Testing performances of marine benthic biotic indices under the strong seasonality in the tropical intertidal habitats, South Andaman, India

Abstract

Understanding the natural variability and its influence on the performance of marine biotic indices used for the health assessment of marine ecosystem is the prime concern. This study addresses the seasonal variability of univariate and multimetric indices by using macrobenthic data collected from three intertidal habitats for two years (July 2013-July 2015). The univariate indices viz., abundance, richness, Shannon index and ES ₍₁₀₀₎ showed strong seasonal variability. For the multimetric indices, the seasonal variability was low and appeared site specific. W-statistics, AMBI and M-AMBI showed highest constancy whilst BENTIX and BOPA exhibited wide - ranging. A general tendency could be inferred as majority of indices showed improvement in benthic quality (poor - moderate and good - high) from turbulent monsoon to stable dry period. The results are discussed concerning possible consequences especially related to the benthic community and biotic indices in intertidal habitats under the influence of sewage discharge and monsoonal effects.

Keywords: Benthic quality assessment; Biotic indices; Macrobenthos; Seasonal variability; Tropics.