Soft sediment communities

Abstract

In the estuarine ecological literature, the terms “commu-nity” and “assemblage” are often used synonymously, but community not only refers to groups of species that co-occur in a similar habitat but also to the interdependence between those species. In the absence of experimental evidence of interdependence (or interaction), these groups should be called assemblages. Soft sediment communities are affected by the physical, chemical, and biological characteristics of the benthic habitat, and they are frequently used to assess human impacts on estuaries. Many primary consumers in estuaries are part of benthic communities that provide essential ecological functions to the system.