Habitat point records from 1992 DWT Plym Estuary littoral survey

The first real noticeable outcome from observations of the estuary whilst sampling, is that a large percentage of the mud is made up of China Clay. This is present as a result of being emitted by plants further up the Plym. It covers large areas, usually deposited in layers or bands, and restricts the mobility of the sediment macrofauna to the extent of it being near unhabitable. Certain common estuarine species such as Corophium volutator appear to be unusually low in number. This observation is suggested to be a reason for the poor bird population found around the estuary. Species such as Hediste diversicolor and Carcinus maenas however are found in high numbers. It is recommended that the China Clay deposits in the estuary are mapped and studied in full. Also, more work is recommended on populations of particular species such as Corophium volutator, and a 12 month study conducted on the estuarine bird population.

在实地采样观测的河口区域，首先显著可见的成果是，大量沉积泥浆由高比例的黏土构成，这种黏土源自上游的普利姆河流域的植物排放。它广泛覆盖了区域，通常以层状或带状形式沉积，从而极大地限制了沉积物宏观生物的移动性，以至于其近于不适宜居住。某些常见的河口物种，如Corophium volutator，其数量似乎异常稀少。这一观测结果被认为可能是河口周边鸟类种群数量不佳的原因。然而，如Hediste diversicolor和Carcinus maenas等物种则数量众多。建议对河口中的黏土沉积进行详细测绘与研究。此外，还建议对特定物种如Corophium volutator的种群进行研究，并对河口鸟类种群进行为期12个月的深入研究。