Here we explored the potential association of the benthic macrofauna species composition with aliphatic hydrocarbons, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and metals concentration detected in the sediments of the Yucatan continental Shelf (YCS), Mexico. The main objective was to provide insights on the temporal and spatial changes of such association in the function of the longitudinal and depth gradient. Benthic species composition, Al, Ni and Pb showed significant differences among YCS sub-regions (Western Caribbean, Mid-Yucatan and West Yucatan), and depth. Aliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbons had similar concentration in all sub-regions. The species composition was significantly associated with the levels of aliphatic hydrocarbons in the shallow sites (15–50 m) of the YCS sub-regions. Our results provide the first insights into the presence and spatial trends of different concentration of non-point source hydrocarbons and metals along the YCS, essential to establish the current ecological condition and to set a reference condition to identify further changes.

在这里，我们探讨了在墨西哥尤卡坦大陆架 (YCS) 沉积物中检测到的底栖大型动物物种组成与脂肪烃、多环芳烃和金属浓度之间的潜在关联。主要目的是提供关于这种关联在纵向和深度梯度函数中的时空变化的见解。底栖物种组成、Al、Ni 和 Pb 在 YCS 亚区域（西加勒比、中尤卡坦和西尤卡坦）和深度之间表现出显着差异。脂肪烃和芳香烃在所有子区域的浓度相似。物种组成与 YCS 亚区浅部（15-50 m）的脂肪烃含量显着相关。