Macrobenthos in the central Arabian Gulf: a reflection of climate extremes and variability
Journal
Hydrobiologia
Journal Issue
770
Pages
53--72
Date Issued
2016
Author(s)
Abstract
The arid subtropical ecosystem of the central Arabian Gulf was used to explore the combined effects of low primary productivity, high salinities, and variable temperatures on the composition and structure of benthic macrofauna at 13 sites encircling the Qatar Peninsula in winter and summer (or late spring) of 2010 and 2011. The low abundance, biomass, and remarkably high species turnover may be a reflection of the oligotrophic, thermally variable, hypersaline coastal environment. The number of species and within-habitat diversity was lowest in the highest salinities but increased with finer-grained sediments and lower salinity. A remarkable temporal variation in species composition observed may reflect insufficient primary production to sustain new populations recruited from the seasonal exchange of water from the adjacent Sea of Oman. Low abundances accompanied by continued replacement of species may be a “new model” for extremely arid conditions associated with global warming. © 2015, Springer International Publishing Switzerland.
Subjects
Biodiversity; Climate changes; Community composition; Macrobenthos; Phytoplankton; Zooplankton
SDGs
Other Subjects
abundance estimation; biomass; climate change; climate variation; coastal zone; community composition; community structure; extreme event; hypersaline environment; macrobenthos; phytoplankton; temporal variation; water temperature; zooplankton; Arabian Sea; Gulf of Oman; Indian Ocean; Persian Gulf; Qatar
Type
journal article