Functional diversity in the intertidal macrobenthic community at sewage-affected shores from Southwestern Atlantic

JAUBET MARÍA L.; SARACHO BOTTERO, M.A.; GARAFFO GRISELDA V.; LLANOS ELIZABETH N.; ELÍAS, R.

MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN

PERGAMON-ELSEVIER SCIENCE LTD

Lugar: Amsterdam; Año: 2020 vol. 157 p. 1 - 9

0025-326X

Sewage pollution effect in a coastal area of the SouthwesternAtlantic was tested, through the use of analysis of biological traits(BTA) and functional indices. Changes in the macrobenthic functionalstructure between the sewage outfall site and remote sites were observed.At the site in the discharge point, functional features related toorganic enrichment were observed, such as deposit feeders, burrowdwellers and inhabitants of tubes, with low relative mobility andopportunistic species of the first and the second order. The functionalindexes (Evenness, Dispersion, and Functional Specialization) showed thehighest values in the sites far from the discharge point. The AMBI waspositively correlated with FRic and negatively with FEve and FSpe. Theopposite occurred with the M-AMBI. BTA and functional indices showed thechanges that occurred due to sewage impacts in the benthic assemblages onrocky coasts in SW Atlantic.