Spatial and long-term analysis on reference and sewage-impacted sites of the SW Atlantic (38ºS, 57ºW) to assess sensitive and tolerant polychaetes.

MARIA DE LOS ANGELES SANCHEZ; MARIA LOURDES JAUBET; GRISELDA VALERIA GARAFFO; RODOLFO ELÍAS

MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN

PERGAMON-ELSEVIER SCIENCE LTD

Lugar: Amsterdam; Año: 2013 vol. 74 p. 325 - 333

0025-326X

Discharges of effluent in urbanized littoral areas produce nonlinear changes in benthic organisms. Data on the composition of the benthic community are often used to obtain environmental quality classifications that serve to indicate the health of the environment. This study conducted a comparative analysis of the polychaetes associated with mussel beds and related these results to the values of environmental variables at both reference and sewage-impacted sites over a 10 year period in a rocky intertidal habitat on the coast of the SW Atlantic. The results of the study showed spatial and temporal differences in the abundance and dominance of the polychaetes. The study also furnished evidence of a decrease in the environmental quality of the area. This study allowed the classification of the polychaetes into ecological groups, facilitating the calculation of environmental quality indexes.