Biodiversity and Habitat Assessment of Coastal Benthic Communities in a Sub-Arctic Industrial Harbor Area

• Published in: Water
• Main Authors: Elliot Dreujou, Christopher W McKindsey, Cindy Grant, Lisa Tréau de Coeli, Richard St-Louis, Philippe Archambault
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2020
• Subjects: biodiversity; coastal benthos; macrofauna; sub-Arctic ecosystems; Gulf of St. Lawrence; Hydraulic engineering; TC1-978; Water supply for domestic and industrial purposes; TD201-500; Arctic; Canada; Sept-Îles
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.3390/w12092424; https://doaj.org/article/3f595e66780841bcb615ceef9f3f51a4

Coastal ecosystems face increasing anthropogenic pressures worldwide and their management requires a solid assessment and understanding of the cumulative impacts from human activities. This study evaluates the spatial variation of benthic macrofaunal communities, sediments, and heavy metals in the sub-Arctic coastal ecosystems around Sept-Îles (Québec, Canada)—a major port area in the Gulf of St. Lawrence. Physical sediment properties varied in the studied area, with a general sandy-silty profile except for specific locations in Baie des Sept Îles where higher organic matter and heavy metal concentrations were detected. Macrofaunal assemblages were evaluated for two taxa size classes (organisms > 0.5 mm and > 1 mm) and linked to habitat parameters using regression models. Communities of smaller organisms showed signs of perturbation for one assemblage close to industrial activities at Baie des Sept Îles, with an increased number of tolerant and opportunistic species, contrasting to neighboring regions whose compositions were similar to other ecosystems in the Gulf of St. Lawrence. This study enhances the understanding of sub-Arctic benthic communities and will contribute to monitoring programs for industrial harbor ecosystems.