Abstract:

Macrofauna were sampled at various locations in Barataria Bay, Louisiana from 2011-2016 from salt marshes that were oiled at different intensities. Oiling categories were classified as reference (no visible oil), lightly, moderately or heavily oiled. Some samples were collected at sites (Short-term Sites) for about 2 years and other samples were collected at sites that were sampled for about 5 years after the spill (Long-term sites). Samples were collected about every 6 mo.

Suggested Citation:

Fleeger, John, and Rita Riggio. 2016. Macrofauna taxa data from Spartina alterniflora dominated intertidal salt marshes in Barataria Bay, Louisiana, 2011-2016. Distributed by: Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative Information and Data Cooperative (GRIIDC), Harte Research Institute, Texas A&M University–Corpus Christi. doi:10.7266/N7P26W1S

Publications:

Fleeger, J., Carman, K., Riggio, M., Mendelssohn, I., Lin, Q., Hou, A., … Zengel, S. (2015). Recovery of salt marsh benthic microalgae and meiofauna following the Deepwater Horizon oil spill linked to recovery of Spartina alterniflora. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser., 536, 39–54. doi:10.3354/meps11451

Fleeger, J. W., Riggio, M. R., Mendelssohn, I. A., Lin, Q., Hou, A., & Deis, D. R. (2017). Recovery of saltmarsh meiofauna six years after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology. doi:10.1016/j.jembe.2017.03.001

Johnson, D. S., Fleeger, J. W., Riggio, M. R., Mendelssohn, I. A., Lin, Q., Graham, S. A., … Hou, A. (2018). Saltmarsh plants, but not fertilizer, facilitate invertebrate recolonization after an oil spill. Ecosphere, 9(1), e02082. doi:10.1002/ecs2.2082

Fleeger, J. W., Riggio, M. R., Mendelssohn, I. A., Lin, Q., Deis, D. R., Johnson, D. S., … Hou, A. (2018). What Promotes the Recovery of Salt Marsh Infauna After Oil Spills? Estuaries and Coasts. doi:10.1007/s12237-018-0443-2

Purpose:

To determine the effects of and recovery from the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill on infauna, benthic animals that live in the sediment. This long-term data set is being analyzed for trends and effects that will be a companion paper to Fleeger J. W., K. R. Carman, M. R. Riggio, I. A. Mendelssohn, Q. Lin, A. Hou, D. R. Deis, and S. Zengel. 2015. Recovery of saltmarsh benthic microalgae and meiofauna following the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill linked to recovery of Spartina alterniflora. Marine Ecology-Progress Series, 536:39-54, which used the same samples but examined larger animals, those retained on a 0.5 mm sieve.

Data Parameters and Units:

Data are presented as counts per sample for various major taxa of macrofauna including polychaetes, amphipods, tanaids, gastropods and bivalves.

Methods:

A hand-held corer (inner diameter = 3.5 cm) was used to take two sediment cores to a depth of 2 cm at haphazardly selected locations at each plot or station to sample the macro- and meiofauna. Both cores were combined into a single sample cup and fixed in 4% formalin. Just prior to sorting, samples were rinsed through a 500-µm sieve and animals retained were examined with a stereo-dissecting microscope. Specimens were identified and enumerate to higher taxonomic rank (e.g., polychaetes, amphipods) and were removed from the sample so that species identifications could be conducted at a later date.

Error Analysis:

Raw counts are provided in the dataset. However, samples were replicated, mostly n=4 for each oiling treatment, and error terms can be calculated from raw data.

Individual Files: