Benthic Infaunal Communities Adjacent to the Sewage Outfalls at Agana and Northern District, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, 2005-2007
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2007-07
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Water Resources Research Center, University of Hawaii at Manoa
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Abstract
Taxa richness and abundance are given for benthic infauna collected from sediments adjacent to ocean outfalls of the Northern District and Agana (Hagatna) Sewage Treatment Plants, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands. This addresses U.S. Environmental Protection Agency requirements of 301(h) waiver permits for baseline data prior to the construction of two new outfalls to replace those currently in operation. Living infauna and sediment-surface-dwelling epifauna were collected with a remote sampler from stations off the Agana and Northern District outfalls. Samplings were done in August 2005, March 2006, and January 2007 at depths of 40 to 92 m. A total of 21,058 invertebrates were collected from both outfall areas over the three sampling years. Polychaetes were the most diverse and abundant component in the three sets of samples, with 9,068 individuals belonging to 229 taxa. Overall, polychaetes were more abundant off Northern District (5,489 individuals) than off Agana (3,579 individuals). Thirty-nine taxa (totaling 11,990 individuals) of other invertebrates were recorded: Anthozoa, Acari, Bryozoa, Cephalochordata, Chaetognatha, Crustacea (9 taxa), Echinodermata (4 taxa), Hemichordata, Hydrozoa, Insecta, Kinorhyncha, Mollusca (5 taxa), Nematoda, Nemertea, Oligochaeta, Phoronida, Platyhelminthes, Porifera, Priapula, Pycnogonida, Sipuncula, Urochordata, and Osteichthyes (a vertebrate chordate). Nematodes were abundant at both sites in the three samplings (4,605 individuals), but the Northern District locality had twice the number (3,053 individuals) of the Agana locality (1,552 individuals). Patterns of polychaete adundance and taxa richness were similar at both sites. Comparing the results of the three samplings revealed that both sites have diverse infaunal communities and that many species are common to both areas. Small differences between stations and samplings may be due to a number of factors, including reproductive events and the additional habitat provided to carbonate borers by coral rubble, shell fragments, and calcareous algae (Halimeda spp.).
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Bailey-Brock JH, Krause ER. 2007. Benthic infaunal communities adjacent to the sewage outfalls at agana and northern district, guam, northern mariana islands, 2005-2007. Honolulu (HI): Water Resources Research Center, University of Hawaii at Manoa. WRRC-2007-01.
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vi + 73 pages
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