Testing the Remane Diagram: Occurrences of Benthic Macroinvertebrates in Oligohaline to Hyperhaline Salinities

Ruth Lim; Stephanie Fourie; Emily Stout; Ben Roots; Sorcha Cronin-O'Reilly; Essie Rodgers; James Tweedley

doi:10.3390/w17111642

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Testing the Remane Diagram: Occurrences of Benthic Macroinvertebrates in Oligohaline to Hyperhaline Salinities

Journal article

Open access

Peer reviewed

Testing the Remane Diagram: Occurrences of Benthic Macroinvertebrates in Oligohaline to Hyperhaline Salinities

Ruth Lim, Stephanie Fourie, Emily Stout, Ben Roots, Sorcha Cronin-O'Reilly, Essie Rodgers and James Tweedley

Water (Basel), Vol.17(11), 1642

2025

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/w17111642

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Abstract

euryhaline

holohaline

hypersalinity

lagoon

low in-flow

Mediterranean climate

osmoconformation

osmoregulation

salinity gradient

salt lake

Starting with the Remane diagram, various conceptual models have been proposed to show how species richness varies along a salinity gradient. However, as relatively few estuaries experience extreme hypersalinity, quantitative data are lacking to evaluate the model. We used data for 1891 samples of benthic macroinvertebrates from 12 estuaries in southwestern Australia (salinity 0–122 ppt) to determine the salinities in which 257 taxa were recorded. The pattern of richness differed from the conceptual models, with relatively few species (≤20%) recorded in freshwater and oligohaline salinities. Richness peaked at 35 ppt (seawater, 44%) before declining precipitously, with 21% and 10% of taxa recorded in hyperhaline salinities of 40 and 48 ppt, respectively. Taxa were recorded across the full salinity range, and several holohaline annelids, crustaceans, and insects were identified. Descriptive statistics and the frequency distribution of each taxon along the salinity gradient are provided. These identify stenohaline taxa and those with different extents of euryhalinity and how the occurrence of these taxa changes with salinity. The results help predict how benthic macroinvertebrate species and assemblages in estuaries in southwestern Australia and other Mediterranean climatic regions may shift due to climate change, particularly increased incidences and magnitude of hypersalinity.

Details

Title: Testing the Remane Diagram: Occurrences of Benthic Macroinvertebrates in Oligohaline to Hyperhaline Salinities
Authors/Creators: Ruth Lim
Stephanie Fourie
Emily Stout
Ben Roots
Sorcha Cronin-O'Reilly
Essie Rodgers
James Tweedley
Publication Details: Water (Basel), Vol.17(11), 1642
Publisher: MDPI AG; BASEL
Number of pages: 27
Identifiers: 991005786783507891
Murdoch Affiliation: School of Environmental and Conservation Sciences; Centre for Sustainable Aquatic Ecosystems
Language: English
Resource Type: Journal article

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Citation topics: 3 Agriculture, Environment & Ecology; 3.2 Marine Biology; 3.2.1182 Coastal Vegetation
Web Of Science research areas: Environmental Sciences; Water Resources
ESI research areas: Environment/Ecology