LE3 .A278 2018

2018

Gibson, Glenys

Acadia University

Master of Science

Masters

Biology

Biology

Suspended sediment is important in the survivorship of intertidal invertebrates which rely on its availability for food and habitat. We investigated how the taxonomic and functional diversities of tidal flat invertebrates are affected by different concentrations of suspended sediment. Cores were collected from low-, mid-, and high-intertidal zones in the Minas Basin, Bay of Fundyand placed in tidal mesocosms with either low (10 –30 mg/L) or high (100-400 mg/L) suspended sediment concentrations for up to four weeks. Changes in diversity and sediment characteristics were measured. Low-intertidal species were negatively impacted by low suspended sediment treatment while species from mid-and high- intertidal zones were less affected by treatment. Sediment characteristics remained constant. The sensitivity of species and functional groups unique to the low-intertidal community to a decrease in suspended sediment raises the question of how it will respond to anthropogenic factors that alter tidal flow and associated suspended sediment.

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https://scholar.acadiau.ca/islandora/object/theses:2694