Linking the toxic metals to benthic community alteration: a case study of ecological status in the Bohai Bay.
Ecological effects and quality status of sediments in the Bohai Bay (North China) were studied by incorporating the traditional chemical analysis and benthic community structure. In the present study, paired sediments from 20 stations were sampled for chemical analysis and benthic assemblages. The overall results demonstrated that sediment impairment mainly appeared in the southern part of the Bay. The results obtained from the principal component analysis regarding benthic data and potential explanatory factors indicated that As, Hg and petroleum hydrocarbons (PHs) were responsible for the distribution of macrofaunal assemblages. Canonical correspondence analysis further showed As was significantly correlated to the benthic alteration, which provided evidence of ecological relevance to chemical substances of concern. Overall, this study revealed the metal contamination in the Bohai Bay was not as severe as previously regarded. Yet, further investigation is still needed considering the complexity of sediment matrices.
Key Laboratory of Marine Ecology and Environmental Science, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao 266071, PR China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, PR China.
Bin
B
Wu
Key Laboratory of Marine Ecology and Environmental Science, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao 266071, PR China. Electronic address: jmsong@ms.qdio.ac.cn.
Jinming
J
Song
Key Laboratory of Marine Ecology and Environmental Science, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao 266071, PR China.
Xuegang
X
Li
D000818:Animals; D001151:Arsenic / Q000032:analysis / Q000633:toxicity*; D061006:Bays; D002681:China; D017753:Ecosystem; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D019015:Geologic Sediments / Q000032:analysis; D006838:Hydrocarbons / Q000032:analysis / Q000633:toxicity; D007448:Invertebrates; D008628:Mercury / Q000032:analysis / Q000633:toxicity*; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D010578:Petroleum / Q000032:analysis / Q000633:toxicity; D059392:Petroleum Pollution / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000032:analysis; D025341:Principal Component Analysis
D006838:Hydrocarbons; D010578:Petroleum; D008628:Mercury; D001151:Arsenic
Benthos; Bohai Bay; Ecological significance; Sediments; Toxic metals