Abstract:

Benthic macroinfauna samples were collected in the subtidal zone from four sites in upper Terrebonne Bay, Louisiana, in Spring, Summer, Late summer, and Fall of 2015 and 2016. Macroinfauna were identified to the lowest possible taxonomic level. The same or nearby subtidal sites were sampled in 2013 (GRIIDC R4.x264.000:0005) and 2014 (GRIIDC R1.x139.144:0008) as the focus of a different study but which are being used with the 2015-2016 data to study the seasonal fluctuations in faunal composition and to monitor the recovery using various community diversity indices and multivariate statistical approaches.

Suggested Citation:

Shivarudrappa, Shivakumar , Rabalais, Nancy N.. 2019. Benthic macroinfauna collected from the subtidal zone in Terrebonne Bay, Louisiana from 2015-05-12 to 2016-10-15. Distributed by: GRIIDC, Harte Research Institute, Texas A&M University–Corpus Christi. doi:10.7266/n7-6qc0-g675

Purpose:

Benthic macroinfauna samples were collected to assess the impact of the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill on benthic macroinvertebrate communities in the Louisiana subtidal ecosystem.

Data Parameters and Units:

The two data worksheets (2015, 2016) contain the same data variables: Month Collected: Month samples were collected in the field; Year Collected: Year samples were collected in the field; Date Collected: Date samples were collected in the field; Site: User-defined identifier assigned to each sampling location; LAT (decimal degrees): Latitude of sampling location in decimal degrees; LONG (decimal degrees): Longitude of sampling location in decimal degrees; Replicate #: User-defined identifier for replicate samples; Abundances of categories of organisms encountered in subtidal samples (units are individually counted).

Methods:

Subtidal sediments were collected by attaching a 7.62 cm diameter core tube to a homemade PVC coring device designed to collect cores underwater. Samples were collected at an approximate water depth of one meter, with approximately the top 5 cm of subtidal sediment collected. Cores were extruded and sieved in the field at 0.5 mm (500 µm), transferred into sample jars, and fixed/stained in 10% formalin-Rose Bengal solution in the field. Samples were processed in the lab by pouring off the formalin through a 0.5 mm sieve and rinsing gently & thoroughly with tap water to remove formalin residue, then transferring 1-2 teaspoons of material at a time into gridded counting trays and examined under a dissecting scope. Macroinfauna were identified to the lowest possible taxonomic level.

Individual Files: