Abstract
The soft bottom fauna of the western Baltic Sea and the Sound has been sampled and analysed every year since 1979 under the Baltic Monitoring Programme. Furthermore, benthos studies have been carried out in the area at intervals from as far back as 1871. In the area a distinct halocline exists between the overlying low saline Baltic water and the high saline North Sea water.
The variation in the species richness, abundance and biomass of the soft bottom fauna is mainly related to 3 abiotic factors.
First, many species live at the limit of their distribution. The low salinity of the Baltic Sea prevents their penetration into the Baltic proper. However, the marine species may be able to survive and grow but not to reproduce. Consequently, the population will depend on an influx of larvae for it’s survival.
Second, the distinct halocline prevents the transport of oxygen to the deeper parts of the Baltic Sea. Oxygen will be supplied under special weather conditions where inflow of high-saline oxygen rich North Sea water occur. The incidences of salt water inflow have increases in the last four decades.
Third, an increasing load of the Baltic Sea with nutrients and organic matter has influenced the fauna. The result have been an increased biomass of the benthos above the halocline. Below the halocline the result has been a decrease in the biomass and a change in the species composition.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
References
Andersin, A.-B., J. Lassig, L. Parkkonen & H. Sandler, 1978. The decline of macrofauna in the deeper parts of the Baltic proper and the Gulf of Finland. Kieler Meeresforsch., Son- derheft 4: 23–52.
Anon, 1984a. Guidelines for the Baltic Monitoring Programme for the Second Stage. Baltic Sea Environ. Proc, 12: 1–251.
Anon, 1984b. Iltsvind og Fiskedød i 1981, Omfang og Ă¥rsager. Miljøstyrelsen, Copenhagen, 247 pp.
Brey, T., 1985. Increase in macrozoobenthos above the halocline in Kiel Bay comparing the 1960s with the 1980s. Mar. Ecol. Progr. Ser., 28: 277–292.
Cederwall, H. & R. Elmgren, 1980. Biomass increase of benthic macrofauna demonstrates eutrophication of the Baltic Sea. Ophelia, Suppl. 1: 287–304.
Fenchel, T., 1965. Feeding biology of the sea-star Luidia sarsi Duben & Koren. Ophelia: 2: 223–236.
Gundersen, K., 1981. The Distribution and Biological Transformations of Nitrogen in the Baltic Sea. Mar. Pollut. Bull., 12: 199–205.
Järvekulg, A., 1979. Donnaj Fauna Vostochnoi Chasti Baltiiskogo Morj. Tallin, Valgys, 382 pp.
Kanneworff, E. & H. Christensen, 1986. The oxygen consumption of the sediment in relation to sedimentation of phytoplankton (Presented at the 20th European Marine Biology Symposium, Hirtshals, 1985). Ophelia 26: (in press).
Kullenberg, G. & T. S. Jacobsen, 1981. The Baltic Sea: an Outline of its Physical Oceanography. Mar. Pollut. Bull. 12: 183–186.
Kölmel, R., 1979. The Annual Cycle of Macrozoobenthos: its Community Structure under the influence of Oxygen Deficiency in the Western Baltic. In: E. Naylor & R. G. Hartnoll (eds); Cyclic Phenomena in Marine Plants and Animals. Per-gamon Press, Oxford: 19–28.
Launiainen, J., W. Matthaus, S. Fonselius & E. Francke, 1986. First Periodic Assessment of the State of the Baltic Sea. 1. Hydrography. Baltic Sea Envir. Proc. 16 (in press).
Matthäus, W., 1979. Long-term variation of the primary halocline in the Gotland Basin. ICES CM. 1979/C22, 14 pp.
Matthäus, W., 1978. Zur mittleren jahreszeitlichen Veränderlich-keit des Oberflachensalzgehaltes in der Ostsee. Gerlands Beitr. Geophysik 87: 369–376.
Melvasalo, T., J. Pawlak, K. Grasshoff, L. Thorell & A. Tsiban, 1981. Assessment of the effect of pollution of the natural resources of the Baltic Sea, 1980. Baltic Sea Envir. Proc. 5B: 1–426.
Muus, K., 1981. Density and Growth of Juvenile Amphiura filiformis (Ophiuroidea) in the Ă˜resund. Ophelia 20: 153–168.
Nehring, D., 1986. First Periodic Assessment of the State of the Baltic Sea. 2. Nutrients. Baltic Sea Envir. Proc. 16 (in press).
O’Connor, B., T. Bowmer & A. Grehan, 1981. Long-term assessment of the population dynamics of Amphiura filiformis (Echinodermata: Ophiuroidea) in Galway Bay (west coast of Ireland). Mar. Biol. 75: 279–286.
Ockelmann, K. W. (pers. comm.) Marine Biological Laboratory, Strandpromenaden 5, DK-3000 Helsingør, Denmark.
Pawlak, J., 1980. Land-based inputs of some major pollutants to the Baltic Sea. Ambio 9: 163–167.
Pearson, T. H., A. Josefson & R. Rosenberg, 1985. Petersen’s Benthic Stations Revisited. I. Is the Kattegat Becoming Eutrophicated? J. Exp. Mar. Biol. Ecol. 92: 157–206.
Pearson, T. H. & R. Rosenberg, 1978. Macrobenthic succession in relation to organic enrichment and pollution of the marine environment. Oceanogr. mar. Biol. A. Rev. 16: 229–311.
Peinert, R., A. Saure, P. Stegmann, C. Stienen, H. Haardt & V. Smetacek, 1982. Dynamics of primary production and sedimentation in a coastal ecosystem. Neth. J. Sea Res. 16: 276–289.
Persson, L.-E., 1981. Were macrobenthic changes induced by thinning out of flatfish stocks in the Baltic Proper? Ophelia 20: 137–152.
Petersen, C. G. J., 1913. Havets Bonitering II. Om havbundens dyresamfund og om disses betydning for den marine zoogeografi. Beretning Danm. Biol. Stn. 21: 1–42.
Smith, S., 1985. Dramatic changes during 10 years of monitoring the bottomfauna off the Swedish coast in the Kattegat. Poster presented at the 20th European Marine Biology Symposium in Hirtshals, Denmark, 1985.
Zmudzinski, L., F. Gosselck, H. Cederwall, K. Jensen & H. Rumohr, 1986. First Periodic Assessment of the State of the Baltic Sea. 5. Zoobenthos. Baltic Sea Envir. Proc. 16 (in press).
Ærtebjerg, G. (pers. comm.). Marine Pollution Laboratory, Jægersborg Alle 1 B, DK-2920 Charlottenlund, Denmark.
Ærtebjerg Nielsen, G., T. S. Jacobsen, E. Gargas & E. Buch, 1981. Evaluation of the Physical, Chemical and Biological Measurements. The Belt Project. The National Agency of Environmental Protection, Denmark, 122 pp.
Ă˜resundskommissionen, 1984. Ă˜resund, tillstĂ¥nd - effekter av närsalter. NaturvĂ¥rdsverket Rapport 3008, 93 pp.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 1987 Dr W. Junk Publishers, Dordrecht
About this paper
Cite this paper
Jensen, K. (1987). Changes of the macrozoobenthos at 3 monitoring stations in the western Baltic Sea and the Sound. In: Heip, C., Keegan, B.F., Lewis, J.R. (eds) Long-Term Changes in Coastal Benthic Communities. Developments in Hydrobiology, vol 38. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-4049-9_12
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-4049-9_12
Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht
Print ISBN: 978-94-010-8297-6
Online ISBN: 978-94-009-4049-9
eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive