28.05.2014 Views

appendix b final 2008 biological surveys of los angeles and long ...

appendix b final 2008 biological surveys of los angeles and long ...

appendix b final 2008 biological surveys of los angeles and long ...

SHOW MORE
SHOW LESS

Create successful ePaper yourself

Turn your PDF publications into a flip-book with our unique Google optimized e-Paper software.

5.0 Benthic <strong>and</strong> Epibenthic Invertebrates<br />

The other two station cluster groups consisted <strong>of</strong> outer <strong>and</strong> inner harbor basins, channels, <strong>and</strong><br />

slips. Species assemblages within these groups were similar between Long Beach <strong>and</strong> Los<br />

Angeles Harbors. One <strong>of</strong> the cluster groups had relatively higher abundance <strong>of</strong> T. lubrica.<br />

Within these two cluster groups, outer <strong>and</strong> inner harbor basins <strong>and</strong> slips generally had relatively<br />

higher abundances <strong>of</strong> polychaete worms such as Aphelochaeta petersenae, Cossura c<strong>and</strong>ida,<br />

Monticellina siblina, Pista wui; scaphapod molluscs (Gadila aberrans), <strong>and</strong> pea crabs<br />

(Scleroplax granulata). Inner harbor channel stations had higher relative abundances <strong>of</strong> several<br />

polychaete worms such as Euchone limnicola, Paramage scutata, Pista agassizi, Spiophanes<br />

dupex, <strong>and</strong> Streb<strong>los</strong>oma sp. B. A few <strong>of</strong> these species, including Aphelochaeta, Euchone, <strong>and</strong><br />

Monticellina have been associated with low to moderate organic enrichment (MEC 2002). This<br />

is not unexpected in areas with relatively lower tidal circulation.<br />

5.3.3.2 Winter Survey<br />

The cluster analysis indicates that species composition was similar throughout the harbors<br />

during the winter (Figure 5.3-2). There were three major station cluster groups; however, only<br />

one included stations that were aligned by either location or depth. That group consisted <strong>of</strong><br />

stations in the western side <strong>of</strong> outer Los Angeles Harbor, including shallow <strong>and</strong> deepwater<br />

habitats <strong>and</strong> the Cabrillo Basin (Stations LA3, LA7, LA10, LA11, <strong>and</strong> LA12). The other two<br />

cluster groups each included a mix <strong>of</strong> inner <strong>and</strong> outer harbor stations covering both shallow <strong>and</strong><br />

deep water, including open water, basins, channels, <strong>and</strong> slips.<br />

5.3.4 Summary <strong>of</strong> Spatial <strong>and</strong> Temporal Variations<br />

Species composition showed little change between the summer <strong>and</strong> winter <strong>surveys</strong>. However,<br />

abundances were generally higher in summer than winter. Species composition differed among<br />

shallow <strong>and</strong> deepwater habitats in the outer harbor with both being relatively diverse in terms <strong>of</strong><br />

number <strong>of</strong> species, but abundances at shallow-water stations were approximately twice those at<br />

deepwater stations. There was little difference in species composition among deepwater<br />

stations located in basins, channels, or slips <strong>of</strong> the inner <strong>and</strong> outer harbors.<br />

Species assemblages <strong>of</strong> benthic invertebrates can be indicative <strong>of</strong> habitat quality. Certain<br />

species are tolerant <strong>of</strong> adverse environmental conditions, such as low oxygen <strong>and</strong> high pollutant<br />

levels, <strong>and</strong> others are found only in more pristine conditions. Accordingly, the patterns <strong>of</strong><br />

occurrence <strong>of</strong> those indicator species can be used to deduce habitat quality, <strong>and</strong> past studies<br />

have evaluated habitat quality in that manner (MEC 1988, MEC 2002). In the present study,<br />

species assemblages indicated that stations in the outer harbor had the highest habitat quality<br />

as indicated by relatively greater abundance by species characteristic <strong>of</strong> areas <strong>of</strong> background to<br />

low organic enrichment, i.e., pollution. The species assemblages found in the inner harbor,<br />

basins, <strong>and</strong> slips were indicative <strong>of</strong> low to moderate organic enrichment compared to the openwater<br />

outer harbor stations. This result suggests that species composition is influenced by tidal<br />

circulation in the harbors.<br />

5.3.5 Historical Comparisons<br />

The benthic community <strong>of</strong> the harbors was first studied in the 1950s by Reish (1959). The<br />

harbor environment was quite different then, with several inner harbor <strong>and</strong> slip areas severely<br />

polluted <strong>and</strong> either devoid <strong>of</strong> marine life or dominated by the polychaete Capitella capitata,<br />

which is considered an indicator <strong>of</strong> pollution or disturbance (Reish 1959, Pearson <strong>and</strong><br />

Rosenberg 1978). Areas considered “healthy” occurred in the outer harbor <strong>and</strong> were dominated<br />

by the polychaetes Cossura c<strong>and</strong>ida, Nereis procera, <strong>and</strong> “Tharyx ? parvus.”<br />

Similar species have been collected in the harbors over the last 30 years (Table 5.3-6).<br />

However, the relative abundances <strong>of</strong> the species have varied, <strong>and</strong> there has been a shift in the<br />

5–6 <strong>2008</strong> Biological Surveys <strong>of</strong> Los Angeles <strong>and</strong> Long Beach Harbors<br />

April 2010

Hooray! Your file is uploaded and ready to be published.

Saved successfully!

Ooh no, something went wrong!