The Northwestern Hawaiian lslands were sampled during October 2000 at 63 stations on 9 atolls or islands under the lead of NOAA. This work is affiliated with the Northwest Hawaii Islands Coral Reef Assessment and Monitoring Program (NOWRAMP), which performed a cruise in September 2000. One aspect of this study was benthic community characterization, which was accomplished via sample collection by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) personnel and laboratory and data analysis by Barry A. Vittor & Associates, Inc. (BVA). Sampling devices varied during the field collections. Density, diversity and evenness could only be calculated at stations sampled with a Young dredge (area = 0.04 m2).
Understand the benthic macrofaunal community of NW Hawaiian Islands
These sites were surveyed using SCUBA equipment and a sample bag. The project was launched by the NOAA NW Hawaii Islands Project.
ground condition
Dataset credit required
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U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE, NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION, NATIONAL OCEAN SERVICE, NATIONAL CENTERS FOR COASTAL OCEAN SCIENCE, CENTER FOR COASTAL MONITORING AND ASSESSMENT, Hawaii Coral Reef Initiative
see Lineage, Process Step
the survey was 100 percent completed
Sample Collection and Handling A Young dredge (area = 0.04 m2) was used to collect bottom samples at nine of 63 station locations (two replicate samples were taken at some stations while others contained only one sample) throughout Northwestern Hawaiian lslands. Samples were fixed in 10 percent formalin. The preserved samples were transported to BVA'S laboratory in Mobile, Alabama. Macroinfaunal Sample Analysis In the laboratory of BVA, benthic samples were inventoried, rinsed gently through a 0.5 mm mesh sieve to remove preservatives and sediment, stained with Rose Bengal, and stored in 70 percent isopropanol solution until processing. Sample material (sediment, detritus, organisms) was placed in white enamel trays for sorting under Wild M-5A dissecting microscopes. All macroinvertebrates were carefully removed with forceps and placed in labelled glass vials containing 70 percent isopropanol. Each vial represented a major taxonomic group (e.g. Polychaeta, Mollusca, Arthropoda). All sorted macroinvertebrates were identified to the lowest practical identification level (LPIL), which in most cases was to species level unless the specimen was a juvenile, damaged, or otherwise unidentifiable. The number of individuals of each taxon, excluding fragments, was recorded. A voucher collection was prepared, composed of representative individuals of each species not previously encountered in samples from the region. Water quality (T,S,conductivity, dissolved oxygen) were collected at a few of the dive sites using standardized instruments. DATA ANALYSIS All data generated as a result of laboratory analysis of macroinfauna samples were first coded on data sheets. Enumeration data were entered for each species according to station and replicate. These data were reduced to a data summary report for each station, which included a taxonomic species list and benthic community parameters information. Archive data files of species identification and enumeration were prepared. Assemblage Structure Several numerical indices were chosen for analysis and interpretation of the macroinfaunal data. Selection was based primarily on the ability of the index to provide a meaningful summary of data, as well as the applicability of the index to the characterization of the benthic community. Infaunal abundance is reported as the total number of individuals per station and the total number of individuals per square meter (= density). Taxa richness is reported as the total number of taxa represented in a given station collection. Taxa diversity, which is often related to the ecological stability and environmental "quality" of the benthos, was estimated by the Shannon-Weaver Index (Pielou, 1966). Taxa diversity was calculated using ln, however taxa diversity may also be calculated using log2. Both methods for calculating taxa diversity are common in scientific literature. The taxa diversity calculated in this report using ln, can be converted to log2 by multiplying the taxa diversity by 1.44270. Taxa diversity within a given community is dependent upon the number of taxa present (taxa richness) and the distribution of all individuals among those taxa (equitability or evenness). In order to quantify and compare faunal equitability to taxa diversity for a given area, Pielou's Index J' (Pielou, 1966) was calculated as J' = H'/ln S, where ln S = H' max , or the maximum possible diversity, when all taxa are represented by the same number of individuals; thus, J' = H' /H' max . Pielou, E.C. 1966. The measurement of diversity in different types of biological collections. Journal of Theoretical Biology 13:131-144.
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