Document Type
Article
Publication Date
12-1995
Department 1
Environmental Studies
Abstract
Bedload and water column traps were used with simultaneous wind and water velocity measurements to study postlarval macrofaunal dispersal dynamics in Manukau Harbour, New Zealand. A 12-fold range in mean wind condition resulted in large differences in water flow (12-fold), sediment flux (285-fold), and trap collection of total number of individuals (95-fold), number of the dominant infaunal organism (84-fold for the bivalve Macomona liliana), and number of species (4-fold). There were very strong, positive relationships among wind condition, water velocity, sediment flux, and postlarval dispersal, especially in the bedload. Local density in the ambient sediment was not a good predictor of dispersal. Results indicate that postlarval dispersal may influence benthic abundance pat- terns over a range of spatial scales.
Copyright Note
This is the publisher's version of the work. This publication appears in Gettysburg College's institutional repository by permission of the copyright owner for personal use, not for redistribution.
Recommended Citation
Commito, J., et al. Dispersal Dynamics in a Wind-Driven Benthic System. Limnology and Oceanography. 1995. 40(8): 1513-1518.
Required Publisher's Statement
Copyright (1995) by the Association for the Sciences of Limnology and Oceanography, Inc.