Infaunal Assemblages on Constructed Intertidal Mudflats at Jonesport, Maine (USA)

Dredged materials have been used to construct two mudflats near Jonesport, Maine (USA). A flat at Sheep Island was constructed in 1989 and along with an adjacent reference area (REF) has been monitored for infaunal assemblage development and sediment texture since 1990. The second site, Beals Island, an example of a much older constructed flat (CF), has been monitored since 1991. Infaunal taxa richness, total numerical abundance, species composition, and diversity values were similar between the Sheep Island natural and constructed sites within two years of construction. At Beals Island, taxa richness and other diversity measures were similar between sites, however, abundance and total biomass values were lower at the constructed site. Although total biomass was also lower at the Sheep Island CF than its REF, biomass values at both constructed sites (Sheep Island and Beals Island) were within the range of values previously reported for natural flats.