The dynamic relationship between reefs and the people who utilize them at a subsistence level is poorly understood. This paper characterizes atoll-scale patterns in shallow coral reef habitat and fish community structure, and correlates these with environmental characteristics and anthropogenic factors, critical to conservation efforts for the reefs and the people who depend on them. Hierarchic...

The Sediment Quality Triad (SQT) consists of complementary measures of sediment chemistry, benthic community structure, and sediment toxicity. We applied the SQT at 20 stations in the tidal portion of the Anacostia River from Bladensburg, MD to Washington, DC to establish a baseline of conditions to evaluate the effects of management actions. Sediment toxicity was assessed using 10-day survival...

Non-native species represent a significant threat to indigenous biodiversity and ecosystem functioning worldwide. It is widely acknowledged that invasive crayfish species may be instrumental in modifying benthic invertebrate community structure, but there is limited knowledge regarding the temporal and spatial extent of these effects within lotic ecosystems. This study investigates the long ter...

The Barents Sea is among the most productive areas in the world oceans, and its shallow banks exhibit particularly high rates of primary productivity reaching over 300 g C m-2year-1. Our study focused on the Svalbard Bank, an important feeding area for fishes and whales. In order to investigate how benthic community structure and benthic secondary production vary across environmental gradients ...

The numerous perennial meltwater ponds distributed throughout Antarctica represent diverse and productive ecosystems central to the ecological functioning of the surrounding ultra oligotrophic environment. The dominant taxa in the pond benthic communities have been well described however, little is known regarding their regional dispersal and local drivers to community structure. The benthic mi...

The Western Antarctic Peninsula (WAP) is experiencing some of the fastest rates of regional warming in the world, resulting in the collapse of ice shelves, warming ocean temperatures, and increased melt and retreat of glaciers. Winter sea ice coverage in the waters off the WAP has decreased in duration and extent over the last half century. The significant changes observed off the WAP are extre...

Benthic communities are highly relevant in the study of aquatic ecosystems, both for their role in the functioning of the ecosystem and also as markers or indicators of paleo-conditions. Their distribution, as in other communities, is conditioned by abiotic and biotic factors and to their interactions, which determine the structure of the community that is established. The aim of this study was...

Vertebrate carcasses provide an episodic but highly important food source for benthic organisms, particularly at depths beyond the zones of primary productivity (Lalli and Parsons 2001). Such carcasses have recently become of interest due to increasing discards in fisheries as this may shift benthic community structure (Collins et al. 1999). Species such as ratfish and benthic sharks as well as...

Arrays of tidal energy converters have the potential to provide clean renewable energy for future generations. Benthic communities may, however, be affected by changes in current speeds resulting from arrays of tidal converters located in areas characterised by strong currents. Current speed, together with bottom type and depth, strongly influence benthic community distributions; however the in...