There was a greater density of crabs and pneumatophores, a greater cover of leaf litter
and a greater proportion of root material in the sediment in patches near to than away
from the boardwalk (Table 5; Fig. 3). There was, however, no significant difference in
the cover of algae, nor in the intensity or variation of light (Fig. 3; P.0.05 for all
F-ratios).
There was also no significant difference in the hardness of the substratum between
patches near to or away from the boardwalk at Homebush Bay (Table 5). When
corrected for weight, there was a significant difference among the depths of each
penetration, indicating non-uniformity of hardness with depth (Table 2). Nevertheless,
SNK tests did not determine a coherent pattern.