Long-term changes in the benthic communities of the Pomeranian Bay (southern Baltic Sea)

Abstract

Long-term changes in the macrofauna of the Pomeranian Bay were studied by comparing survey data from the 1950s, 1980s and 1990s. The study area has undergone significant eutrophication during the period of investigation. Biomass of filter-feeding bivalves increased significantly. Spatial distribution patterns of several species have changed. Strong decreases in species richness were caused by oxygen depletion at stations deeper than 15 m. Saduria entomon, Monoporeia affinis and Pontoporeia femorata vanished entirely between 1981 and 1993. Although a causal relationship between simultaneous increases of nutrient levels and macrobenthic biomass cannot be verified, eutrophication is proposed to be the major process affecting changes in macrofauna assemblages. In addition, changes in hydrography and climate increased frequency and severity of oxygen depletion events in the Pomeranian Bay since the mid 1980s.