Benthic fauna play a crucial role in organic matter decomposition and nutrient cycling at the sediment-water boundary in aquatic ecosystems. In terrestrial systems, grazing herbivores have been shown to influence below-ground communities through alterations to plant distribution and composition, however whether similar cascading effects occur in aquatic systems is unknown. Here, we assess the r...

Climate warming threatens biodiversity at global, regional and local levels by causing irreversible changes to species populations and biological communities. The Himalayan region is highly vulnerable to climate warming. This calls for efficient environmental management strategies because biodiversity monitoring is costly, particularly for the developing countries of the Himalaya. Species distr...

The dynamic relationship between reefs and the people who utilize them at a subsistence level is poorly understood. This paper characterizes atoll-scale patterns in shallow coral reef habitat and fish community structure, and correlates these with environmental characteristics and anthropogenic factors, critical to conservation efforts for the reefs and the people who depend on them. Hierarchic...

We examined the spatial extent of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) limitation of each of the major benthic primary producer groups in Florida Bay (seagrass, epiphytes, macroalgae, and benthic microalgae) and characterized the shifts in primary producer community composition following nutrient enrichment. We established 24 permanent 0.25m2 study plots at each of six sites across Florida Bay and a...

Benthic invertebrate assessments can be used to gauge the impact of urban wetweather flows in receiving waters. Experiences from Cemagref in France have shown that standardized benthic indices (e.g. Oligochaete Index of Sediment Bioindication IOBS) can be used to reliably determine the ecological status of urban streams and can be incorporated into the new European Water Framework Directive. Th...

Numerous pits in coastal waters are subject to degraded water quality and benthic habitat conditions, resulting in degraded fish habitat. A pit in Barnegat Bay, New Jersey (USA) was partially filled with dredged sediment to increase flushing, alleviate hypoxia, and enhance benthic assemblages. Restoration objectives were assessed in terms of benthic community parameters and fishery resource occ...

We performed a 15N-labeling study to investigate nitrogen incorporation and retention by the benthic microbial community (bacteria and benthic microalgae) and fauna in the intertidal sediment of the subtropical Australian Brunswick Estuary. The main experiment involved an in situ 15N pulse–chase experiment. After injection of 15NH z4 into the sediment, 15N was traced into bulk sediment, total h...

1. The relationship between benthic invertebrate assemblage composition and surrounding land use has been examined in various ways, but most studies are undertaken at a coarse scale, or they compare obviously different landscapes. In Japan, these obvious differences in landscape are rare, and humans reside even in remote montane areas. 2. In order to clarify the influence of human residence on ...