A review of subtidal benthic habitats and invertebrate biota of the Strait of Georgia, British Columbia

Abstract

The initial phase of a collaborative ambient monitoring program (AMP) for the Strait of Georgia (SoG) (Marine Environmental Research, in press.) has focused on the benthos, sedimentary regimes, organic and contaminant cycling in subtidal regions of the strait. As part of that project, we review the primarily subtidal benthic invertebrate faunal communities found in the SoG, with particular reference to habitats and sediment conditions. This topic has not been addressed in the primary literature for over 20 years. Benthic biota are the baseline sentinels of the influence of natural and anthropogenic inputs to sediments. They are also a fundamental component of the food chain at the seafloor, and their community ecology must be clearly understood in order to predict how anthropogenic activities and climate change will affect our coastal oceans. The purpose of this review is to provide context on habitats and biota in the SoG, and to highlight topics and geographic areas where our knowledge of the benthos is limited or lacking.