Abstract:

Biomass measurements of benthic macroinfauna were measured in conjunction with field-deployed sediment oxygen demand chambers at four sites on the Chandeleur Sound side of the Chandeleur Islands in the Fall and Summer of 2015 and 2016. Cores (15 cm diameter, 15 cm depth) were collected after each sediment oxygen demand measurement was completed in the field, and additional cores were collected for infauna only (with no SOD measurement; either 10 or 15 cm diameter; 15 cm depth). Each sediment core was sieved using 0.5 mm mesh. Each sample was preserved in 95% ethanol and Rose Bengal stain. All organisms that were alive upon collection and therefor stained were picked out using a dissecting microscope, and placed into separate vials with 95% ethanol for preservation. Animals were identified to lowest taxonomic classification possible and biomass was calculated. Taxa were grouped into biomass categories which reduced errors in analyses for interpretation of sediment oxygen demand data. These data are associated with the datasets: Sediment oxygen demand in shallow water habitats around the Chandeleur Islands in 2015 and 2016 (GRIIDC dataset R4.x262.000:0006), Macroinfaunal abundance in shallow water habitats around the Chandeleur Islands in 2015 and 2016 (GRIIDC dataset R4.x262.000:0010), and Macroinfaunal functional group analyses in shallow water habitats around the Chandeleur Islands in 2015 and 2016 (GRIIDC dataset R4.x262.000:0011).

Suggested Citation:

Kelly Dorgan, Sarah Berke. 2017. Macroinfaunal biomass analysis in shallow water habitats around the Chandeleur Islands in 2015 and 2016. Distributed by: Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative Information and Data Cooperative (GRIIDC), Harte Research Institute, Texas A&M University–Corpus Christi. doi:10.7266/N7T43RGR

Purpose:

Infaunal samples were collected from oiled and unoiled sites in seagrass (Ruppia and Thalassia) and open sediment habitats to determine whether infaunal community structure had recovered from oil exposure during the Deepwater Horizon spill. Metrics of diversity and NMDS analysis were conducted to determine whether communities differed significantly between heavily and lightly oiled sites as well as among habitats. These data were collected as part of the ACER consortium.

Data Parameters and Units:

CORE ID DATA 1: Core ID - Description: Unique identifiers for each core sampled. This ID includes sample site (Chandeleur Islands [CI]), station (A, B, C1, C2), Habitat (Unvegetated Sediment [O], Ruppia [Hal], Thalassia [Thal], Marsh [M]), Sampling date (ddmmyy), core type (Metabolism data also collected [M], Whole Infauna Core with no SOD data [W]), core replicate number (#), Light/Dark distinction for metabolism cores (L, D), and whether the submerged vegetation was cut (cut) (pertains only to accompanying metabolism data). 2. Sampling Trip - Description: Season/sampling trip in which sampling was conducted in the Chandeleur Islands (Summer 2015, Fall 2015, Summer 2016, Fall 2016) 3. Date - Description: Date sample was collected from the field (yyyy-mm-dd). 4. Site - Description: Site codes corresponding to different sampling locations around the Chandeleur Islands. Site A was located at (29.864039N, -88.842443W), Site B was located at (29.894658N, -88.828155W), Site C1 was located at (29.92758N, -88.8293W), and Site C2 was located at (29.9338N, -88.82949W). 5. Location Latitude - Description: Latitude for each sampling site (decimal degrees). 6. Location Longitude - Description: Longitude for each sampling site (decimal degrees). 7. Habitat: Describes the habitat type from which the sample was collected as well as indication of whether the above-ground vegetation was clipped (cut). Habitat types included unvegetated, open sediment habitat adjacent to either Ruppia or Thalassia beds (Open), Thalassia sp. seagrass beds (Thalassia), Ruppia sp. seagrass beds (Ruppia), Thalassia sp. manually cut at the sediment surface and removed prior to sample collection (Cut Thalassia), and Ruppia sp. manually cut at the sediment surface and removed prior to sample collection (Cut Ruppia). 8. Light.Dark - Description: A category that pertains to the condition of each chamber during SOD measurements (for cores with accompanying SOD data). Light (L) corresponds with chambers that permitted ambient light to penetrate into the chamber to facilitate photosynthesis. Dark (D) corresponds with chambers that were constructed to exclude ambient light to minimize the dissolved oxygen contribution from photosynthesis. Light or Dark conditions are not relevant for whole infauna cores, therefore entries here for these cores are left as NA. 9. Core Type - Description: Indication of whether the core was collected with corresponding oxygen consumption data (M) or without (W). 10. Core Diameter - Description: Diameter (cm) of acrylic tube used for sample collection. Biomass Category Key 1. Category - Description: The name of the biomass category used in grouping taxonomic groups for biomass assessment. These groups are roughly identified based on motility, feeding, phyla, and abundant families. 2. Description - Description: A short description of the groups included in the category. 3. Taxa 1, Taxa 2, etc. - Description: Columns 3 through 7 are the specific taxa (grouped by Family) included in each category distinction. This is not an exhaustive list of taxa included in each group, but a generalized framework for categorizing purposes. Biomass Category Data 1. Biomass Category - Description: name of the biomass category used in grouping taxonomic groups for biomass assessment. These are fully explained in the Biomass Category Key data set. 2. Core IDs - Description: From this column onwards are core IDs associated with each sample. The data represent biomass (in grams, g) of each biomass category per sample. The physical and environmental properties of each core are detailed in the associated Core ID data sheet.

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