Spatial patterns and temporal succession in soft-bottom macroinvertebrate assemblages surrounding an ocean outfall on the southern San Diego shelf: relation to anthropogenic and natural events

Anthropogenic and natural events influence the spatial patterns and temporal succession in soft-bottom macroinvertebrate assemblages. Natural oceanographic cycles are responsible for the shifts observed in benthic assemblages. Different mechanisms are suggested to analyze the localized effect on the stability of infaunal communities.