The marine macrobenthic communities of Wallis and Smiths Lakes,New South Wales

The shallow macrobenthic communities of Wallis and Smiths Lakes on the central N.S. W. coast have been studied by replicate grab samples. Wallis Lake is a coastal marine lagoon constantly open to the sea, whereas Smiths Lake, also a coastal lagoon, is periodically closed to the sea for several months at a time. The benthic communities were described using indices of dominance and diversity. Between site communities were compared using MULTBET and a GOWER ordination. Generally, sites in Wallis Lake had a more diverse fauna than those in Smiths Lake. Weed beds supported more species and individuals than sandy substrates. The benthic fauna of these two lakes is compared with other coastal rivers and lagoons which have been studied in temperate eastern Australia.