General Information

More than 200 benthic taxa were identified from the grab samples collected throughout NY/NJ Harbor. The majority of these were representatives of the annelid, arthropod, and mollusc phyla, and though taxa varied in occurrence and abundance both seasonally and spatially, some species were found throughout the region. Often these commonly-occurring taxa played important roles in ecosystem function, such as increasing habitat structural complexity (e.g., shellfish beds, worm and amphipod tube mats), restructuring sediments (deep-burrowing deposit-feeders), facilitating decomposition of organic matter, and providing food resources for economically valuable fisheries species.

The taxa highlighted in the following narratives represent a subset of the many ecologically significant species that occur in NY/NJ Harbor. Information is provided for 10 common benthic taxa identified in this study. For more information on individual species, references are provided.

The species profiles provided herein are not intended to be highly detailed and comprehensive descriptions of each species, nor do they provide a complete bibliography of all that is known or has been published to date. Rather, they are summaries providing brief descriptions, biological information, and discussions on the functional ecological roles and values for a small subset of species.

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