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The sublittoral benthic fauna of the estuary and Firth of Forth, Scotland

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 December 2011

M. Elliott  and
Paul F. Kingston
M. Elliott
Affiliation:
Forth River Purification Board, Tidal Waters Section, Port Edgar, South Queensferry EH30 9SQ, Scotland, U.K.
Paul F. Kingston
Affiliation:
Institute of Offshore Engineering and Department of Biological Sciences, Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh EH 14 4AS, Scotland, U.K.
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Synopsis

The structure of the sublittoral benthic macro-invertebrate populations of the Forth estuary and firth, Scotland, is described, giving the species richness, abundance and biomass for the area from the freshwater tidal limit to the North Sea boundary. Eight faunal associations have been defined, which include classical Petersen communities in the marine area and transition associations within the estuary. The spatial distributions of the associations are predominantly the result of the physical environment, but superimposed on the effects of salinity, sediment type and bathymetry are the effects of urbanisation, industrialisation, dredging and spoil disposal and thermal discharges. The benthos of the major part of the firth has been little affected, although that of the peripheral and estuarine areas does show anthropogenic effects.

The water column-benthos and fisheries-benthos interactions are also discussed. Elevated levels of nutrients in the water column may be the cause of enriched benthic populations in the firth and an assessment of the fish-benthos coupling indicates an estuarine functioning similar to other northwestern European areas.

Type
Research Article
Information
Proceedings of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, Section B: Biological Sciences , Volume 93 , Issue 3-4: The Natural Environment of the Estuary and Firth of Forth , 1987 , pp. 449 - 465
Copyright
Copyright © Royal Society of Edinburgh 1987

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