Details

Autor(en) / Beteiligte

• Nunes, Márcia
• Alves Martins, Maria Virgínia
• Frontalini, Fabrizio
• Bouchet, Vincent M.P.
• Francescangeli, Fabio
• Hohenegger, Johann
• Figueira, Rubens
• Senez-Mello, Thaise M.
• Louzada Castelo, Wellen Fernanda
• Damasceno, Fabrício Leandro
• Laut, Lazaro
• Duleba, Wania
• Mello e Sousa, Silvia Helena de
• Antonioli, Luzia
• Geraldes, Mauro César

Titel

Inferring the ecological quality status based on living benthic foraminiferal indices in transitional areas of the Guanabara bay (SE Brazil)

Ist Teil von

• Environmental pollution (1987), 2023-03, Vol.320, p.121003, Article 121003

Ort / Verlag

England: Elsevier Ltd

Erscheinungsjahr

2023

Quelle

MEDLINE

Beschreibungen/Notizen

• Using benthic foraminifera, we evaluate the ecological quality status (EcoQS) of transitional waters of the Guanabara Bay (SE Brazil) by applying the diversity-based index exp (H′bc) and the sensitivity-based Foram-AMBI for the first time in South America. The Guanabara Bay was selected for this study as it is one of the largest transitional ecosystems in the State of Rio de Janeiro and has been severely impacted by anthropogenic activities. Concentrations of potentially toxic elements (PTEs) were assessed by sequential chemical extraction in three phases (i.e., dissolved in water, adsorbed on organic matter, and Mn oxy-hydroxides). Total organic carbon, total nitrogen, and stable isotope (δ13C and δ15N) signatures of organic matter were analyzed to trace environmental stress. The Ammonia/Elphidium ratio suggests hypoxic conditions at most of the sampled sites. Principal component analysis identifies the first component as environmental stress underlying organic matter and PTE enrichment (in all three phases), which is positively related to Foram-AMBI and negatively to exp (H′bc). The exp (H′bc) and Foram-AMBI indices reveal that stations near the Governador Island and Niterói margin have the worst EcoQS, showing medium to extreme pollution. Additionally, Foram-AMBI and exp (H′bc) provide a congruent EcoQS classification for ∼64% of the sites. Although these results are promising, they suggest that a significant effort should be made to obtain better knowledge of foraminiferal ecological requirements to employ benthic foraminifera as a biomonitoring and management method. [Display omitted] •Evaluation of the Ecological Quality Status (EcoQS) based on foraminifera in the Guanabara Bay.•EcoQS were evaluated with sensitivity-based Foram-AMBI and diversity-based expH'bc.•The indices perfectly match with the environmental stress gradient.•Biotic indices based on living foraminifera allow to classify the EcoQS in the Guanabara Bay.•The two indices show a good agreement of the EcoQS.