Microbial community structure on coral reefs is strongly influenced by coral-algae interactions; however, the extent to which this influence is mediated by fishes is unknown. By excluding fleshy macroalgae, cultivating palatable filamentous algae and engaging in frequent aggression to protect resources, territorial damselfish (f. Pomacentridae), such as Stegastes, mediate macro-benthic dynamics...

Benthic cyanobacterial mats (BCMs) are increasing in abundance on coral reefs worldwide. However, their impacts on biogeochemical cycling in the surrounding water and sediment are virtually unknown. By measuring chemical fluxes in benthic chambers placed over sediment covered by BCMs and sediment with BCMs removed on coral reefs in Curaçao, Southern Caribbean, we found that sediment covered by ...

1. The relationship between benthic invertebrate assemblage composition and surrounding land use has been examined in various ways, but most studies are undertaken at a coarse scale, or they compare obviously different landscapes. In Japan, these obvious differences in landscape are rare, and humans reside even in remote montane areas. 2. In order to clarify the influence of human residence on ...

Tropical estuaries are highly productive and support diverse benthic assemblages within mangroves and tidal flats habitats. Determining differences and similarities of benthic assemblages within estuarine habitats and between regional ecosystems may provide scientific support for management of those ecosystems. Here we studied three tropical estuaries in the Eastern Marine Ecoregion of Brazil t...

The upwelling of deep waters from the oxygen minimum zone in the Northeast Pacific from the continental slope to the shelf and into the Salish Sea during spring and summer offers a unique opportunity to study ecosystem functioning in the form of benthic fluxes along natural gradients. Using the ROV ROPOS we collected sediment cores from 10 sites in May and July 2011, and September 2013 to perfo...

a r t i c l e i n f o a b s t r a c t Keywords: benthic foraminiferal Mg/Ca paleothermometry Globobulimina ssp. carbonate ion concentration of pore water eastern equatorial Atlantic recostruction of deep sea temperature Existing benthic foraminiferal Mg/Ca–temperature calibrations are surrounded by substantial uncertainties mainly due to low temperature sensitivity of Mg/Ca in most benthic fora...

Methylmercury (MeHg) exposure can cause adverse reproductive and neurodevelopmental health effects. Estuarine fish may be exposed to MeHg produced in rivers and their watersheds, benthic sediment, and the marine water column, but the relative importance of each source is poorly understood. We measured stable isotopes of mercury (δ202Hg, Δ199Hg, and Δ201Hg), carbon (δ13C), and nitrogen (δ15N) in...

The introduction of pollutants into the marine environment is inevitable, so an understanding of their effects is needed. Because shallow, coastal waters are at greatest risk and many of these shorelines are sandy, a test system for the shallow, sandy, subtidal environment is required. We developed a microcosm system for this purpose and tested it for three months to determine whether the benth...

Mercury (Hg) trophic transfer and bioaccumulation in fish from a mine-impacted, eutrophic lake were examined in relation to foraging habitat, trophic position, and size. Diet analysis indicated that there were clear ontogenetic shifts in foraging habitats and trophic position. Pelagic diet decreased and benthic diet increased with increasing fish length in bluegill, black crappie, inland silver...

Toxicity-based sediment quality guidelines (SQGs) are often used to assess the potential of sediment contamination to adversely affect benthic macrofauna, yet the correspondence of these guidelines to benthic community condition is poorly documented. This study compares the performance of 5 toxicity-based SQG approaches to a new benthos-based SQG approach relative to changes in benthic communit...