The benthic macrofauna of Lake Ontario

Abstract

The presence and relative abundance of bottom macrofauna in Lake Ontario are documented. Bottom samples were collected at 24 stations in September 1964. The quantity of organisms and the distribution of some species were affected by depth of water. Samples from the shallower stations (47.5 m or less) yielded an average of 41,631 organisms per mA? whereas the deeper stations (91.5 m or more) yielded an average of only 7,938. The Oligochaeta, the most abundant group of macroinvertebrates, was represented by four families - Enchytraeidae, Lumbriculidae, Naididae, and Tubificidae. The lumbriculid worm, Stylodrilus heringianus, and the burrowing amphipod, Pontoporeia affinis, were rare or absent in areas affected by pollution. In kinds and abundance of organisms, the bottom fauna in Lake Ontario was generally similar to that in Lake Michigan.