APPROACH FOR THE MONITORING AND ASSESSMENT OF MARINE

1,15

MB

ECOSYSTEM HEALTH WITH APPLICATION TO THE MYA–MACOMA

90

stron

COMMUNITY

3764

ID

Maurice Lamontagne Institute

2004

rok

TABLE OF CONTENTS

LIST OF TABLES.v

LIST OF FIGURESv

ABSTRACTvi

RÉSUMÉ.vii

EXTENDED SUMMARY.viii

1. INTRODUCTION.1

2. ECOSYSTEM HEALTH..2

2.1. A concept under development2

2.2. Ecosystem health in the present context4

3. APPROACH FOR ASSESSING ECOSYSTEM HEALTH7

3.1. Ecosystem organisational levels7

3.1.1. Ecosystem development..8

3.2. Ecosystem properties..8

3.2.1. Individual level.9

3.2.2. Population level.10

3.2.3. Community level..14

3.2.4. Ecosystem level—biological component.16

3.2.5. Ecosystem level—chemical component17

3.2.6. Ecosystem level—physical component.18

3.3. Odum’s distress syndrome19

4. INDICATORS AND BENCHMARKS..19

4.1. Definition of indicators19

4.2. Criteria for indicators..21

4.3. Objectives and benchmarks..22

4.4. Using successional trends for setting benchmarks23

4.5. Indicator selection..24

5. THE APPROACH APPLIED TO THE MYA–MACOMA COMMUNITY.25

5.1. The Mya–Macoma community25

5.2. Major issues affecting the Mya–Macoma community27

5.3. Possible indicators in the Mya–Macoma community..33

5.3.1. Individual level..33

5.3.2. Population level.38

5.3.3. Community level..41

5.3.4. Ecosystem level—biological component.46

5.3.5. Ecosystem level—chemical component50

5.3.6. Ecosystem level—physical component.51

5.4. Evaluation and selection of indicators.53

5.4.1. Selection of a set of indicators53

5.4.2. Comments on the indicator set..58

6. CONCLUDING REMARKS58

7. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS..59

8. REFERENCES60

Appendix 77