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A new method for detecting pollution effects on marine macrobenthic communities
Journal article   Peer reviewed

A new method for detecting pollution effects on marine macrobenthic communities

R.M. Warwick
Marine Biology, Vol.92(4), pp.557-562
1986
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Abstract

A method is described by which the pollution status of a marine macrobenthic community may be assessed without reference to a temporal or spatial series of control samples. Theoretical considerations suggest that the distribution of numbers of individuals among species should behave differently from the distribution of biomass among species when influenced by pollution-induced disturbance. Combined k-dominance plots for species biomass and numbers take three possible forms representing unpolluted, moderately polluted and grossly polluted conditions, one curve acting as an “internal control” against which the other can be compared. Field data from unpolluted communities and from a well documented temporal pollution gradient support the model, but further empirical testing is required.

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UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

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#14 Life Below Water

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Citation topics
3 Agriculture, Environment & Ecology
3.2 Marine Biology
3.2.605 Benthic Biodiversity
Web Of Science research areas
Marine & Freshwater Biology
ESI research areas
Plant & Animal Science
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