Macrobenthic Communities of the Lower Chesapeake Bay. III. Southern Branch of the Elizabeth River

Macrobenthic invertebrates of an industrialized seaport ecosystem were studied seasonally from October, 1977 through July, 1978. Five stations were selected along the Southern Branch of the Elizabeth River, Virginia. The benthic community was dominated by eurytopic species that were not affected by minor to moderate stresses induced by man's activities in the seaport. Caution is required when benthic communities of the lower polyhaline to mesohaline zones of an estuary are used to indicate the effects of anthropomorphic alterations.