Biodiversity in or on the seabed can be characterised by ecologically important benthic communities and habitats (BCH). BCH can consist of superficial taxa such as photosynthetic seagrasses, algae and corals as well as subsurface critters like worms and molluscs that generate their energy from consuming organic matter and other organisms.
Through an extensive portfolio of projects here in Australia and overseas, Hydrobiology understands the importance of robust BCH baseline surveys to ensure ecological integrity is maintained through anthropogenic processes experienced during port developments, dredging or offshore renewables for example. We routinely deploy a suite of specialist instruments and techniques to capture spatial and temporal variability in BCH, including towed video, drop camera, side-scan sonar, commercial diver survey, ROV, RPAS (drone), sediment profile imaging, eDNA and sediment grabs. Our in-house Benthic Ecologist in our Brisbane Laboratory also offers marine and freshwater macroinvertebrate sample analysis.
If your project requires a robust BCH baseline, or impact assessment, get in touch with our marine ecologists in Brisbane, Perth, Singapore or Brazil: https://hydrobiology.com/contact/
Photo Caption: Sediment Profile Imagery (Lamarque et al, 2021. CC BY 4.0)
