The benthic community of the Laurentian Great Lakes: analysis of spatial gradients and temporal trends from 1998-2014.

ABSTRACT: We used the results of seventeen years of Great Lakes benthic monitoring conducted by the U.S. EPA's Great Lakes National Program Office to describe the spatial and temporal patterns of benthic communities, assess their status, trends, and main drivers, and to infer the potential impact of these community changes on ecosystem functioning. Benthic abundance and diversity were higher at shallow (<70 m in depth) stations with chlorophyll concentrations above 3 μg/L than at deeper sites (<1 μg/L).We infer that lake productivity, measured by chlorophyll was likely the major driver of benthic abundance and diversity across lakes. Consequently, benthic diversity and abundance were the highest in the most productive Lake Erie, followed by lakes Ontario, Michigan, Huron, and Superior. Multivariate

SUBMITTER: Burlakova LE 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6483096 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature