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[Article Dataset] Functional diversity and benthic community composition outweigh nitrogen enrichment and microplastics in regulating estuarine sediment organic matter degradation
Summary
Scientists studying coastal mud and sand found that the mix of worms, clams, and other small creatures living there matters more for breaking down organic waste than pollution from nitrogen (common in fertilizer runoff) or microplastics. This is good news because it suggests that protecting healthy, diverse animal communities in estuaries may help these ecosystems keep functioning and filtering waste even as pollution increases—though the study didn't directly test effects on human health.
This dataset accompanies the submitted manuscript titled “Functional diversity and benthic community composition outweigh nitrogen enrichment and microplastics in regulating estuarine sediment organic matter degradation”. It comprises of organic matter degradation rates and species abundances collected during a 10-day in situ manipulation experiment.Rapid organic matter degradation assays with added microplastics, nitrogen, and a combined microplastics–nitrogen treatment were deployed for 10 days across a gradient of contrasting infaunal community traits. The experimental gradient was characterised by a progression in infaunal community composition, ranging from dominance by head-down deposit-feeding polychaetes, through mixed assemblages, to dominance by deep-dwelling facultative deposit-feeding bivalves.Macrofaunal cores (13 cm diameter, 15 cm depth) were collected and sieved through a 500 µm mesh at 36 out of the 84 plots. Animals were preserved in alcohol and identified to the lowest taxonomic level when possible. For full experimental design details, sampling protocols, and analytical methods, please refer to the associated manuscript