title: Macrobenthic assemblages, sediment characteristics and heavy metal concentrations in soft-bottom Ebre Delta bays (NW Mediterranean).
abstract: The spatial distribution of soft-bottom macrofaunal assemblages and their relationship with sediment characteristics were examined in two semi-enclosed shallow-water bays (Alfacs Bay and Fangar Bay) in the Ebre Delta (Catalonia, NW Mediterranean) during 2006 and 2011. Three assemblages were identified: group 1, present in sediments that contain a high percentage of silt-clay, small median particle size and high organic matter content and located at the most external areas of both bays and in the central basin of Alfacs Bay; group 2, present in the shallow northern platform in Alfacs Bay and in both platforms in Fangar Bay, the locations which feature highly variable sediment characteristics; and group 3, present in the shallow areas of both bays, which are characterised by low silt-clay and organic matter content. In Alfacs Bay, the differentiation of these assemblages has persisted since 1987, independently of the increase in organic matter content and heavy metal concentrations and of the shift in macrofaunal composition that have occurred over the past 20 years, most likely the result of increased agricultural activity.
authors: Centre d'Estudis Avançats de Blanes (CSIC), Accés Cala Sant Francesc 14, 17300, Blanes, Girona, Spain, esther@ceab.csic.es.
authors: Esther
authors: E
authors: Jordana
authors: Susana
authors: S
authors: Pinedo
authors: Enric
authors: E
authors: Ballesteros
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D061006:Bays / Q000737:chemistry; D044822:Biodiversity; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D019015:Geologic Sediments / Q000737:chemistry*; D007448:Invertebrates / Q000145:classification* / Q000254:growth & development; D019216:Metals, Heavy / Q000032:analysis*; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000032:analysis*
chemical_list: D019216:Metals, Heavy; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical
references: Mar Pollut Bull. 2010 Jul;60(7):1040-50
references: 20189195
references: Environ Monit Assess. 2001 Oct;71(2):187-205
references: 11686200
references: Environ Pollut. 1996;92(1):19-25
references: 15091407
references: Mar Pollut Bull. 2007;55(1-6):215-24
references: 17070857
references: Ecotoxicol Environ Saf. 2010 Mar;73(3):280-6
references: 19969352
references: Mar Pollut Bull. 2009;59(1-3):38-47
references: 19084874
references: Sci Total Environ. 1993;Suppl Pt 1:117-25
references: 8108702
references: Sci Total Environ. 2011 Oct 15;409(22):4831-40
references: 21889788
references: Chemosphere. 2010 Jan;78(3):232-40
references: 19954812
references: Environ Pollut. 2011 Oct;159(10):2622-9
references: 21684642
references: Mar Pollut Bull. 2008 Jun;56(6):1057-65
references: 18405924
references: Mar Pollut Bull. 2011 Aug;62(8):1632-40
references: 21757209
references: Mar Pollut Bull. 2007 Jun;54(6):733-44
references: 17335856
references: Sci Total Environ. 1994 Dec 1;156(3):269-73
references: 7801113
references: Sci Total Environ. 2008 Dec 15;407(1):178-84
references: 18805569
references: Mar Pollut Bull. 2013 Aug 15;73(1):78-85
references: 23790459
references: Mar Pollut Bull. 2008;57(1-5):160-9
references: 18045624
references: Mar Pollut Bull. 2007 Jun;54(6):640-5
references: 17418874
references: Sci Total Environ. 2000 Apr 17;249(1-3):297-312
references: 10813460
references: Mar Pollut Bull. 2009;59(1-3):5-13
references: 19136123
references: Mar Pollut Bull. 2014 Jun 15;83(1):116-26
references: 24768175
references: Mar Pollut Bull. 2013 Jan 15;66(1-2):135-42
references: 23168234
references: Integr Environ Assess Manag. 2012 Oct;8(4):610-24
references: 22275113
references: Mar Environ Res. 2013 Dec;92:1-9
references: 23973121
references: Mar Environ Res. 2013 Sep;90:47-54
references: 23806856
references: Anal Bioanal Chem. 2007 Feb;387(4):1479-88
references: 17226004
references: Sci Total Environ. 2000 Apr 5;248(2-3):115-22
references: 10805232
references: Environ Pollut. 2006 Dec;144(3):1001-12
references: 16580763