title: Sewage pollution effects on mesozooplankton structure in a shallow temperate estuary.
abstract: The effects of a sewage effluent with no treatment on the mesozooplankton structure and the environmental quality were evaluated in the Bahía Blanca Estuary, during June to November 1995. The highest values of particulate organic matter, nutrients and specially phosphate, were observed in the effluent discharge zone. In addition, taxa richness, mesozooplankton abundance and Shannon diversity values were lower in the sewage discharge area compared with the less polluted area. Eurytemora americana and Acartia tonsa as well as larvae of Balanus glandula, Neohelice granulata and Spionidae were found in the discharge area with lower densities. These results highlight the importance of sewage effluent effects on mesozooplankton community providing background data to use in other monitoring programmes.
authors.affiliation: Instituto Argentino de Oceanografía (CONICET-UNS), Camino La Carrindanga km 7, B8000FWB Bahía Blanca, Argentina. biancaf@criba.edu.ar
authors.forename: Florencia
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Biancalana
authors.forename: María C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Menéndez
authors.forename: Anabela A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Berasategui
authors.forename: Melisa D
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Fernández-Severini
authors.forename: Mónica S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Hoffmeyer
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001118:Argentina; D044822:Biodiversity; D033342:Copepoda / Q000145:classification / Q000254:growth & development; D017753:Ecosystem; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D005618:Fresh Water / Q000737:chemistry; D012623:Seawater / Q000737:chemistry; D012722:Sewage / Q000032:analysis / Q000737:chemistry*; D014873:Water Pollutants / Q000032:analysis / Q000633:toxicity*; D014876:Water Pollution / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D015048:Zooplankton / Q000145:classification / Q000254:growth & development*
chemical_list: D012722:Sewage; D014873:Water Pollutants