Bioassessment of environmental quality based on taxonomic and functional traits of marine nematodes in the Bohai Sea, China
Hua, E.; He, L.; Zhang, Z.; Cui, C.; Liu, X. (2023). Bioassessment of environmental quality based on taxonomic and functional traits of marine nematodes in the Bohai Sea, China. Mar. Pollut. Bull. 190: 114884. https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2023.114884
In: Marine Pollution Bulletin. Macmillan: London. ISSN 0025-326X; e-ISSN 1879-3363, more
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| Keywords |
Nematoda [WoRMS]
Marine/Coastal |
| Author keywords |
Marine nematodes; Taxonomic composition; Functional traits; Environmental quality assessment; The Bohai Sea |
| Abstract |
Free-living marine nematodes are valuable biological indicators for different environmental disturbances. Their taxonomic composition and functional traits often respond to environmental changes. In this study, marine nematodes, collected from the Bohai sea on the northeastern coast of China in 2014, were investigated in terms of their taxonomic composition and functional traits. Furthermore, the environmental quality of the investigated area was assessed based on nematode metrics. The studied nematode community showed spatial variation in taxonomic and functional composition, in response to changes in environmental variables such as sediment chlorophyll-a, phaeophytin-a, organic matter content, silt-clay content etc. Overall, high percentage of tolerant marine nematodes species or colonizers predominated, suggesting a disturbed environmental condition of the study area. Further results from the environmental quality assessment based on nematode metrics indicated a moderate quality status at the most investigated stations. |
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