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Distribution of benthic communities in the fjord-like Bathurst Channel ecosystem, south-western Tasmania, a globally anomalous estuarine protected area
Citation
Barrett, NS and Edgar, GJ, Distribution of benthic communities in the fjord-like Bathurst Channel ecosystem, south-western Tasmania, a globally anomalous estuarine protected area, Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems, 20, (4) pp. 397-406. ISSN 1052-7613 (2010) [Refereed Article]
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Copyright Statement
The definitive published version is available online at: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/
Official URL: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/
DOI: doi:10.1002/aqc.1085
Abstract
1. Benthic assemblages in the fjord-like Bathurst Channel estuarine system, south-western Tasmania, vary over horizontal scales of 1–5km and vertical scales of 1–10 m. Multivariate analysis indicated a total of eight major assemblages that characterize different sections and depths of the channel.
2. Because tannins in the low-salinity surface water layer block light, foliose algae reach 5m depth in the marine western region but do not penetrate below 1m in the east. By contrast, sessile invertebrates are most abundant below 5m depth in the west and below 2m in the east. Deeper assemblages are unlikely to be continuous with assemblages in deeper waters off the Tasmanian coast as they are highly constrained by depth within particular sections of the estuary.
3. While the species composition of the Bathurst Channel biota is most similar to that found elsewhere in Tasmania, the structural character of the biota in terms of major taxonomic groups is more closely allied to that found in fjords of south-western Chile and south-western New Zealand. These three regions all possess wilderness settings, high rainfall that is channelled through estuaries as a low-salinity surface layer, deep-water emergence of fauna, rapid change in biotic communities over short horizontal and vertical distances, and high levels of local endemism. They also include some of the most threatened aquatic ecosystems on earth due to increasing human activity from a near pristine base, and the potentially catastrophic impacts of climate change.
Item Details
| Item Type: | Refereed Article |
|---|---|
| Keywords: | climate change; endemism; estuary; macroalgae; marine protected area; sessile invertebrates; threatened habitats |
| Research Division: | Environmental Sciences |
| Research Group: | Environmental management |
| Research Field: | Conservation and biodiversity |
| Objective Division: | Environmental Management |
| Objective Group: | Terrestrial systems and management |
| Objective Field: | Assessment and management of terrestrial ecosystems |
| UTAS Author: | Barrett, NS (Associate Professor Neville Barrett) |
| UTAS Author: | Edgar, GJ (Professor Graham Edgar) |
| ID Code: | 66979 |
| Year Published: | 2010 |
| Web of Science® Times Cited: | 10 |
| Deposited By: | TAFI - Marine Research Laboratory |
| Deposited On: | 2011-02-22 |
| Last Modified: | 2011-03-22 |
| Downloads: | 1 View Download Statistics |
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