampled at two sites at 70 m depth, from 1993 to 1996. During this period, five severe flood events occurred. A clustering analysis (distance coefficient of Whittaker) and three way fixed factor ANOVAs (site x season x year) showed strong year-to-year changes in species density and community structure, changes that masked seasonal variations. Total density increased by a factor of 3 and density of most species significantly increased following the first flooding event. Changes in the community structure were due to the successive dominance of a few species. The opportunistic species, such as Cossura sp., Mediomastus sp. and Polycirrus sp., exhibited peaks in density 1-3 months after the flood. These peaks were followed by a drastic decline. For species with a long life span, such as Sternaspis scutata, a slower but continuous increase in density was observed which was maintained for several months. The density fluctuations of these species exhibited a good correlation with river flow with time lags of 1-2 years. The successional dynamics observed are explained according to the geographical origin of the floods and the biology and feeding ecology of species.
Buscar en Google
Colección:
01-internacional
Base de datos:
MEDLINE
Asunto principal:
Poliquetos
/
Movimientos del Agua
/
Ecología
Límite:
Animals
País/Región como asunto:
Europa
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Mar Environ Res
Asunto de la revista:
BIOLOGIA
/
SAUDE AMBIENTAL
/
TOXICOLOGIA
Año:
2003
Tipo del documento:
Article
País de afiliación:
Francia
Pais de publicación:
Reino Unido