PII: Marine Pollution Bulletin Vol. 40, No. 12, pp. 1100±1114, 2000 Ó 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved Printed in Great Britain S0025-326X(00)00061-8 0025-326X/00 $ - see front matter A Marine Biotic Index to Establish the Ecological Quality of Soft-Bottom Benthos Within European Estuarine and Coastal Environments  A. BORJA*, J. FRANCO and V. PEREZ Department of Oceanography and Marine Environment, Technological Institute for Fisheries and Food (AZTI), Av. Satr ustegui 8, 20008 San Sebasti an, Spain In this paper, a marine Biotic Index (BI) for soft-bottom benthos of European estuarine and coastal environments is proposed. This is derived from the proportions of individual abundance in ®ve ecological groups, which are related to the degree of sensitivity/tolerance to an environmental stress gradient. The main di€erence with previously published indices is the use of a simple formula that produces a continuous Biotic Coecient (BC) ± which makes it more suitable for statistical analysis, in opposition with previous discreet biotic indices ± not affected by subjectivity. Relationships between this coecient and a complementary BI with several environmental variables are discussed. Finally, a validation of the proposed index is made with data from systems a€ected by recent human disturbances, showing that di€erent anthropogenic changes in the environment can be detected through the use of this BI. Ó 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved. Keywords: biotic index; ecological quality; diversity; benthos; soft-bottom; European coastal environments. Introduction Marine environmental quality control is undertaken usually by means of monitoring di€erent parameters in water, sediment and sentinel organisms (i.e. Mussel Watch), as in the USA (OÕConnor, 1992), France (RNO, 1998) or Great Britain (Franklin and Jones, 1994). This control is centred on physico-chemical and ecotoxicological variables and, less usually, on biological variables. Dauer (1993) stated that biological criteria are considered important components of water quality because: (i) they are direct measures of the condition of the *Corresponding author. E-mail address: aborja@azti.es (A. Borja). 1100 biota, (ii) they may uncover problems undetected or underestimated by other methods; and (iii) such criteria provide measurements of the progress of restoration e€orts. New European rules (see Directive Proposal 1999/C 343/01, Ocial Journal of the European Communities 30/11/1999) emphasize the importance of biological indicators, in order to establish the ecological quality of European coasts and estuaries. Benthic invertebrates are used frequently as bio-indicators of marine monitoring, because various studies have demonstrated that macrobenthos responds relatively rapidly to anthropic and natural stress (Pearson and Rosenberg, 1978; Dauer, 1993). River ecology has an established long tradition in applying macrobenthos as bio-indicators; likewise some biotic indices have been proposed (Woodiwiss, 1964; Cairns et al., 1968; Chandler, 1970; ISO-BMWP, 1979, etc.). On the other hand, some attempts to provide useful `tools' to measure ecological quality in the marine environment have been developed in Europe and North America (Hily, 1984; Majeed, 1987; Dauer, 1993; Grall and Glemarec, 1997; Weisberg et al., 1997). All the aforementioned studies utilize soft-bottom communities to construct the indices, because macrobenthic animals are relatively sedentary (and cannot avoid deteriorating water/sediment quality conditions), have relatively long life-spans (thus, indicate and integrate water/sediment quality conditions, with time), consist of di€erent species that exhibit di€erent tolerances to stress and have an important role in cycling nutrients and materials between the underlying sediments and the overlying water column (Hily, 1984; Dauer, 1993). In this contribution, a marine Biotic Index (BI) is designed to establish the ecological quality of European coasts. This explores the response of soft-bottom communities to natural and man-induced changes in water quality, integrating long-term environmental conditions. Volume 40/Number 12/December 2000 Methods Sampling The Department of Land Action, Housing and Environment of the Basque Government has established a network of monitoring stations along the Basque coast-line (North of Spain). This provides water, sediment and biological quality information from 30 sampling stations (Fig. 1). The benthic sampling has been carried out every February, from 1995 to 1998 using the research vessel `Ortze'. At each of these stations, three replicates of benthos were collected with a Van Veen grab (1215 cm2 ). The samples were ®ltered immediately, using a sieve of mesh size of 1 mm and ®xed in a solution of 4% formalin (Holme and McIntyre, 1971). Sediment data At each station, a sediment sample was obtained to determine redox potential, organic matter content and contaminant levels (heavy metals and organic compounds). The redox potential was measured, on board, by means of an Orion 977800 platinum electrode which was connected to a Crison 501 pH-meter-milivoltimeter. A 200 g sediment sample was dried at 80°C for 24 h, then it was washed with freshwater on a mesh of 63 lm. The dried residue was sieved on a column of eight sieves (size 31 lm to 4 mm). The percentages of gravel, sand and mud were calculated as: >2 mm fraction, 63 lm ± 2 mm and <63 lm, respectively (Holme and McIntyre, 1971). The organic matter content was calculated by the loss on ignition method: drying at 105°C, 24 h; then combusting at 520°C, 6 h (Kristensen and Anderson, 1993). Metal concentrations (As, Cd, Cu, Cr, Hg, Ni, Pb and Zn) were analysed on the <63 lm fraction. Extraction was made ®rst with nitric acid, during 15 h, at ambient temperature; and second, with nitric and hydrochloric acids (1:3 in volume), using a microwave oven (130 W, 4 min; 0 W, 1.5 min; 250 W, 5 min; 0 W, 2 min; 400 W, 4 min). Detection was made by atomic absorption, using ¯ame, graphite furnace and cold vapour techniques. The analytical procedure was checked with reference material (BCR marine sediment-harbour PACS-1); di€erences with this material were lower than 10%. For PCB (eight congeners), DDT and HCH determination a portion of the original sample was desiccated with anhydrous sodium sulphate and extraction was made with iso-octane, after conditioning and clean-up of the extract the analysis was made with an HP-5890 gas chromatograph. On the other hand, for PAH (10 compounds) determination, the extraction was made with ether, and the analysis was made by means of HPLC. Water quality data The mean bottom oxygen concentration was measured with a CTD Sea-Bird 25, or with a portable YSI- 55 oxymeter. Salinity was measured with the same CTD, or with a Kahlsico SR10 induction salinometer. Biological data The identi®cation was undertaken in the laboratory by means of a binocular microscope (4±40). After computing the mean abundance of each taxon, at each sampling station, the macrobenthic community structure was described calculating the following descriptors (Washington, 1984): richness (number of identi®ed taxa); abundance (N: ind mÿ2 ); numerical diversity (Shannon Wiener H0 n : bits indÿ1 ); biomass (Dry Weight, B: g mÿ2 ); and biomass diversity (Shannon Wiener H0 b : bits gÿ1 ). BI model The model here developed is based on that ®rst used by Glemarec and Hily (1981) and then by Hily (1984), which utilizes soft-bottom benthos to construct a BI. Soft-bottom macrobenthic communities respond to environmental stress (i.e. the introduction of organic matter in the system) by means of di€erent adaptive strategies. Gray (1979) summarizes these strategies into three ecological groups: r (r-selected: species with short life-span, fast growth, early sexual maturation and larvae throughout the year); k (k-selected: species with relatively long life, slow growth and high biomass); and T (stress tolerant: species not a€ected by alterations). Salen-Picard (1983) has proposed four progressive steps relating to stressed environments: (i) initial state (in an unpolluted situation, there is a rich biocenosis in individuals and species, with exclusive species and high diversity); (ii) slight unbalance (regression of exclusive species, proliferation of tolerant species, the appearance of pioneering species, decrease of diversity); (iii) pronounced unbalance (population dominated by pollution indicators, very low diversity); and (iv) azoic substrata. Following these four steps, Hily (1984) and Glemarec (1986) have stated that the soft-bottom macrofauna could be ordered in ®ve groups, according to their sensitivity to an increasing stress gradient (i.e. increasing organic matter enrichment). Their concept is similar to that developed for the Infaunal Index for Southern California, described by Mearns and Word (1982) and Ferraro et al. (1991). These groups have been summarized by Grall and Glemarec (1997), as outlined below. Group I. Species very sensitive to organic enrichment and present under unpolluted conditions (initial state). They include the specialist carnivores and some depositfeeding tubicolous polychaetes. Group II. Species indi€erent to enrichment, always present in low densities with non-signi®cant variations with time (from initial state, to slight unbalance). These include suspension feeders, less selective carnivores and scavengers. Group III. Species tolerant to excess organic matter enrichment. These species may occur under normal conditions, but their populations are stimulated by 1101 1102 Marine Pollution Bulletin Fig. 1 Position of the 30 stations monitored along the Basque coastline (North of Spain), from 1995 to 1998. The stations used to validate the model are shown in black. Volume 40/Number 12/December 2000 organic richment (slight unbalance situations). They are surface deposit-feeding species, as tubicolous spionids. Group IV. Second-order opportunistic species (slight to pronounced unbalanced situations). Mainly small sized polychaetes: subsurface deposit-feeders, such as cirratulids. Group V. First-order opportunistic species (pronounced unbalanced situations). These are depositfeeders, which proliferate in reduced sediments. The distribution of these ecological groups, according to their sensitivity to pollution stress, provides a BI with eight levels, from 0 to 7 (Hily, 1984; Hily et al., 1986; Majeed, 1987). In the aforementioned monitoring network of sampling stations, together with other studies developed by AZTI along the Basque coastline within the last ®ve years (Borja et al., 1995, 1999a,b), more than 900 taxa have been identi®ed. These species are representative of the most important soft-bottom communities present at European estuarine and coastal systems. The taxa have been classi®ed (list in Appendix A) according to the above ecological groups, following Majeed (1987), Dauer (1993), Weisberg et al. (1997), Grall and Glemarec (1997) and Roberts et al. (1998). Only about 12% of the taxa have not been possible to be assigned to an ecological group. Based upon HilyÕs model (Hily, 1984; Hily et al., 1986; Majeed, 1987), Fig. 2 shows the theoretical distribution of relative abundance of each ecological group, along a pollution gradient. A possible limitation in the utilisation of the model of Hily is that each BI has a discreet value and its calculation is not systematized. In order to improve the index, a single formula is proposed here. This is based upon the percentages of abundance of each ecological group, within each sample, to obtain a continuous index (the Biotic Coecient (BC)), where Biotic Coefficient ˆ f 0  % GI† ‡ 1:5  % GII† ‡ 3  % GIII† ‡ 4:5  % GIV† ‡ 6  % GV†g=100: The above-mentioned ecological groups (GI, GII, GIII, GIV and GV) are summarized in Table 1. Species not assigned to a group were not taken into account. These species represent only a mean abundance of 1.4%, for the total number of samples. In this way, use of the BC can derive a series of continuous values, from 0 to 6, being 7 when the sediment is azoic. Nonetheless, the BC can be compared to the Grall and Glemarec (1997) BI, as adapted in this paper (Table 1). The result obtained is a `pollution classi®cation' of a site which is a function of the BC. Consequently, this represents the benthic community `health', represented by the entire numbers of the BI. Results Fig. 2 Theoretical model, modi®ed from Hily (1984), Hily et al. (1986) and Majeed (1987), which provides the ordination of softbottom macrofauna species into ®ve ecological groups (Group I: species very sensitive; Group II: species indi€erent; Group III: species tolerant; Group IV: second-order opportunistic species; Group V: ®rst-order opportunistic species), according to their sensitivity to an increasing pollution gradient. The relative proportion of abundance of each group in a sample provides a discreet BI with eight levels (0±7) and an equivalent continuous BC (values between 0 and 6). The mean and standard error values of grain size and physical characteristic associated with each of the sampling stations (17 estuarine and 13 littoral) are listed in Table 2. The water depth range is very large at each of the stations (under Mean High Water Neap to 24 m in the estuaries and 30±35 m associated with the littoral samples). Mean salinity, at bottom water, ranges from 16.2 to 35.3 in estuaries, but is restricted within the coastal areas (35.3±35.5). The range in the percentage of oxygen saturation is very high within the estuaries (43±119%), but ranges in the littoral stations from 92% to 97%. The organic TABLE 1 Summary of the BC and BI (modi®ed from Grall and Glemarec, 1997). Site pollution classi®cation Unpolluted Unpolluted Slightly polluted Meanly polluted Meanly polluted Heavily polluted Heavily polluted Extremely polluted Biotic Coecient Biotic index Dominating ecological group Benthic community health 0:0 < BC  0:2 0:2 < BC  1:2 1:2 < BC  3:3 3:3 < BC  4:3 4:5 < BC  5:0 5:0 < BC  5:5 5:5 < BC  6:0 Azoic 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 I Normal Impoverished Unbalanced Transitional to pollution Polluted Transitional to heavy pollution Heavy polluted Azoic III IV±V V Azoic 1103 Marine Pollution Bulletin TABLE 2 Physico-chemical characterisation of sampling stations, showing mean and standard error (SE) values of some sedimentological and water parameters.a Station number 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 a Station type E E E E L L E L L E E L E L E L E L E L E L E L E E L E E L Depth (m) Salinity Dissolved oxygen (ml lÿ1 ) % Oxygen saturation % Sand % Mud % Organic matter Redox potential (mV) Mean Mean  SE Mean  SE Mean  SE Mean  SE Mean  SE Mean  SE Mean  SE I 3 14 24 34 32 I 34 33 I I 31 I 34 I 34 I 32 I 32 I 32 I 34 9 8 32 I I 33 23:5  2:3 16:2  2:0 35:1  0:1 35:3  0:1 35:3  0:1 35:3  0:1 29:5  1:6 35:4  0:0 35:4  0:0 25:7  2:5 34:8  0:1 35:5  0:0 26:3  3:0 35:5  0:0 28:9  1:6 35:4  0:1 17:5  2:7 35:4  0:1 23:3  2:2 35:4  0:0 21:1  2:2 35:4  0:1 21:1  3:1 35:4  0:0 34:0  0:2 33:3  0:4 35:4  0:0 19:3  2:3 26:2  1:6 35:3  0:1 6:1  0:2 3:1  0:5 5:0  0:1 5:4  0:1 5:6  0:1 5:5  0:1 6:1  0:2 5:5  0:1 5:5  0:1 6:1  0:2 6:6  0:2 5:6  0:1 6:5  0:2 5:6  0:1 5:0  0:3 5:3  0:3 5:9  0:2 5:4  0:1 5:8  0:2 5:3  0:1 6:0  0:2 5:4  0:1 5:7  0:3 5:5  0:1 3:2  0:3 5:0  0:2 5:3  0:1 5:2  0:3 5:6  0:2 5:5  0:1 101  3:8 43  6:0 87  1:7 94  1:3 96  1:7 95  1:7 105  3:3 95  1:5 96  2:0 102  3:3 119  3:3 97  1:8 111  3:1 96  2:0 87  3:9 94  3:4 89  3:7 94  1:8 96  2:9 93  2:0 97  3:0 95  2:0 92  5:2 95  2:3 55  4:9 88  3:7 92  2:2 83  4:4 91  4:6 97  2:1 95:1  3:8 38:5  6:3 19:6  2:1 80:7  4:6 96:3  0:8 94:8  3:2 85:3  2:4 81:5  6:7 98:4  0:2 27:4  2:9 97:6  1:3 95:6  0:8 82:4  4:8 93:8  2:3 38:6  3:1 94:3  3:5 55:8  5:8 95:1  1:0 40:1  5:2 84:8  6:5 85:3  5:0 86:2  2:9 84:2  5:8 81:6  4:2 36:7  7:6 46:8  6:7 89:1  4:7 80:8  5:0 91:9  2:2 89:0  5:7 4:6  4:0 47:7  6:2 80:1  2:1 18:3  4:8 3:3  0:9 0:4  0:2 0:5  0:2 0:7  0:5 1:1  0:2 64:8  4:2 0:3  0:3 3:6  0:8 12:5  3:9 5:4  2:3 16:7  2:6 0:1  0:1 40:3  6:8 3:3  1:0 51:3  5:6 8:7  6:7 7:4  4:8 11:0  2:7 5:4  4:1 17:3  4:3 59:9  8:8 36:0  7:6 3:4  2:2 13:7  5:2 0:7  0:3 6:4  5:5 5:2  0:2 8:7  1:0 13:0  0:3 6:0  0:4 3:9  0:3 6:8  1:7 2:3  0:1 3:8  0:8 3:4  0:4 7:7  0:4 3:4  0:5 3:6  0:7 4:6  0:7 3:7  0:3 6:1  0:5 3:7  0:6 6:7  0:6 4:2  0:1 9:0  0:7 5:5  1:2 4:0  0:6 3:8  0:2 4:2  1:3 5:0  0:6 28:2  2:8 9:4  1:0 3:4  0:5 5:0  1:0 2:7  0:1 5:8  1:8 296  41:7 ÿ101  38:2 ÿ53  37:7 153  45:2 248  45:5 405  18:2 388  18:7 389  7:2 322  26:9 25  20:2 410  45:0 268  43:8 167  50:4 299  34:5 0  32:3 336  11:5 63  48:9 264  37:2 24  21:3 286  39:0 313  38:0 83  18:1 210  49:3 ÿ84  45:4 ÿ185  8:0 ÿ71  21:9 240  53:0 102  35:1 285  32:0 232  61:4 E: estuarine site; L: littoral site; I: intertidal site. matter content in the sediments is higher in the estuaries (2.3±28.2%) than in littoral zone (3.4±6.8%). This corresponds to a higher range of the mud content within the sediments (0.3±80.1% and 0.1±17.3%, respectively). The redox potential ranges from )185 to 410 mV within the estuaries, and from )84 to 405 mV within the littoral samples. From 30 stations, some 114 samples of benthos have been obtained over a 4 year period. These samples correspond to di€erent environments (estuarine, littoral, intertidal, subtidal) and physico-chemical characteristics (reduced and oxidized sediments, hypoxia and oversaturation in the bottom waters, poor organic matter proportion and enrichment, etc.). After the application of the BC, considering its correspondence with the BI (Table 1), the results were: 2 samples with a BI ˆ 0; 23 samples of BI ˆ 1; 48 samples of BI ˆ 2; 15 samples of BI ˆ 3; 7 samples of BI ˆ 4; 6 samples of BI ˆ 5; 6 samples of BI ˆ 6; and 7 samples of BI ˆ 7. Fig. 3 shows the results obtained by comparing different biological parameters, on samples having the same biotic indices. The BI ˆ 7 is equivalent to an azoic site, so all the biological parameters are equal to 0 in these particular samples. 1104 The mean abundance increases from 36.7 ind mÿ2 (BI ˆ 0) to 2 559 ind mÿ2 (BI ˆ 6), with the exception of BI ˆ 5, with a value of 456 ind mÿ2 (Fig. 3(a)). Within the lowest of the Biotic Indices (0, 1 and 2), the standard error of the mean is very small; it is progressively larger in the highest. Statistical analyses were made considering the BC because, as this coecient can derive continuous values, it is more suitable for this purpose than the BI. Taking into account all the samples analysed, the non-parametric Spearman rank correlation between the abundance and the BC is not statistically signi®cant (p > 0:05). On the other hand, biomass (Fig. 3(b)) increases from 0.1 g mÿ2 (BI ˆ 0) to 14.3 g mÿ2 (BI ˆ 4). However for Biotic Indices 5 and 6, dominated by small opportunistic species, the biomass is lower than 4 g mÿ2 . There is no a statistically signi®cant correlation between biomass and BC (Spearman rank correlation). Fig. 3(c) shows the mean richness of the samples. Except in the case of BI ˆ 0, with a mean richness of 2, in the other biotic indices the richness decreases progressively from 26 to 27 species (BI ˆ 1 and 2) to 0 species (BI ˆ 7). Richness and BC are highly correlated (p < 0:001, Spearman rank correlation). Volume 40/Number 12/December 2000 Fig. 3 Mean and standard error values of di€erent biological parameters obtained on samples having the same biotic indices. (a) abundance; (b) biomass; (c) richness; and (d) diversity (derived from number of individuals N and biomass B). Numerical diversity (Fig. 3(d)) shows a similar pattern to that of richness. There is a progressive decrease in the mean values, from 3.5 bits indÿ1 (BI ˆ 1) to 0 bits indÿ1 (BI ˆ 7), with the exception of BI ˆ 0 which is associated with a low value (0.6 bits indÿ1 ). Biomass diversity has values of about 1.6 bits gÿ1 , between BI ˆ 1 to 4; then, it decreases to 0 (BI ˆ 7). Both variables are correlated with BC (p < 0:001 and p < 0:05 for numerical and biomass diversities, respectively), using Spearman rank correlation. The relationships between some of the sedimentological and water quality parameters and biotic indices are shown in Fig. 4. BI ˆ 0 is associated with the highest mean redox potential (Fig. 4(a): 360 mV). This parameter becomes progressively lower, with BI ˆ 7 having a mean potential which is very reduced (±125 mV). Samples with low biotic indices (0 and 1) are associated with less than 2% of mud (Fig. 4(b)) and the values increase to 63% (BI ˆ 7). Some anomalies were detected in BI ˆ 5 and 6, which present 10±20% of mud. The organic matter content has a similar pattern of distribution to that of granulometry (Fig. 4(c)). Data on the mean bottom dissolved oxygen content are presented in Fig. 4(d). The highest value corresponds to BI ˆ 0 Fig. 4 Mean and standard error values of di€erent sedimentological and water quality parameters obtained on samples having the same biotic indices. (a) redox potential; (b) percentage of mud; (c) organic matter content; and (d) bottom dissolved oxygen content. 1105 Marine Pollution Bulletin (6.5 ml lÿ1 ), decreasing to 2.6 ml lÿ1 at BI ˆ 7. The Spearman rank correlations between these variables and BC are highly signi®cant (p < 0:001). The mean concentrations relating to some of the heavy metals in the sediments associated to each BI are shown in Fig. 5. Arsenic and mercury contents do not reveal any clear pattern of distribution with the BI. Other metals present increasing concentrations from BI ˆ 0 to BI ˆ 7, with the exception of some speci®c peaks (BI ˆ 3, for chromium and nickel; and BI ˆ 6, for lead and copper) and troughs (BI ˆ 4 and 5, for cadmium, nickel and zinc). Except arsenic and mercury all the metals are positively correlated with BC (p < 0:01, Spearman rank correlations). On the other hand, the organic compounds (Fig. 6) do not show a similar pattern to that of the metals. Only PCB increase in their concentrations from BI ˆ 0 to BI ˆ 7; however the di€erences are very small. PAH is at their smallest concentrations in BI ˆ 5 and 6. The only signi®cant correlation is found between BC and PCB (p < 0:05, Spearman rank correlation). Comparing the percentage of samples of each BI that goes beyond the ER-L (or E€ects Range-Low, representing concentrations below which adverse e€ects to fauna are expected to occur rarely (Long et al., 1995)), the data presented in Fig. 7 shows that BI ˆ 0 does not include samples that surpass these limits for metals and organic compounds. Normally, the other biotic indices Fig. 5 Mean and standard error values of eight heavy metal contents in sediments obtained on samples having the same biotic indices. Fig. 6 Mean and standard error values of four organic compound contents in sediments obtained on samples having the same biotic indices. 1106 Volume 40/Number 12/December 2000 Fig. 7 Percentage of samples of each biotic index that goes beyond the ER-L (or E€ects Range-Low, representing concentrations below which adverse e€ects are expected to occur rarely), for seven heavy metals and three organic compounds. increase progressively in the percentage of samples surpassing these limits (see data presented for arsenic, mercury, nickel, lead, copper, chromium, PCB and DDT). Discussion Many of the biotic indices developed in the literature (Clements et al., 1992; Mouthon, 1993; Stark, 1993; Grall and Glemarec, 1997; Roberts et al., 1998, etc.) have been based on the paradigm of Pearson and Rosenberg (1978), as stated by Weisberg et al. (1997) in developing their own index. The paradigm states that benthic communities respond to improvements in habitat quality in three progressive steps: the abundance increases; species diversity increases; and dominant species change from pollution-tolerant to pollutionsensitive species. This generally accepted paradigm has been adapted from Grall and Glemarec (1997) in this contribution, in order to obtain an European BI. This should be able to distinguish easily estuaries and coastal reference sites from polluted sites, with di€erent levels of anthropogenic or natural degradation. The index derived provides a semi-quantitative measurement of the degree of impact on soft-bottom macrofauna, which is re¯ected by changes in the qualitative and quantitative community composition. As the BI has been established on the basis of analysis of samples obtained from a monitoring network, with a prevalence of polluted sites, there are only two unpolluted samples (BI ˆ 0) which correspond to a `normal' community (sensu Grall and Glemarec, 1997). The diversity results do not correspond to those expected from the aforementioned paradigm, because the richness is very low. Conversely, samples with BI ˆ 1 (also unpolluted in the present proposal, corresponding to an impoverished community) or higher, BI ˆ 2±6 (corresponding to slightly to heavily polluted sites) have well-de®ned values of biological parameters; this is as might be expected from the results of Pearson and Rosenberg (1978). Some biotic indices, or Coecients of Pollution (i.e. Bogdanos and Satsmadjis, 1985) do not appear to be suitable for application in some cases. This is due to the lack of sensitivity of these indices to intermediate pollution levels (MAFF, 1993), corresponding with slightly polluted areas. Hily (1984) and Grall and Glemarec (1997) have described similar diculties. The above limitation appears to be due to a general under-estimation of the faunal abundance in comparison with unpolluted areas. This is because faunal abundance will increase under slight to moderate pollution, but numbers of species can either stay constant or show only a slight increase. In the present proposal, this problem appears to be eliminated because the approach has a high sensitivity at these levels, with wellde®ned values in the biological parameters. Organic enrichment and muddy bottoms, associated with subsequent low redox potential and hypoxia, are related with opportunistic species (Majeed, 1987) in `heavily polluted' levels, according to the BI (BI ˆ 5±7). Diaz and Rosenberg (1995) have suggested that benthic infaunal mortality could be initiated when the oxygen concentration falls below 2 ml lÿ1 . Ritter and Montagna (1999) have recently proposed that 3 mg lÿ1 ( ˆ 2.14 ml lÿ1 ) de®nes the breakpoint between normoxic and hypoxic benthic communities. The mean oxygen concentration obtained for BI ˆ 7 indicates that life could be very limited in those sites. However, within BI ˆ 6, there 1107 Marine Pollution Bulletin are some situations of very low oxygen concentration which explain the presence of species which are resistant to severe or moderate hypoxia. These species are classi®ed within ecological Groups IV and V. Samples with BI ˆ 6 and 7 are associated with sites that experience periodic hypoxia, consisting of repeated brief periods (days or weeks, in the case of BI ˆ 6) or seasonal hypoxia (months, in the case of BI ˆ 7), that generate mass mortality or complete elimination of the macrofauna. Some of the samples with BI ˆ 7 are located within the Bilbao estuary, for which S aiz-Salinas (1997) and Gonzalez-Oreja and S aiz-Salinas (1998) have demonstrated that the oxygen limitation represents the key factor in the estuarine defaunation of sampling stations within the estuary. Physico-chemical results related to the BI (see Fig. 4) have some unexpected results at the level of BI ˆ 5 and 6. The trend of increasing percentages of mud and organic matter, together with decreasing redox potential, break-down at these particular levels. BI ˆ 5 and 6 correspond to high percentages of ecological Group V (with a mean of 77.5% of species in BI ˆ 5, together with 92.7% in BI ˆ 6). These species are mainly depositfeeders. As such, they could modify the proportion of organic matter in the sediments on which they feed and, subsequently, modify the grain size composition of the sediments. The optimal grain size may be di€erent for the settling larvae, juveniles and adults of a variety of deposit-feeders (Snelgrove and Butman, 1994), changing their physico-chemical properties. For example, Hall (1994) has stated that faecal pellets of benthic invertebrates modify the grain size of the sur®cial sediments. In spite of the fact that hypoxia seems to control the presence of the groupings with BI ˆ 7 and that organic matter content is very important in ascribing samples to the BI, ecotoxicological e€ects appear to play only a secondary role in the analyses; however it may have had an e€ect in the longer time, as cited by Saiz-Salinas (1997) for the Bilbao Estuary. In order to validate the derived BI, for more general application, four stations from the 30 stations sampled have been selected for more detailed analysis. The evolution of the percentage of ecological grouping, the BI and the BC, derived for between 1995 and 1998, at these stations is shown in Fig. 8. Within the Urdaibai estuary (Figs. 1 and 8(a)) the results obtained from a single station, in the inner part of the estuary, shows a dominance of ecological Group III. This is characteristic of estuarine communities located at sites with organic matter inputs. The derived BI shows that, in 1995 and 1996, the site is slightly polluted (BI ˆ 2) due mainly to the aforementioned organic matter enrichment. In 1997 and 1998, the BI increases progressively (BI ˆ 3 and 4); as such classifying this station as `meanly polluted'. Such a trend is caused by the increasing dominance of ecological Group V, which indicates the presence of opportunistic species. On the other hand, the BC increases gradually with time, which indicates a rising contamination in this site during the last years. The increase in the BI could be the result of dredging activities undertaken along this particular estuary, within the last few years. At the same time, there are changes in the sediment composition, the abundance of suspended matter, etc. These provide the basis for an increase in the opportunistic species at this particular location. In February 1995, the station in the Oria estuary (Figs. 1 and 8(b)), was located some 500 m landward of the mouth. Group I was dominant and the BI (2) provides a classi®cation of the site as `slightly polluted'. In 1995 and 1996, some channelling works were under- Fig. 8 Evolution of the percentage of ecological groups (I±V), the BI and the BC, derived for between 1995 and 1998, for the stations showed in Fig. 1: Station 10; Station 21; Station 13; and Station 24. 1108 Volume 40/Number 12/December 2000 taken in this estuary, extending the mouth of the estuary some 500 m o€shore. This development has led to an increase in the distance from the mouth of the estuary to the sampling station, with a subsequent change in the physico-chemical conditions (Borja et al., 1999a). This change resulted in an increase in the mud and organic matter content, together with a decrease in dissolved oxygen. This change in the physical setting provides an explanation for the increase in the dominance of ecological Groups III and V (more characteristic at the inner part of the estuary), modifying the BI to `meanly polluted' (3). The BC increased during this period, from 1.4 to 3.5. The Lea is a small estuary within the Basque Country (Figs. 1 and 8(c)) which, in the past 4 years, has been subjected to a sewerage plan, eliminating urban and industrial e‚uent discharges into the estuarine waters. The estuary was dominated by the opportunistic Group V in 1995, with a BI of 3 (meanly polluted). Following the introduction of the sewerage scheme, the ecological Group I, composed of species that are sensitive to pollution, increased in its dominance. This represented, in 1997 and 1998, nearly 100% of the community. Throughout these two last years, the BI is 0. The BC decreases from 4.2 in 1995 to 0.4 in 1996 and near 0 in 1997 and 1998. So, in the last two years this station can be classi®ed as an unpolluted site. Finally, within the coastal area of Momp as, near San Sebastian (Figs. 1 and 8(d)), there is an important change in the ecological group composition between 1995 and 1996. At the beginning of this period, there is a co-dominance of Groups V, I and II. However, there is a clear dominance of Group V from 1996 to 1998. At the same time, the BI changes from 2 (slightly polluted) to 5±6 (heavily polluted). The BC, which was 3.0 in 1995, increased to values between 5.3 and 5.9 during the last three years. This particular coastal area has received large amounts of domestic and industrial waste from the San Sebastian area since the 1970s. Further, in 1995 and 1996, some sewerage works were constructed and an important volume of urban and industrial polluted waters, derived from nearby areas such as Pasajes or Tximistarri, were diverted to Momp as. The waste includes contaminants (heavy metals and organic compounds) and a high amount of organic matter originating from the paper manufacturers (Franco et al., 1999). Conclusions The BC, proposed here as a BI to establish the ecological quality of the soft-bottom benthos within the European coastal environments, takes into account the faunal composition. As such, it ascribes each species to an ecological grouping, according to their sensitivity to an increasing stress gradient. The di€erent composition, in terms of the abundance of the various ecological groups in these samples pro- vides a continuous BC (with values between 0 and 6). This is referenced to a BI, representing quality of bottom conditions in a discreet range from 0 (unpolluted) to 7 (extremely polluted). This composition is governed by the physico-chemical factors within the sediments and the overlying water column in terms of: organic matter content; percentage of mud within the sediments; dissolved oxygen content within the bottom waters; and the concentration of pollutants. Biological parameters (such abundance, richness, biomass or diversity) provide a useful (and more broadly applicable) description of each level of the BI. It is considered (as described by Dauer, 1993) that biological criteria may complement toxicity and chemical assessment methods, to serve as independent evaluations of the ecological quality of marine and estuarine ecosystems. Validation of the model developed shows that di€erent anthropogenically changes in the environment can be detected through the use of the BI, including alterations to the natural system such as dredging, engineering works, sewerage plans and the dumping of polluted waters. On the other hand, the BC provides a more accurate view of the evolution of the ecological status of a particular location. Further, the fact that this particular coecient can derive continuous values makes it more suitable for application to statistical analysis than the BI (i.e. temporal trend analysis). The BI proposed here is relatively simple and can, meaningfully, be applied when attempting to determine the ecological status of European coastlines. Although this index has been developed in the Bay of Biscay, the methodology can be applied for other European coastal areas, only conditioned by the assignation of the species to the ecological groups described here. In fact, many of the species compiled in the Appendix A are present in North Sea and Mediterranean. So, the index may be improved with the contributions of newly assigned species from these seas and further examples of its more general application and validation. Finally, this index facilitates the understanding of complex benthic data, summarizing a considerable amount of ecological information into a single representative value. This study was supported by di€erent contracts undertaken between the Department of Land Action, Housing and Environment of the Basque Government and AZTI. One of the authors (V. Perez) was supported by a grant from the Department of Agriculture and Fishing of the Basque Government. We thank the sta€ of the Department of Oceanography of AZTI for their assistance during the ®eld sampling and laboratory analyses and the INSUB Group that was charged of the taxonomical analysis. We wish to thank also Professor Michael Collins (School of Ocean and Earth Science, University of Southampton, UK) and an anonymous referee for kindly advising us on some details of this paper. Appendix A See Table 3. 1109 1110 TABLE 3 List of species and taxa (in alphabetical order) that have been found in all the stations along the whole studied period (the assigned ecological groups (see text) are also shown).a Species Species Group Species Group Species Group Species Group I I II III III III III III I I I I I I I I I N.A I I I N.A N.A N.A N.A III N.A I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I III I I I Angulus tenuis Anomia ephippium Anoplodactylus petiolatus Anoplodactylus pygmaeus Antenella sp. Anthozoa sp. Anthura gracilis Aonides oxycephala Aora gracilis Aora typica Aphelochatea multibranchiis Apherusa cirrus Apherusa ovalipes Aphonupis grubei Aphrodite aculeata Apicularia guerini Apistobranchus tullbergi Aponuphis bilineata Aporrhais pespelecani Aporrhais sp. Apseudes latreillei Arcturella sp. Arenicola marina Aricia latreilli Aricidea catherinae Aricidea cerruti Aricidea cf. assimilis Aricidea fragilis Aricidea je€reysii Aricidea minuta Aricidea sp. Armandia cirrosa Armandia spp Aspidosiphon muelleri Astacilla longicornis Astarte sp. Astarte sulcata Astarte triangularis Asterina gibosa Astropecten irregularis Astropecten irregularis typicus Athanas nitescens Athecata sp. Atylus falcatus Atylus guttatus Atylus sp. Atylus swammerdami Atylus vedlomensis Audouinia tentaculata Autolytus longeferiens Autolytus sp. I I N.A N.A I I I III I I N.A I I I N.A I I II I I III N.A N.A I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I IV N.A N.A Bela powisiana Bela sp. Bittium reticulatum Boccardia chilensis Boccardia polybranchia Boccardia sp. Bodotria arenosa Bodotria scorpioides Brada villosa Branchiomma vesiculosum Branchiostoma lanceolata Brania oculata Brania pusilla Bugula sp. Callianassa sp. Callianassa subterranea Callianassa truncata Calliostoma papillosum Calliostoma zizyphinum Calyptraea sinensis Campylaspis glabra Capitella capitata Capitella sp. Capitellides giardi Capitomastus minimus Caprella fretensis Caprella linearis Caprella penantis Carcinus maenas Caryophyllia smithi Caulleriella alata Caulleriella bioculata Caulleriella sp. Caulleriella zetlandica Cavernularia pusilla Ceradocus semiserratus Cerastoderma edule Cerastoderma lamarcki Ceratostoma erinaceum Cerebratulus marginatus Cerebratulus sp. Cereus pedunculatus Ceriantario sp. Cerianthus lloydii Cerianthus membranaceus Cerianthus sp. Cestopagurus timidus Chaetopterus variopedatus Chaetozone B spp Chaetozone cf. gibber Chaetozone gibber I I I I I I II II N.A I I II II I III III III I I I N.A V V V IV N.A N.A N.A III I III III III III I I III III I III III I I I I I I I IV IV IV Chone infundibuliformis Chone sp. Chthamalus stellatus Circe minima Circulus striatus Cirratulus chrysoderma Cirratulus cirratus Cirriformia tentaculata Cirripedo sp. Clausinella fasciata Clavidae Clymene cf. praetermisa Clymene lumbricoides Clymene modesta Clymene oerstedii Clytia sp. Cnidaria sp. Cochlodesma praetenue Copepoda indet. Cop epodo sp. Corbula gibba Corophium acherusicum Corophium acutum Corophium arenarium Corophium insidiosum Corophium multisetosum Corophium sp. Corophium volutator Coryne pusilla Corystes cassivelaunus Cossura longocirrata Cossura pygodactylata Cossura sp. Crangon allmani Crangon crangon Crassostrea angulata Crepidula fornicata Cucumaria elongata Cucumaria sp. Cultellus pellucidus Cumopsis fagei Cumopsis sp. Cyathura carinata Cyclope neritea Cylichna cylindracea Cylichna sp. Cylichnina subcylindrica Cymodoce truncata Cythara attenuata Cythara costata Dardanus arrosor II II I I I IV IV IV I I I I I I I I I N.A N.A N.A III III III III III III III III I I N.A N.A N.A I I III III I I I II II III I I I I I I I N.A Diastylis rugosa Diastylis sp. Diastylis tumida Diodora apertura Diogenes pugilator Diopatra neapolitana Diplocirrus glaucus Dispio uncinata Divaricella divaricata Donax trunculus Doris sp. Dosinia exoleta Dosinia juv. indet. Dosinia lupinus Dosinia sp. Drilonereis ®lum Ebalia sp. Ebalia tuberosa Echinocardium cordatum Echinocyamus pusillus Echinoidea sp. Echiuroidea sp. Echiurus echiurus Edwardsia sp. Ehlersia ferrugina Ensis sp. Eocuma dimorpha Eocuma dollfusi Epilepton clarkiae Epithonium clathrus Epitonium turtoni Ericthonius brasilensis Eteone longa Eteone picta Euclymede praetermissa Euclymene anis Euclymene oerstedii Euclymene sp. Euclymenidae indet. Eudorella truncatula Eulalia bilineata Eulalia mustela Eulalia sanguinea Eulalia sp. Eulalia tripunctata Eulalia viridis Eulimella acicuta Eulimella sp. Eumida bahusiensis Eumida sanguinea Eumida sp. I I I I II I I III I I I I I I I II N.A N.A I I I I I II N.A I II II I I I N.A II II I I I I I N.A II II II II II II I I II II II Marine Pollution Bulletin Abarenicola claparedi Abarenicola sp. Abissoninoe hibernica Abra alba Abra nitida Abra prismatica Abra sp. Abra tenuis Acanthocardia aculeata Acanthocardia echinata Acanthocardia paucicostata Acanthocardia sp. Acanthocardia tuberculata Acanthochitona critinus Acanthochitona fascicularis Achelia hispida Achelia simplex Aclis gulsonae Acronida brachiata Acteon sp. Actinia equina Aglaophamus rubella Aglaophamus sp. Aiptasia mutabilis Alcyonacea indet Alkmaria romijni Alpheus glaber Alvania crassa Alvania semistriata Alvania sp. Amatea trilobata Amathia pruvot Ampelisca brevicornis Ampelisca cf. spooneri Ampelisca heterodactyla Ampelisca juv. indet. Ampelisca sarsi Ampelisca sp. Ampelisca spinifer Ampelisca spinimana Ampelisca tenuicornis Ampelisca toulemonti Ampharete ®nmarchica Ampharete grubei Ampharete juv. indet. Ampharete lindstroemi Ampharete sp. Amphicteis gunneri Amphipholis squamata Amphitrite johnstoni Amphiura brachiata Group I I I I II II II II I I I II II N.A I N.A I I I I I III I I I I I I I I I I I N.A I II II II II II II II II II II II I III II II I I I N.A N.A II Axionice maculata Bachycuma brevicornis Balcis alba Barleeia rubra Bathyporeia elegans Bathyporeia nana Bathyporeia pelagica Bathyporeia pilosa Bathyporeia sarsi Bathyporeia sp. Bathyporeia tenuipes Bela nebula Hesionura elongata Heterocirrus bioculatus Heterocirrus spp Heteromastus ®liformis Hexacorallia sp. Hiatella artica Hinia incrassata Hinia juv. indet. Hinia pygmaea Hinia reticulata Hippolyte varians Hippomedon denticulatus Hyala vitrea Hyale nilssoni Hyalinoecia bilineata Hyalinoecia fauveli Hyalinoecia sp. Hydrobia ulvae Hydroides norvegica Idotea linearis Idunella picta Inachus dorsettensis Inachus sp. larva Iphimedia obesa Iphinoe serrata Iphinoe sp. Jaera albifrons Jaera sp. Janira maculosa Jasmineira elegans Jupiteria minuta Kefersteinia cirrata Kellia suborbicularis Labidoplax cf. thomsoni Labidoplax digitata Labidoplax spp Lacydonia miranda Lagisca extenuata Lanice cirrata Lanice cirrata Lanice conchilega Lanice conchilega Lanice spp Laonice sp. N.A N.A I II I I I I I I I I II IV IV III I I II II II II I I I I N.A N.A N.A III N.A N.A N.A I I I I I I I N.A N.A N.A N.A I I I I N.A II III III II II II N.A Chaetozone setosa Chaetozone sp. Chamelea gallina Chamelea gallina striatula Chamelea striatula Chauvetia brunnea Cheirocratus sundevallii Cheriocratus sp. Chironomida Chlamys varia Chone collaris Chone ®licaudata Leucothoe spinicarpa Levinsenia gracilis Lilleborjia pallida Liocarcinus arcuatus Liocarcinus arcuatus Liocarcinus depurator Liocarcinus holsatus Liocarcinus marmoreus Liocarcinus pusillus Liocarcinus sp. Liocarcinus vernalis Liocarcinus zariquieyi Listriella picta Loripes lucinalis Lucinoma borealis Lucinoma borealis Lumbrinerides sp. Lumbrineriopsis paradoxa Lumbrineris cf. gracilis Lumbrineris emandibulata Lumbrineris emandibulata mabiti Lumbrineris gracilis Lumbrineris impatiens Lumbrineris latreilli Lumbrineris latreilli Lumbrineris sp. Lunatia alderi Lutraria angustior Lutraria lutraria Lutraria lutraria Lutraria sp. Lyonsia norvegicum Lysianassa ceratina Lysianassa insperata Lysidice ninetta Lysippe labiata Macoma baltica Macropodia rostrata Mactra corallina Mactra stultorum Mactracea indet. Maera grossimana Maera othonis Maera sp. IV IV I I I I I I IV I II II I N.A I I I I I I I I I I I I I I II II II II II II II II II II II I I I I I I I II N.A I I I I I I I I Demonax sp. Demospongia sp. Dentalium novemcostatum Dentalium sp. Desdemona cf. ornata Desdemona ornata Devonia perrieri Diastylis bradyi Diastylis cf. tumida Diastylis cornuta Diastylis laevis Diastylis lucifera Marphysa fallax Marphysa sanginea Marphysa sp. Marphysa sp. (belli?) Martastherias glacialis Mediomastus fragilis Megaluropus agilis Megamphopus cornutus Melinna cristata Melinna palmata Melinna sp. Melita gladiosa Melita palmata Merceriella enigmatica Metaphoxus fultoni Metaphoxus pectinatus Metazoea de porcellanidae Microdeutopus anomalus Microdeutopus damnoniensis Microdeutopus sp. Microdeutopus stationis Microdeutopus versiculatus Microphthalmus sczelkowii Microspio sp. Micrura sp. Modiolula phaseolina Modiolus barbatus Modiolus gallicus Modiolus modiolus Monoculodes carinatus Monopylephorus irroratus Montacuta ferruginosa Musculus discors Mya arenaria Myrtea spinifera Mysella bidentata Mysia undata Mysidacea Mystides elongata Mystides limbata Mytilaster minimun Mytilus edulis Nassarius incrassatus Nassarius reticulatus N.A I I I II II I I I I I I II II II II I III I I III III III I III II I I N.A I I I I I N.A N.A N.A I I I I I V II I II I I I II II II I III II II Eunice harassii Eunice sp. Eunice vittata Euphrosyne foliosa Eurydice anis Eurydice pulchra Eurydice sp. Eurydice spinigera Eurynome aspera Eurynome spinosa Eurysyllis tuberculata Exogone naidina Nephtys cirrosa Nephtys hombergi Nephtys hystricis Nephtys incisa Nephtys juv. spp Nephtys kersivalensis Nephtys paradoxa Nephtys sp. Nephtys sp. juv. Nephtys spp Nereimyra punctata Nereiphylla rubiginosa Nereis caudata Nereis cf. lamellosa Nereis diversicolor Nereis longissima Nereis sp. Nothria geo®liformis Nothria lepta Nothria sp. Notirus irus Notocirrus sp. Notomastus latericeus Notomastus lineatus Notomastus sp. Nucula nitida Nucula nitidosa Nucula nucleus Nucula sp. Nucula sulcata Nucula turgida Ocenebra erinacea Odostomia sp. Oligochaeta Onuphidae juvenil Onuphis cf. geophiliformis Onuphis conchylega Onuphis eremita Ophelia bicornis Ophelina acuminata Ophiocentrus brachiatus Ophiocomina nigra Ophiodromus ¯exuosus Ophiopsila aranea II II II I I I I I I I II II II II II II II II II II II II III N.A IV III III III III II II II I N.A III III III I I I I I I II II V II II II II I N.A I I II I Volume 40/Number 12/December 2000 1111 Amphiura chiajei Amphiura ®liformis Amphiura juv. indet. Amphiura sp. Anaitides lineata Anaitides maculata Anaitides mucosa Anaitides sp. Anapagurus hyndmani Anapagurus laevis Anapagurus sp. Anguilla anguilla Exogone sp. Fabricia sabella Fabulina fabula Filograna implexa Galathea intermedia Galathea sp. Galathea squamifera Galathowenia oculata Galeomna turtoni Gammarella fucicola Gammaridea Gammaropsis palmata Gammaropsis shophiae Gammaropsis sp. Gammarus insensibilis Gammarus sp. Gari costulata Gari depressa Gari fervensis Gari tellinella Gariidae indet. Gattyana cirrosa Gibbula magus Glycera alba Glycera capitata Glycera convoluta Glycera lapidum Glycera rouxii Glycera sp. Glycera tesselata Glycera tridactyla Glycera unicornis Glycinde nordmani Glycinde nordmanni Gnathia oxyurea Gobius niger Goniada maculata Goniada sp. Goodallia triangularis Gouldia minima Gregariella barbatella Guernea coalita Gymnammodytes semisquamatus Gyptis capensis 1112 TABLE 3 (CONTINUED) Species Species Group Species Group Species Group Species Group II I II II II II II II II II II II I I I I III II II II I I I I I I I I I III III III N.A N.A N.A N.A II II II II II I III III Leanira yhleni Lembos sp. Lepidonotus clava Lepidonotus squamatus Leptocheirus pectinatus Leptocheirus pilosus Leptochelia savignyi Leptochiton asellus Leptochiton cancellatus Leptochiton inhaerens Leptoneris glauca Leptosynapta cf. gallienei Leptosynapta gallienei Leptosynapta inhaerens Leucothoe incisa Leucothoe incisa Leucothoe lilljeborgi Leucothoe richiardii Leucothoe sp. Phyllodoce rosea Phyllodoce sp. Phylocheras bispinosus Phylocheras monacantus Phylocheras trispinosus Pilargis verrucosa Pilumnus hirtellus Pinnotheres pisum Pionosyllis serrata Pisidia longicornis Pisidium sp. indet. Pisione remota Pista cristata Plakosyllis brevipes Plathelmintes Platynereis dumerilii Pleuronectidae sp. Podoceus variegatus Poecilochaetus serpens Poecilochaetus serpens Polycirrus aurantiacus Polycirrus cf. medusa Polycirrus medusa Polycirrus sp. Polycirrus tenuisetis N.A N.A II II III III N.A I I I III I I I I I I I I II II I I I I I N.A II I I II I II II III II N.A I I IV IV IV IV IV Magelona alleni Magelona ®liformis Magelona minuta Magelona mirabilis Magelona papillicornis Magelona sp. Magelona wilsoni Malacoceros ciliata Malacoceros fuliginosus Malacoceros girardi Malacoceros sp. Malacoceros vulgaris Maldane glebifex Manayunkia aestuarina Mangelia attenuata Mangelia nebula Mangelia smithi Mangelia sp. Marphysa bellii Protodrilus sp. Psamechinus miliaris Psammobia costulata Psammolyce arenosa Pseudobrania sp. Pseudocuma longicornis Pseudocuma similis Pseudocuma sp. Pseudopolydora antennata Pseudopolydora paucibranchiata Pseudopolydora pulchra Pseudopolydora sp. Pseudoprotella phasma Pseudosyllis brevipennis Pseudosyllis sp. Pygospio elegans Quadrans serratus Raphitoma purpurea Raphitoma sp. Retusa truncatula Retusa umbilicata Rhizorus acuminatus Ringicula auriculata Ringicula conformis Ringicula sp. I I I I I I I III V III III III I II I I I I II N.A I I II II II II II IV IV IV IV N.A II II III I I I I I N.A I I I Natantia sp. Natica alderi Natica catena Neanthes caudata Neanthes irrorata Neanthes juv. indet. Neanthes sp. Nebalia bipes Nebalia sp. indet. Nebalia thyphlops Nematoda Nematonereis unicornis Nemertea Neoamphitrite anis Neoamphitrite cf. anis Neoamphitrite sp. Nephtys assimilis Nephtys caeca Nephtys cf. paradoxa Sphaerosyllis hystrix Sphaerosyllis pyrifera Sphaerosyllis sp. Sphaerosyllis taylori Sphenia binghami Spio armata Spio decoratus Spio ®licornis Spio martinensis Spio sp. Spiochaetopterus costarum Spiochaetopterus sp. Spiochaetopterus typicus Spiophanes bombyx Spiophanes kroyeri Spirobranchus polytrema Spisula elliptica Spisula solida Spisula subtruncata Staurocephalus rudolphii Stenothoe monoculoides Stenothoidae Sternaspis scutata Sthenelais boa Sthenelais cf. minor N.A II II III III III III V V II III II III N.A N.A N.A II II II II II II II I III III III III III III III III III III N.A I I I IV II II III II II Ophiotrix fragilis Ophiura albida Ophiura ophiura Ophiura sp. Ophiura texturata Ophiura texturata (juv.) Ophryotrocha labronica Ophryotrocha puerilis Ophryotrocha sp. Opistodonta pterochaeta Orbinia cuvieri Orchomene nana Orchomene similis Oriopsis armandi Oriopsis sp. Ostrea edulis Ovatella myosotis Owenia ®liformis Owenia fusiformis Tholarus cranchii Thracia phaseolina Thracia villosiuscula Thyasira ¯exuosa Thyone fusus Timoclea ovata Tonicella marmorea Tricolia pullus Triphora adversa Triphora aspera Triphora perversa Trivia monacha Trophonopsis muricatus Tryphosella nanoides Tryphosella sarsi Tryphosites longipes Tubi®coides benedii Tubi®coides pseudogaster Tubulanus polymorphus Tubulanus spp Turbelario sp. Turboella parva Turbonilla acuta Turbonilla elegantissima Turbonilla lactea I II II II II II II II II N.A N.A N.A N.A N.A N.A I N.A I I I I I III I I I I I I I I I I I II V V II II N.A I I I I Marine Pollution Bulletin Gyptis rosea Halcampa sp. Haminoea navicula Harmothoe antilopes Harmothoe cf. lunulata Harmothoe glabra Harmothoe imbricata Harmothoe impar Harmothoe lunulata Harmothoe sp. Harmothoe sp.(antilopes?) Harmothoe spinifera Harpinia antennaria Harpinia pectinata Harpinia sp. Haustorius arenarius Hediste diversicolor Hermione hystrix Hesione pantherina Pachygrapsus marmoratus Paguroidea indet. Pagurus bernhardus Pagurus prideauxi Pagurus sp. larva Palaemon serratus Pandora albida Pandora inaequivalvis Pandora pinna Panoploea minuta Paradoneis armata Paradoneis lyra Paragnathia formica Paramphitrite tetrabranchia Paraonis fulgens Paraonis gracilis Paraonis lyra Parapionosyllis cf. gestans Parapionosyllis gestans Parapionosyllis labronica Parapionosyllis minuta Parapionosyllis sp. Parathelepus sp. Pariambus typicus Pariambus typicus varinermis Group a N.A. ± not assigned. I I I I I I I I III I I I I I II I I I I I II II II II II I I I I N.A II II II II II II III II Polydora antennata Polydora caeca Polydora ciliata Polydora ¯ava Polydora juv. spp Polydora ligerica Polydora ligni Polydora polybranchia Polydora pulchra Polydora sp. Polygordius apendiculatus Polymnia nebulosa Polynoe scolopendrina Polyophthalmus pictus Pomatoceros lamarckii Pomatoceros triqueter Pontocrates altamarinus Pontocrates arenarius Portumnus latipes Potamilla reniformis Potamilla sp. Potamilla torelli Potamopyrgus jenkinsi Praxillea oerstedi Prionospio caspersi Prionospio cirrifera Prionospio ehlersi Prionospio fallax Prionospio malmgreni Prionospio multibranchiata Prionospio sp. Prionospio steenstrupi Processa canaliculata Processa modica Processa nouveli Processa parva Processa sp. Protodorvillea kefersteini IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV I III II I N.A N.A I I I N.A N.A N.A II N.A IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV I I I I I II Sabella pavonina Sabella sp. Sabellaria alveolata Sabellaria spinulosa Scalibregma in¯atum Scaphander lignarius Schistomeringos caeca Schistomeringos rudolphi Scionella lornensis Sclerocheilus minutus Scolaricia sp. Scolaricia typica Scolelepis fuliginosa Scolelepis sp. Scolelepis squamata Scoloplos armiger Scrobicularia plana Scrupocellaria scrupea Semivermilia sp. Sertulariidae Sextonia longirostris Sigalion cf. mathildae Sigalion mathildae Sigalion squamatum Siphonoecetes kroyeranus Siphonoecetes sp. Siphonoecetes striatus Sipuncula Skenea sp. Skenia serpuloides Socarnes erythrophthalmus Solen marginatus Solenacea Sphaerodoropsis sp. Sphaeroma monodi Sphaeroma rugicaudata Sphaeroma serratum Sphaerosyllis bulbosa I I I I III I II IV N.A N.A I I V III III I III N.A N.A I II II II II I I I I III N.A N.A I I N.A II II II II Sthenelais limicola Sthenelais minor Sthenelais sp. Streblosoma bairdi Streblospio dekhuyzeni Streblospio shrubsolii Stremblosoma intestinalis Striarca lactea Sycon ciliatum Sycon raphanus Syllis cornuta Syllis gerlachi Syllis gracilis Syllis prolifera Syllis sp. Syllis variegata Synchelidium haplocheles Synchelidium maculatum Tanais dulongii Tapes decussata Telepsavus costarum Telina tenuis Tellimya ferruginosa Tellina compressa Tellina donacina Tellina fabula Tellina pusilla Tellina pygmaea Tellina sp. Tellina squalida Tellina tenuis Terebella lapidaria Terebellides stroemi Terebellomorpha sp. indet Thalassema neptuni Tharyx marioni Thelepus setosus Thia scutellata II II II N.A III III N.A I I I II II II II II II I I N.A I I I II I I I I I I I I I I II I N.A N.A II Turbonilla rufa Turbonilla spp Turritella communis Turritella triplicata Unciola crenatipalma Upogebia cf. tipica Upogebia deltaura Upogebia pusilla Upogebia sp. Upogebia stellata Upogebia typica Urothoe brevicornis Urothoe elegans Urothoe poseidonis Urothoe pulchella Vauthompsonia cristata Veneracea Venerupis aurea Venerupis pullastra Venerupis rhomboides Venerupis senegalensis Venus casina Venus fasciata Venus gallina Venus juv. sp. 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