Distribution, abundance, and species diversity of macrobenthic and meiobenthic invertebrates in relation to Houston Ship Channel pollution in upper Galveston Bay and Tabbs Bay, Texas

Abstract

Benthic collections were made with a modified Ekman dredge over a period of 18 months from August 1970 through January 1972 at 17 stations in Tabbs Bay and upper Galveston Bay, Texas. A total of 87 species, including 24 polychaete worms, 10 gastropod snails, 11 pelecypod clams, and 26 ctustaceans, were collected. The total number of species, number of individuals, and the Shannon and Weaver species diversity index were used as benthic community parameters in relation to the environmental parameters of sediment composition, temperature, salinity, dissolved oxygen, seasonal, areal, and pollution effects. There was no significant community change as the southerly distance increased to 5 miles or 7,810 meters from the inflow of pollutants into upper Galveston Bay. It was hypothesized that most of the pollutants within the deep channel sediments remain in channel sediments and do not become incorporated within the sediments of the more shallow regions of the bay because of the large 10 m depth difference between these regions. A gradual rise and stabilization of salinities at approximately 20% is believed to have been responsible for a rise in the number of species and diversity index over the study period. ...