title: Spatial and temporal changes in infaunal communities inhabiting soft-bottoms affected by brine discharge.
abstract: The discharge of an effluent of high salinity from reverse osmosis desalination plants has a strong impact on marine communities. The aim of this study was to examine the effect of brine discharge over soft bottom communities along the Alicante coast (Southeast Spain) over a two year period. Changes in the infaunal assemblage were analysed using univariate and multivariate techniques. Each year we sampled along three transects at three depths (4, 10 and 15m) during winter and summer. We observed a substitution of a community characterized by the presence of Polychaeta, Crustacea and Mollusca, for another dominated by nematodes (up to 98%), in the stations closer to the discharge where salinity values exceed 39 psu.
authors.affiliation: Dpto. de Ciencias del Mary Biología Aplicada, Universidad de Alicante, Campus de San Vicente del Raspeig, Ap. 99, E-03080 Alicante, Spain. yoana.delpilar@ua.es
authors.forename: Y Del Pilar
authors.initials: Ydel P
authors.lastname: Ruso
authors.forename: J A De la Ossa
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Carretero
authors.forename: F Giménez
authors.initials: FG
authors.lastname: Casalduero
authors.forename: J L Sánchez
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Lizaso
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003445:Crustacea / Q000502:physiology; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D004785:Environmental Pollutants / Q000032:analysis*; D019015:Geologic Sediments / Q000737:chemistry; D007220:Industrial Waste / Q000032:analysis*; D008974:Mollusca / Q000502:physiology; D009792:Oceans and Seas; D011077:Polychaeta / Q000502:physiology; D011157:Population Dynamics; D012492:Salts / Q000032:analysis*; D012621:Seasons; D012623:Seawater / Q000737:chemistry*; D013030:Spain
chemical_list: D004785:Environmental Pollutants; D007220:Industrial Waste; D012492:Salts; C017082:brine