Hard-bottom epifaunal assemblages

Abstract

From the Conclusions: “Six out of the ten taxa tested suggest discharge-related effects on abundances. At deeper sites, the densities of four low-relief taxa, Caryophyllia sp(p), Paracyathus stearnsii, Ophiacantha diplasia, and Halocynthia hilgendorfi igaboja, all decreased at the high-dose station after drilling discharges began, while they generally increased at the mid- or low-dose stations. Nevertheless, these results could be either an artifact of unusually high densities of these taxa at the high-dose station during the sampling period immediately prior to the initiation of drilling or simply year-depth interactions rather than year-dose interactions.

Two high-relief taxa, Stomphia didemon and sabliids, displayed lower increases in densities at the high-dose station than at the low-dose station after drilling began. These spatial-temporal variations may also have been due to year-depth interaction. Additional sampling is necessary to determine whether the decreases and lower increases in densities persist at the high-dose station or whether they are fortuitous natural patterns.”