Abstract
Abundances of benthic macroinfauna were measured in conjunction with field-deployed sediment oxygen demand chambers at two sites around Tampa Bay, Florida, in the summer of 2015. Cores (15 cm diameter, 15 cm depth) were collected after each sediment oxygen demand measurement was completed in the field, and additional cores were collected for infauna only (with no SOD measurement). Each sediment core was sieved using 0.5 mm mesh. Each sample was preserved in 95% ethanol and Rose Bengal stain. All organisms that were alive upon collection and therefore stained were picked out using a dissecting microscope, and placed into separate vials with 95% ethanol for preservation. Animals were identified to lowest taxonomic classification possible, and the abundance of each taxon was determined. Abundances are presented as individuals per square meter. These data are associated with the dataset: Sediment oxygen demand in shallow water habitats around Tampa Bay in 2015 and 2016 (GRIIDC dataset R4.x262.000:0009).
Purpose
Infaunal samples were collected from unoiled reference sites in seagrass (Halodule and Thalassia) and open, unvegetated sediment habitats to investigate infaunal community structure. The goal was to compare these communities with those that were impacted by oil exposure during the Deepwater Horizon spill sites in the Chandeleur Islands, northern Gulf of Mexico. Metrics of diversity and NMDS analysis were conducted to determine whether communities differed significantly between sites as well as among habitats. These data were collected as part of the ACER consortium.
DOI: doi:10.7266/N7765CFX
Suggested Citation
Susan Bell. 2017. Macroinfaunal abundance in shallow water habitats around Tampa Bay in 2015. Distributed by: Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative Information and Data Cooperative (GRIIDC), Harte Research Institute, Texas A&M University–Corpus Christi. doi:10.7266/N7765CFX
Funded by: Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative (GoMRI)
Funding cycle: RFP-IV
Research group: Alabama Center for Ecological Resilience (ACER)
