The ecology of the littoral maine polychaetes of Timbalier Bay

Abstract

From the Abstract: “The marine polychaetes were studied for community structure, diversity, biomass, and abundance, and to determine the relationshipnof chemical and physical factors with their distribution in beaches located near petroleum production and control areas in Timbalier Bay, Louisiana. Two northern mud beaches and two southern sand beaches were studied during July and October 1973 and January 1974. At each locality one beach was close to an oil production site; the control beach was remote from such activities. ..The sand control beach was the richest area, followed by the mud production beach The sand production beach was the poorest. Wet-weight biomasses were greatest in mud beaches and least in sand beaches. Faunal resemblances were greatest between the two mud beaches, the two sand beaches, and between the mud and sand production beaches…The analysis of variance demonstrated that there were three distinct species-substrate associations. Some species were found only in mud beaches, a second group in sand beaches, and a third group in both mud and sand beaches. The mud production beach with an absence of petroleum had a larger population than its