Responses of benthic meiofauna to long-term, low-level additions of No. 2 fuel oil

Three experiments were conducted to investigate the responses of benthic meiofauna to long-term, low-level additions of No. 2 fuel oil in large (13 m³), outdoor tanks (mesocosms) containing sediment and sea water from Narragansett Bay, Rhode Island, USA. In the first experiment, an average water col...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Marine ecology. Progress series (Halstenbek) 1985-01, Vol.23 (1), p.1-14
Main Authors: Frithsen, Jeffrey B., Elmgren, Ragnar, Rudnick, David T.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Aquatic communities
Fuel oils
Hydrocarbons
Marine
Marine ecosystems
Nematodes
Oil pollution
Oil spills
Petroleum
RESEARCH PAPERS
Sediment contamination
Sediments
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Summary:Three experiments were conducted to investigate the responses of benthic meiofauna to long-term, low-level additions of No. 2 fuel oil in large (13 m³), outdoor tanks (mesocosms) containing sediment and sea water from Narragansett Bay, Rhode Island, USA. In the first experiment, an average water column oil concentration of 190 ppb was maintained for 168 d followed by a 64 d period of no oil additions. During the second experiment, an average oil concentration of 90 ppb was maintained for 122 d. A 386 d period of no oil additions (Experiment III) followed Experiment II. The abundances of metazoan meiofauna decreased during oil addition periods in Experiments I and II with the oil more extensively affecting the meiofauna in the first experiment. In both experiments, ostracods and harpacticoid copepods were the most sensitive metazoan groups. In contrast, abundances of protozoan meiofauna (foraminiferans and ciliates) were higher in the oiled mesocosms. Abundances of most meiofaunal groups returned to levels similar to the controls within 2 to 7 mo following the termination of oil additions. However, the abundances of kinorhynchs and halacarids remained depressed for more than 1 yr after the last oil addition, presumably due to residual oil in the sediments.
ISSN:0171-8630
1616-1599
DOI:10.3354/meps023001