Assessing benthic ecological impacts of bottom aquaculture using macrofaunal assemblages.
Bottom aquaculture of bivalves is a high-yield culture method, which is increasingly adopted by shellfish farmers worldwide. However, the effects of bottom aquaculture on benthic ecosystems are not well-known. Manila clam (Ruditapes philippinarum), is a widely distributed bottom aquaculture mollusk species. To assess the ecological impacts of Manila clam bottom aquaculture, clams and other macrofaunal assemblages were investigated during four cruises (July and November 2011, February and May 2012) at six sampling sites in Jiaozhou Bay, China. Correlation analysis showed that macrofaunal assemblages had significant negative correlations with the abundance of Manila clams. However, according to the results of several biotic indices, a low disturbance was detected by Manila clam bottom aquaculture. In conclusion, AMBI (AZTI'S Marine Biotic Index) and M-AMBI (Multivariate AZTI Marine Biotic Index) indices are more suitable for assessing ecological quality than polychaete/amphipod ratios when the disturbance is slight, such as at a bivalve bottom aquaculture.
College of Marine Life Sciences, Ocean University of China, Qingdao 266003, PR China.
Lu
L
Wang
College of Marine Life Sciences, Ocean University of China, Qingdao 266003, PR China.
Ying
Y
Fan
College of Marine Life Sciences, Ocean University of China, Qingdao 266003, PR China.
Cunjun
C
Yan
College of Marine Life Sciences, Ocean University of China, Qingdao 266003, PR China.
Chunzi
C
Gao
College of Marine Life Sciences, Ocean University of China, Qingdao 266003, PR China.
Zhaodong
Z
Xu
College of Marine Life Sciences, Ocean University of China, Qingdao 266003, PR China. Electronic address: liuxs@ouc.edu.cn.
Xiaoshou
X
Liu
D033304:Amphipoda / Q000254:growth & development*; D000818:Animals; D017756:Aquaculture / Q000379:methods*; D018533:Biomass; D058448:Biota; D049872:Bivalvia / Q000254:growth & development*; D002681:China; D016000:Cluster Analysis; D017753:Ecosystem; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000379:methods*; D019015:Geologic Sediments / Q000737:chemistry*; D009792:Oceans and Seas; D011077:Polychaeta / Q000254:growth & development*; D012621:Seasons; D012758:Shellfish
AMBI; Bottom aquaculture; M-AMBI; Macrofauna; Polychaete/amphipod ratios; Ruditapes philippinarum