A New Coverage Range Index for Assessing Impact of Substrate Composition on Distribution of Hard Bottom Macrobenthos

Authors
D. Mirzabagheri 1
N. Amrollahi Bioki 1
M. R. Taheri Zadeh 2
1 Department of Marine Biology, Faculty of Marine Science and Technology, University of Hormozgan, P. O. Box: 3995, Bandar Abbas, Islamic Republic of Iran.
2 Department of Marine Biology, Faculty of Marine Science and Technology, University of Hormozgan, Bandar Abbas, Iran
Abstract
This study evaluated the impact of substrate composition on macrobenthos distribution using a new Coverage Range Index (CRI), and diversity index variables and macrobenthos data sets obtained over a period of 12 months, between June 2015 and June 2016, along 6 sampling transects at 2 sites. The selected transects were all situated in littoral zone of Hormuz Island in the Persian Gulf and had hard bottom type with different substrate compositions. Accordingly, macrobenthos samples at each site were taken from 3 hard bottom types: boulder, cobble, and pebble. CRI and diversity indices (Simpson, Shannon-Wiener, Pielou, Brillouin, Menhinick, Margalef and Berger-Parker) were employed to evaluate the abundance of macrobenthos. CRI was also selected to tentatively assign the investigated abundance range of macrobenthos into 3 coverage range categories: wide, middle, narrow. CRI boundary of the categories was estimated. The analyses of CRI and diversity indices revealed a similar clustering between the sampling transects. These findings indicate that CRI is a simpler indicator in assessing abundance of macrobenthos than diversity indices, because CRI is only based on species abundance, but diversity indices are based on both species number and abundance. Hence, CRI proved to be a universal ecological index due to its different ranges of small to large samples, rare species to dominant ones, and individual specimens to polyps of animal colonies. Future study should focus on extending the database to test CRI in other bottom types. Finally, the results from this study may be useful not only for developing countries but also for any organization struggling to use macrobenthos based indices with restricted financial resources and knowledge.

Keywords

1. Aertsen, W., Kint, V., Van Orshoven, J., Ozkan, K. and Muys, B. 2010. Comparison and Ranking of Different Modelling Techniques for Prediction of Site Index in Mediterranean Mountain Forests. Ecol. Modell., 221: 1119-1130.
2. Albayrak, S., Balkıs, N., Balkıs, H., Zenetos, A, Kurun, A., Karhan, S.U., Caglar, S. and Balc, M. 2010. Golden Horn Estuary: Description of the Ecosystem and an Attempt to Assess its Ecological Quality Status Using Various Classification Metrics. Mediterr. Mar. Sci., 11: 295-313.
3. Berger, W. H. and Parker, F. L. 1970. Diversity of Planktonic Foraminifera in Deep Sea Sediments. Sci., 168(3937): 1345-1347.
4. Borja, A. 2004. The Biotic Indices and the Water Framework Directive: The Required Consensus in the New Benthic Monitoring Tools. Mar. Pollut. Bull., 48(3-4): 405-408.
5. Borja, A., Franco, J., Valencia, V., Bald, J., Muxika, I., Jesus Belzunce, M. and Solaun, O. 2004. Implementation of the European Water Framework Directive from the Basque Country (Northern Spain): A Methodological Approach. Mar. Pollut. Bull., 48(3-4): 209-218.
6. Borja, A., Muxika, I. and Franco, J. 2003. The Application of a Marine Biotic Index to Different Impact Sources Affecting Soft-Bottom Benthic Communities along European Coasts. Mar. Pollut. Bull., 46(7): 835-845.
7. Brillouin, L. 1960. Science and Information Theory. 2nd Edition. Academic Press. New York, USA.
8. Capaccioni-Azzati, R., Villora-Moreno, S., Garcia-Carrascosa, A. M. and Torres-Gavila, E. J. 1991. Distributional Patterns of Polychaeta in the Alfaques Inlet (Ebro River Delta; Estern Mediterranean): Faunistic and Coenotic Analysis of an Estuarine System. Bull. Mar. Sci., 48: 369-375.
9. Chiarucci, A. 2012. Estimating Species Richness: Still a Long Way Off! J. Veg. Sci., 23(6): 1003-1005.
10. Chu, H. B., Lu, W. X. and Zhang, L. 2013. Application of Artificial Neural Network in Environmental Water Quality Assessment. J. Agr. Sci. Tech., 15: 343-356.
11. Colwell, R. K., Chao, A., Gotelli, N. J., Lin, S. Y., Mao, C. X., Chazdon, R. L. and Longino, J. T. 2012. Models and Estimators Linking Individual-Based and Sample-Based Rarefaction, Extrapolation and Comparison of Assemblages. J. Plant Ecol., 5: 3-21.
12. Dauvin, J. C., Ruellet, T., Desroy, N. and Janson, A. L. 2007. The Ecological Quality Status of the Bay of Seine and the Seine Estuary: Use of Biotic Indices. Mar. Pollut. Bull., 55: 241-257.
13. Desrochers, R. E. and Anand, M. 2004. From Traditional Diversity Indices to Taxonomic diversity Indices. Int. J. Ecol. Environ. Sci., 30: 85-92.
14. Elith, J., Graham, C. H., Anderson, R. P., Dudı’k, M., Ferrier, S., Guisan, A. and Hijmans, R. J. 2006. Novel Methods Improve Prediction of Species’ Distributions from Occurrence Data. Ecography., 29: 129-151.
15. Elliott, M. 1994. The Analysis of Macrobenthic Community Data. Mar. Pollut. Bull., 28: 62- 64.
16. Gerami, M. H., Patimar, R., Negarestan, H., Jafarian, H. and Mortazavi, M. S. 2016. Temporal Variability in Macroinvertebrates Diversity Patterns and Their Relation with Environmental Factors. Biodiversitas., 17(1): 36-43.
17. Gotelli, N. J. and Chao, A. 2013. Measuring and Estimating Species Richness, Species Diversity, and Biotic Similarity from Sampling Data. In: “Encyclopedia of Biodiversity”, (Ed.): Levin, S. A. Academic Press, Waltham, MA, PP. 195-211.
18. Gray, J. S. 1974. Animal-Sediment Relationships. Oceanogr. Mar. Biol. Annu. Rev., 12: 223-261.
19. Guisan, A., and Zimmerman, N. E. 2000. Predictive Habitat Distribution Models in Ecology. Ecol. Modell., 135: 147-186.
20. Heip, C. 1974. A New Index Measuring Evenness. J. Mar. Biol. Assoc. U.K., 54: 555-557.
21. Heip, C. H. R., Herman, P. M. J. and Soetaert, K. 1998. Indices of Diversity and Evenness. Oceanis., 24(4): 61-87.
22. Hill, M. 0. 1973. Diversity and Evenness: A Unifying Notation and its Consequences. Ecol., 54: 427-432.
23. Irei, Y., Nozawa, Y. and Reimer, J. D. 2011. Distribution Patterns of Five Zoanthid Species at Okinawa Island, Japan. Zool. Stud., 50: 426-433.
24. Javadi, F., Ahmadi, M. M. and Qaderi, K. 2015. Estimation of River Bedform Dimension Using Artificial Neural Network (ANN) and Support Vector Machine (SVM). J. Agr. Sci. Tech., 17: 859-868.
25. Lindegarth, M. and Hoskin, M. 2001. Patterns of Distribution of Macrofauna in Different Types of Estuarine, Soft Sediment Habitats Adjacent to Urban and Non-urban Areas. Estuar. Coast. Shelf Sci., 52(2): 237-247.
26. Magurran, A. E. 2004. Measuring Biological Diversity. Blackwell Publishing. Oxford, UK, 256 PP.
27. Margalef, R. 1958. Information Theory in Ecology. Gen. Syst., 3: 36-71.
28. Mendes, R. S., Evangelista, L. R., Thomaz, S. M., Agostinho, A. A. and Gomes, L. C. 2008. A Unified Index to Measure Ecological Diversity and Species Rarity. Ecography., 31: 450-456.
29. Menhinick, E. F. 1964. A Comparison of Some Species-Individuals Diversity Indices Applied to Samples of Field Insects. Ecol., 45: 859-861.
30. Mirzabagheri, D. 2017. Community Structure of Macrobenthos Associated with the Order Zoantharia on Intertidal zone of Hormuz Island. Unpublished PhD. Thesis, University of Hormozgan, Iran.
31. Mirzabagheri, D. 2018. Community Structure of Macrobenthos Associated with the Order Zoantharia on Intertidal Zone of Hormuz Island. PhD. Thesis, University of Hormozgan, Iran.
32. Mirzabagheri, D., Amrollahi Biuki, N. and Taheri Zadeh, M. R. 2016. A Novel Animal Model for Accumulated Palytoxin Bioassay in Associated Communities with Zoanthids using Dara Index. 2nd International Conference on Innovation in Science and Technology, Singapore. p. 7.
33. Mirzabagheri, D., Amrollahi Biuki, N. and Taheri Zadeh, M. R. 2017. A Novel Evaluation Model for Distribution of Littoral Zoanthids using Coverage Range Index. 1st. National Conference on Future of Engineering and Technology, University of Science and Culture, Iran. Tehran. 9 PP.
34. Mirzabagheri, D. and Mirzabagheri, D. 2007. The Rocky Shore Macrobenthose of the Hormoz Island. Tandis Publication. Tehran, Iran, 106 PP.
35. Mirzabagheri, D., Nabavi, S. M. B., Mehvari, A. and Karami, K. 2007. Pollution Effects of Red Clay Mining on Macrobenthos Biodiversity in Southern Rocky Shores of Hormuz Island. The First Conference and Exhibition of Environmental Engineering, Tehran, Iran, PP. 4043-4053.
36. Mirzabagheri, D., Nabavi, S. M. B., Mehvari, A. and Karami, K. 2008. Rocky Shore Macrobenthos of the Hormuz Island: Analysis of Distribution Patterns (Zonation). J. Environ. Sci. Technol., 10(1): 227-243. (in Persian)
37. Mirzabagheri, D., Nabavi, S. M. B., Mehvari, A. and Karami, K. 2009. A Study on Distribution Pattern of Gastropoda in the Rocky Shore of Hormuz Island. J. Pajouhesh-va-Sazandegi Anim. Fish. Sci., 21(3): 87-95. (in Persian)
38. Mirzabagheri, D., Nabavi, S. M. B., Mehvari, A. and Karami, K. 2009. Survey of Abundance and Distribution of Rocky Shore Polychaeta from the Hormuz Island in Persian Gulf. Sci. Fish. J., 18(3): 149-156. (in Persian)
39. Mirzabagheri, D., Nabavi, S. M. B., Mehvari, A. and Karami, K. 2013. A Study of Distribution Patterns of Rocky Shore Cructacea in the Hormuz Island. J. Mar. Sci. Technol., 12(3): 86-74. (in Persian)
40. Mirzabagheri, D., Nabavi, S. M. B., Mehvari, A. and Karami, K. 2015. A Study on Distribution Patterns of Bivalves in Rocky Shore of Hormuz Island. J. Mar. Sci. Technol., 14(3): 86-100. (in Persian)
41. Mistri, M. and Munari, C. 2008. BITS: A Smart Indicator for Soft Bottom, Nontidal Lagoons. Mar. Pollut. Bull., 56: 587-590.
42. Moisen, G. G., Freeman, E. A., Blackard, J. A., Frescino, T. S., Zimmermann, N. E. and Edwards, T. C. 2006. Predicting Tree Species Presence and Basal Area in Utah: A Comparison of Stochastic Gradient Boosteding, Generalized Additive Models, and Treebased Methods. Ecol. Modell., 199: 176-187.
43. Nourinezhad, M., Nabavi, S. M. B., Vosughi, Gh., Fatemi, M. R. and Sohrabi, M. 2013. Identification and Estimation of Macrofauna in Low Tides of Bushehr Province, Persian Gulf. Iran. J. Fish. Sci., 12(2): 411-429.
44. Peet, R. K. 1974. The Measurements of Species Diversity. Annu. Rev. Ecol. Syst., 5: 285-307.
45. Pielou, E. C. 1966. The Measurement of Diversity in Different Types of Biological Collections. J. Theor. Ecol., 13: 131-144.
46. Ranasinghe, J. A., Frithsen, J. B., Kutz, F. W., Paul, J. F., Russell, D. E., Batiuk, R. A., Hyland, J. L., Scott, J. and Dauer, D. M. 2002. Application of Two Indices of Benthic Community Condition in Chesapeake Bay. Environmetrics., 13: 499-511.
47. Rilov, G. and Benayahu, Y. 1998. Vertical Artificial Structures as an Alternative Habitat for Coral Reef Fishes in Disturbed Environments. Mar. Environ. Res., 45: 431-451.
48. Rosenberg, R., Blomqvist, M., Nilsson, H. C., Cederwall, H. and Dimming, A. 2004. Marine Quality Assessment by Use of Benthic Species-Abundance Distributions: A Proposed New Protocol within the European :union: Water Framework Directive. Mar. Pollut. Bull., 49(9-10):728-739.
49. Segurado, P. and Araujo, M. B. 2004. An Evaluation of Methods form Odelling Species Distributions. J. Biogeogr., 31: 1555-1568.
50. Shannon, C. E. and Wiener, W. 1949. The Mathematical Theory of Communication. University of Illinois Press. Urbana, USA. p.177.
51. Simpson, E. H. 1949. Measurement of Diversity. Natur., 163: 688-702.
52. Warwick, R. M. and Clarke, K. R. 1993. Comparing the Severity of Disturbance: A Meta-Analysis of Marine Macrobenthic Community Data. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser., 92: 221-231.
53. Warwick, R. M. and Clarke, K. R. 1995. New "Biodiversity" Measures Reveal a Decrease in Taxonomic Distinctness with Increasing Stress. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser., 129: 301-305.
54. Washington, H. G. 1984. Diversity, Biotic and Similarity Indices: A Review with Special Relevance to Aquatic Ecosystems. Water Res., 18(6): 653-694.
55. Wentworth, C. K. 1922. A Scale of Grade and Class Terms for Clastic Sediments. J. Geol., 30(5): 377-392.
56. Wilhm, J. L. and Dorris, T. C. 1968. Biological Parameters for Water Criteria. Biosci., 18(6): 477-481.
Journal of Agricultural Science and Technology
Volume 20, Issue 3
May and June 2018
Pages 495-508