Considering small macrofauna in biodiversity research: polychaetes of the Joseph Bonaparte Gulf, Timor Sea, Australia (International Polychaete Conference, Sydney 2013)  


Authors / CoAuthors

Przeslawski, R. | Glasby, C. | Carroll, A.G.

Abstract

Northern Australia has been the focus of recent marine biodiversity research to support resource management for both industry and conservation. Much of this research has targeted habitat-forming sessile invertebrates and charismatic megafauna, but smaller macrofauna and infauna must also be considered due to their important roles in ecosystem functions. In this study, a Smith-McIntyre grab was used during two surveys in 2009 and 2010 to the Joseph Bonaparte Gulf to collect sediment samples which were then elutriated over a 500µm sieve. The associated polychaetes were identified to species-level. A total of 2224 individual polychaetes were collected from 133 grabs and represent 43 families, including several new species, at least one new genus (Pilargidae) and many new distribution records. Biodiversity patterns were also analysed according to environmental and spatial factors (grain-size, carbonate, total organic content, depth, distance offshore) in order to inform predictive models and further our understanding of ecosystem processes in the region. These patterns differ from those of larger epifauna collected on the same surveys, highlighting the need to consider small macrofauna in biodiversity research and associated marine management.

Product Type

nonGeographicDataset

eCat Id

75264

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  Custodian

EGD  

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Commonwealth of Australia (Geoscience Australia)  
Cnr Jerrabomberra Ave and Hindmarsh Dr GPO Box 378
Canberra
ACT
2601
Australia

Keywords

  • External PublicationAbstract
( Theme )
  • marine
( Theme )
  • NERP
Australian and New Zealand Standard Research Classification (ANZSRC)
  • Earth Sciences
  • Published_Internal

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2013-01-01T00:00:00

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Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Licence    

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geoscientificInformation

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