| Autor: |
LaSalle, Mark, Rozas, Lawrence |
| Zdroj: |
Wetlands; Dec1991, Vol. 11 Issue 2, p229-244, 16p |
| Abstrakt: |
The benthic macrofaunal assemblages inhabiting creekbank beds of the dwarf spikerush Eleocharis parvula and adjacent unvegetated areas were compared in a brackish marsh in Mississippi to determine the importance of diminutive plants as invertebrate habitat. Benthic samples were collected over a 12-month period. Eleocharis beds contained 3.6 times higher densities of organisms than adjacent unvegetated areas. Fifteen of 35 taxa collected in beds accounted for 94.7% of the total assemblage (13,266 organisms per m). Fifteen of 37 taxa collected in bare areas represented 92.4% of the total assemblage (3,625 organisms per m). Dominant species in beds were the oligochacte Monopylephorus parvus, the crustaceans Hargeria rapax and Corophium louisianum, and the insect Hydrellia americana (a leaf miner of Eleocharis). Dominant species in bare areas were the polychaetes Streblospio benedicti and Hobsonia florida and the crustacean H. rapax. Overall, the greatest proportion of organisms (60-100%) were distributed within the upper 2 cm of substrate in both areas. Although several factors may explain observed differences in diversity and abundance between beds and bare areas, organisms in Eleocharis beds probably benefit most from the relative stability provided by the physical structure of beds. Plants provide attachment sites for tube-building species and may limit predation and disturbance from large aquatic organisms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
| Databáze: |
Complementary Index |
| Externí odkaz: |
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