Brief description
The introduced European polychaete Sabella spallanzanii has become a dominant feature of sub-tidal habitats in south-eastern Australia. This study examines the physical effects of Sabella spallanzanii on macrofaunal assembleges of soft sediments. Macrofaunal assemblages were compared in the presence and absence of real and mimic S. spallanzanni clumps within sub-tidal experimental plots at Clifton Springs, Bellarine Peninsula, Port Phillip Bay, Victoria. The effects of S. spallanzanii on: i) existing macrofaunal assemblage; ii) distribution of larvae and iii) colonisation of macrofauna were tested. This dataset gives the colonisation of macrofauna in trays of sediments which had been defaunated and embedded in sediments within plots of undisturbed sediment (Control) and plots that contained a single clump of 15 S. spallanzanii individuals (Sabella). Sediment trays were colonised predominantly by crustaceans, representing 91% of all individuals found. The presence of Sabella clumps resulted in a significantly higher colonisation of Cylindroleberidid ostracods, but no other effects were detected.Lineage
Maintenance and Update Frequency: notPlanned
Statement: Plastic trays (11cm diameter x 6 cm deep), 500 µm sieve, 0.1% Rose Bengal, 70% Ethanol
Statement: 1.Source:
a. Dataset: This dataset gives the abundances of each species or taxonomic group found in sediment trays (11 cm diameter x 6 cm deep) that had been defaunated and embedded within four Control and four Sabella plots (1 m2). Control plots were undisturbed sediment without S. spallanzani; Sabella plots contained a clump of S. spallanzanii comprised of 15 individuals. Treatment plots were established in a grid pattern, each 2 m apart within a sub-tidal zone of soft sediments at Clifton Springs, Bellarine Peninsula, Port Phillip Bay, Victoria. Four plots were randomly allocated to each treatment group. Sediment was collected from the study site one week prior to the experiment and defaunated by drying in the sun for three days. Soil trays were initially inserted into the sediment with a perforated lid attached and embedded until the lid was flush with the sediment. Perforated lids were left in place for 24 hours to allow the sediment to re-hydrate, preventing the dispersal of the sediments upon removing the lid. Samples were left in situ for 4 weeks in June 2003. Prior to retrieval, non-perforated lids were attached to soil containers. After collection the soil was stained with 0.1% Rose Bengal and stored in 70% ethanol. Fauna were identified and enumerated after passing sediments through a 500 µm mesh sieve.
Data columns in the data set are:
Treatment (Control, Sabella); Plot (C1, C2, C3, C4, S1, S2, S5, S6, S7)
The remaining data columns give the number of individuals per soil container (11 cm diameter x 6 cm deep) for the following taxa: Electroma georgiana; Bivalves; Polychaetes; Cylindroleberidid; Unidentififed Ostracods; Amphipods; Harpacticoid copepods; Cumaceans; Crustaceans; Gastropods; Total Individuals.
For more details on the methods and experimental design see O'Brien, A., Ross, D.J. & Keough, M.J. (2006) Effects of Sabella spallanzanii physical structure on soft sediment macrofaunal assemblages. Marine and Freshwater Research 57: 363-371.
b. Scale: Number of individuals per soil container (11 cm diameter x 6 cm deep).
c. Media Types: Not Relevant
d. Date: June 2003
e. Dates of various parts of the process: Soil was defaunated by drying in the sun for three days. Defaunated soil trays were placed in the field for 4 weeks in June 2003
2. Processing Steps
a. Intermediate processing steps (after data capture): Not Relevant
b. Methods used to generate final product: Not Relevant
Notes
CreditThe research was supported by an Australian Research Council linkage grant.
Credit
Various people assisted with field work including E. Bone, P. Addison and R. Watson.
Various people assisted with field work including E. Bone, P. Addison and R. Watson.
Purpose
To assess if the presence of Sabella spallanzanii alters the assemblage of macrofauna that colonise soft sediments.
To assess if the presence of Sabella spallanzanii alters the assemblage of macrofauna that colonise soft sediments.
Created: 02 02 2007
Data time period: 2003-06-01 to 2003-06-30
text: westlimit=144.56639; southlimit=-38.1499; eastlimit=144.56639; northlimit=-38.14944
text: uplimit=10; downlimit=5
Subjects
22 000000 |
22 083031 |
23 199000 |
23 236005 |
23 315005 |
24 000000 |
27 105000 |
27 254000 |
28 090000 |
28 401000 |
ANIMALS/INVERTEBRATES |
AQUATIC ECOSYSTEMS |
ARTHROPODS |
Benthic Habitat |
BIOLOGICAL CLASSIFICATION |
BIOSPHERE |
Bioturbation |
Bellarine Peninsula |
Biosphere | Zoology | Invertebrates |
Bivalvia |
Crustaceans |
Cumacea |
Cylindroleberididae |
EARTH SCIENCE |
ECOLOGICAL DYNAMICS |
Electroma georgiana |
Gastropoda |
Harpacticoida |
MARINE SEDIMENTS |
Mysella donaciformis |
OCEANS |
Oceans | Marine Biology | Marine Invertebrates |
Population Dynamics |
Phyoxocephalidae |
Polychaeta |
Port Phillip Bay |
SPECIES/POPULATION INTERACTIONS |
Sabella spallanzanii |
biota |
larvae |
subtidal |
taxonomic_group_count |
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Other Information
(Sabella3_Colonisation_data.xls)
Identifiers
- global : 38ff1b70-0e69-11dc-8c12-00188b4c0af8
