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"Temperature is a primary physical constraint on the distribution and abundance of aquatic organisms. Increasingly, human activities modify natural thermal regimes of aquatic systems, thereby altering the composition and structure of the organismal community. For decades, the Gentilly-2 Nuclear Power Plant (G2NPP) in Bécancour, QC, has discharged coolant water into the St. Lawrence River at temperatures more than 10oC above ambient. My study aimed to quantify how the diversity, composition, and abundance of the St. Lawrence benthic macroinvertebrate community has been altered by G2NPP thermal effluent. Benthic samples were collected at sites along the thermal gradient downstream of G2NPP in May and September 2012. Environmental predictors varying with distance downstream of G2NPP (e.g., temperature, depth, flow rate) were recorded at each station. Macroinvertebrate diversity and abundance were measured for each site and analyzed in relation to local environmental variables. Taxonomic richness and abundance (density and biomass) were elevated close to the power plant, but these patterns were best explained by environmental variables such as depth and sediment type. Taxonomic evenness was reduced in the warmest sites, and this pattern was driven by a few highly tolerant taxa, including thermophilic invasive species like the Asian clam, Corbicula fluminea, which was amongst the most dominant species in terms of abundance and biomass. Despite the strong thermal gradient at G2NPP, diversity indices and characteristics of community composition primarily reflected abiotic habitat characteristics other than temperature, whereas temperature was an important predictor only for a minority of taxa, like C. fluminea. With the closure of G2NPP in December 2012, and the subsequent eradication of cold-sensitive C. fluminea, these results provide a baseline for monitoring the succession of the benthic community in future years." --
This is the first comprehensive science-based textbook on the biology and ecology of the Baltic Sea, one of the world’s largest brackish water bodies. The aim of this book is to provide students and other readers with knowledge about the conditions for life in brackish water, the functioning of the Baltic Sea ecosystem and its environmental problems and management. It highlights biological variation along the unique environmental gradients of the brackish Baltic Sea Area (the Baltic Sea, Belt Sea and Kattegat), especially those in salinity and climate. pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"; color:#262626">The first part of the book presents the challenges for life processes and ecosystem dynamics that result from the Baltic Sea’s highly variable recent geological history and geographical isolation. The second part explains interactions between organisms and their environment, including biogeochemical cycles, patterns of biodiversity, genetic diversity and evolution, biological invasions and physiological adaptations. In the third part, the subsystems of the Baltic Sea ecosystem – the pelagic zone, the sea ice, the deep soft sea beds, the phytobenthic zone, the sandy coasts, and estuaries and coastal lagoons – are treated in detail with respect to the structure and function of communities and habitats and consequences of natural and anthropogenic constraints, such as climate change, discharges of nutrients and hazardous substances. Finally, the fourth part of the book discusses monitoring and ecosystem-based management to deal with contemporary and emerging threats to the ecosystem’s health.