Diversity and distribution of crustaceans from 13 sheltered sandy beaches along São Sebastião Channel, south-eastern Brazil

Abstract

The crustacean species composition in the intertidal zones of 13 sheltered unconsolidated marine beaches in south-eastern Brazil is described. Fifty-three crustacean species were collected, adding 46 species to the total reported by previous studies in the same region. Decapods dominated the community, in contrast to exposed sandy beaches where peracarids normally predominate. The species were distributed irregularly among the beaches. Richness varied markedly among sites, and was positively related to a combination of factors such as ¢ne sand grains, high organic matter content, and relatively low siltĉ lay content. The presence of rock fragments enabled both rocky shore and sandy beach crustaceans to occur on the same beaches. Richness and abundance of crustaceans showed no clear relationship to sediment grain size and slope, in contrast to the norm for exposed sandy beaches. The dominance of the tanaid Kalliapseudes schubarti in some areas may be a result of organic matter pollution in the region. These beaches showed higher species richness than typical sheltered and exposed sandy beaches, indicating that this sheltered, highly heterogeneous seascape is an important area for conservation.

Spatial and temporal distribution of the shrimp Nematopalaemon schmitti (Decapoda: Caridea: Palaemonidae) at a subtropical enclosed bay in South America

“…Among crustaceans, most of these studies have been conducted in intertidal and shallow subtidal species from hard bottom environments (Jensen & Armstrong, 1991;Nucci et al, 2001;Caillaux & Stotz, 2003;Takeda et al, 2004;Pallas et al, 2006;Viegas et al, 2007). The distribution and conditions explaining the abundance of crustaceans from soft bottom habitats and environments deeper than 10 m are much less known.…”

Long or short? Investigating the effect of beach length and other environmental parameters on macrofaunal assemblages of Maltese pocket beaches

“…Studies by Veloso and Cardoso (2001) show that the abundance of the communities was also not related to any physical parameter and these authors suggested that certain biotic factors, such as food source, recruitment, predation and competition, are responsible for the differences in macrofaunal densities between beaches. In addition, Nucci et al (2001) have demonstrated a relationship between environmental heterogeneity and species richness.…”

Araçá: biodiversidade, impactos e ameaças

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