Detection of Ecological Thresholds and Selection of Indicator Taxa for Epibenthic Communities Exposed to Multiple Pressures
The estuary and the Gulf of St. Lawrence (EGSL), eastern Canada form a vast inland sea that is subjected to numerous anthropogenic pressures. Management tools are needed to detect and quantify their effect on benthic communities. The aims of this study are to analyze the spatial distribution of epib...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2021-10-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Marine Science |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmars.2021.720710/full |
| _version_ | 1819117542512263168 |
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| author | Laurie Isabel Laurie Isabel David Beauchesne Chris McKindsey Philippe Archambault |
| author_facet | Laurie Isabel Laurie Isabel David Beauchesne Chris McKindsey Philippe Archambault |
| author_sort | Laurie Isabel |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The estuary and the Gulf of St. Lawrence (EGSL), eastern Canada form a vast inland sea that is subjected to numerous anthropogenic pressures. Management tools are needed to detect and quantify their effect on benthic communities. The aims of this study are to analyze the spatial distribution of epibenthic communities in the EGSL and quantify the impact of important pressures on them to identify indicator taxa. Epibenthic communities were sampled at 1314 EGSL sites between 2011 and 2018 by bottom trawling. Cluster analyses revealed the presence of six distinct epibenthic communities that seem to be strongly influenced by oxygen concentration. Threshold analyses confirm that oxygen is an important predictor of epibenthic community composition and distribution. A major oxygen threshold is observed around 50–100 μmol O2 L–1, resulting in a shift of community type. At these concentrations and below, opportunistic taxa dominate the community while sensitive taxa are absent or present at very low abundance. Biomass of the latter only starts to increase when oxygen concentrations reach 150 μmol O2 L–1. The species Actinostola callosa, Actinauge cristata, Ctenodiscus crispatus, and Brisaster fragilis were identified as good indicators for detecting this impact threshold forepibenthic communities. This study provides threshold-based indicator species that help to establish and monitor the ecological state of epibenthic communities in a marine ecosystem exposed to multiple pressures. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-22T05:34:38Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-a0361c3d9c9948589107d20a527b67d3 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2296-7745 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-22T05:34:38Z |
| publishDate | 2021-10-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Marine Science |
| spelling | doaj.art-a0361c3d9c9948589107d20a527b67d32022-12-21T18:37:22ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Marine Science2296-77452021-10-01810.3389/fmars.2021.720710720710Detection of Ecological Thresholds and Selection of Indicator Taxa for Epibenthic Communities Exposed to Multiple PressuresLaurie Isabel0Laurie Isabel1David Beauchesne2Chris McKindsey3Philippe Archambault4ArcticNet, Québec-Océan, Takuvik, Département de Biologie, Université Laval, Québec, QC, CanadaFisheries and Oceans Canada, Maurice Lamontagne Institute, Mont-Joli, QC, CanadaArcticNet, Québec-Océan, Takuvik, Département de Biologie, Université Laval, Québec, QC, CanadaFisheries and Oceans Canada, Maurice Lamontagne Institute, Mont-Joli, QC, CanadaArcticNet, Québec-Océan, Takuvik, Département de Biologie, Université Laval, Québec, QC, CanadaThe estuary and the Gulf of St. Lawrence (EGSL), eastern Canada form a vast inland sea that is subjected to numerous anthropogenic pressures. Management tools are needed to detect and quantify their effect on benthic communities. The aims of this study are to analyze the spatial distribution of epibenthic communities in the EGSL and quantify the impact of important pressures on them to identify indicator taxa. Epibenthic communities were sampled at 1314 EGSL sites between 2011 and 2018 by bottom trawling. Cluster analyses revealed the presence of six distinct epibenthic communities that seem to be strongly influenced by oxygen concentration. Threshold analyses confirm that oxygen is an important predictor of epibenthic community composition and distribution. A major oxygen threshold is observed around 50–100 μmol O2 L–1, resulting in a shift of community type. At these concentrations and below, opportunistic taxa dominate the community while sensitive taxa are absent or present at very low abundance. Biomass of the latter only starts to increase when oxygen concentrations reach 150 μmol O2 L–1. The species Actinostola callosa, Actinauge cristata, Ctenodiscus crispatus, and Brisaster fragilis were identified as good indicators for detecting this impact threshold forepibenthic communities. This study provides threshold-based indicator species that help to establish and monitor the ecological state of epibenthic communities in a marine ecosystem exposed to multiple pressures.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmars.2021.720710/fullbiodiversityecological thresholdsepibenthic communitiesestuary and Gulf of St. Lawrencemultiple pressuresclimate change |
| spellingShingle | Laurie Isabel Laurie Isabel David Beauchesne Chris McKindsey Philippe Archambault Detection of Ecological Thresholds and Selection of Indicator Taxa for Epibenthic Communities Exposed to Multiple Pressures Frontiers in Marine Science biodiversity ecological thresholds epibenthic communities estuary and Gulf of St. Lawrence multiple pressures climate change |
| title | Detection of Ecological Thresholds and Selection of Indicator Taxa for Epibenthic Communities Exposed to Multiple Pressures |
| title_full | Detection of Ecological Thresholds and Selection of Indicator Taxa for Epibenthic Communities Exposed to Multiple Pressures |
| title_fullStr | Detection of Ecological Thresholds and Selection of Indicator Taxa for Epibenthic Communities Exposed to Multiple Pressures |
| title_full_unstemmed | Detection of Ecological Thresholds and Selection of Indicator Taxa for Epibenthic Communities Exposed to Multiple Pressures |
| title_short | Detection of Ecological Thresholds and Selection of Indicator Taxa for Epibenthic Communities Exposed to Multiple Pressures |
| title_sort | detection of ecological thresholds and selection of indicator taxa for epibenthic communities exposed to multiple pressures |
| topic | biodiversity ecological thresholds epibenthic communities estuary and Gulf of St. Lawrence multiple pressures climate change |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmars.2021.720710/full |
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