PT20 Ecotoxicology of Tropical Aquatic Environments
Exhibit Hall
8:00 AM - Tuesday
(PT290) Effects of Pore Water Chemistry on Meiofauna Community Structure in Bahia Magdalena, Baja California Sur, Mexico.
Watters, K1, Bolender, J1, Boudrias, M1, 1 University of San Diego, San Diego, CA, USA
ABSTRACT- For over thirty years, the CALMEX cannery has been releasing organic waste directly into the waters and onto the sediments of Magdalena Bay. Although it is visibly apparent that the cannery is impacting parts of the bay, this study was designed to quantify the biological and chemical extent of any impact. This project investigated the use of specific meiofauna, copepods and nematodes, as indicators of organic pollution in Magdalena Bay. The organic pollution was quantified through analysis of the concentrations of ammonia and sulfide in the sediment pore waters of five shallow water sites, including polluted and reference areas. Preliminary results show a strong correlation between areas of high sulfide and ammonia in the sediments and a high copepod to nematode ratio and areas with lower concentrations of sulfide and ammonia and a lower ratio. Differences in ratios may be affected by ecological or physiological differences between copepods and nematodes.
Key words: Ammonia, Sulfide, Nematode, Copepod