Ecology of exposed sandy beaches in northern Spain: Environmental factors controlling macrofauna communities

Lastra, Mariano; Huz, R. de la; Sánchez‐Mata, A.; Rodil, Iván F.; Aerts, Katrien; Beloso, S; López, J.

doi:10.1016/j.seares.2005.09.001

Cited by 71 publications

(59 citation statements)

References 42 publications

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“…For many authors, faunistic diversity is directly related to the sediment nature. Macrofaunal assemblages in the estuarine stations were dominated by polychaetes and bivalves, as commonly reported for estuarine mudflats (Mortimer et al 1999;Desroy and Denis 2004) while the fine sands of Wimereux were characterized by a dominance of crustaceans already described for intertidal sandy beaches (Lastra et al 2006). SC station showed strong macrofaunal biomass in March (related to the very high densities of the bivalve Cerastoderma edule) that largely explained the very high values of oxygen consumptions and ammonium releases.…”

Section: Macrofaunal Influencesupporting

confidence: 76%

Spatio-temporal variability in benthic mineralization processes in the eastern English Channel

Rauch

Denis

2008

Biogeochemistry

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The effect of phytodetritus derived from Phaeocystis sp. bloom on benthic mineralization processes has been determined at four intertidal stations along the French coast of the eastern English Channel. Sites were chosen to offer a diversity of sediment types, from permeable sandy beach to estuarine mudflats. Sediment Oxygen Demand (SOD) as well as total fluxes of Dissolved Inorganic Nitrogen (DIN) at the sediment-water interface were determined by using whole core incubation technique and diffusive fluxes were predicted from interstitial water concentrations. In the absence of phytodetritus deposits, a marked gradient of granulometric characteristics and organic matter contents were observed, and resulted in more intensive mineralization processes in muddy sediments. Highly significant correlations (P \ 0.05) were evidenced between SOD and porosity, bacterial biomass, Organic Carbon and Organic Nitrogen, evidencing the direct link between sediment texture, organic matter accumulation and microbial activity. The spring bloom led to a massive input of organic matter in surficial sediments and mineralization rates significantly increased while higher DIN release towards the water column was observed. A modification of the mineralization pathways was evidenced but clearly depended on the sediment type. With a global view, benthic mineralization processes in the intertidal zone provided significant a part of DIN inputs in the coastal zone while water column was depleted in nutrients.

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Section: Macrofaunal Influencesupporting

confidence: 76%

Spatio-temporal variability in benthic mineralization processes in the eastern English Channel

Rauch

Denis

2008

Biogeochemistry

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“…However, a few studies have considered other environmental variables (nutrients, food availability) in structuring the macrofaunal community of sandy beaches (Lastra et al 2006;Rodil et al 2007;Cisneros et al 2011). These studies suggested that the macrofaunal community was not only structured by physical factors but other environmental factors such as nutrients and food availability were also important drivers.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Role of environmental heterogeneity in structuring the macrobenthic community in a tropical sandy beach, west coast of India

et al. 2012

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In most ecosystems, community structure emerges as a result of the complex interaction between biotic and environmental variables. Sandy beaches connected to adjacent ecosystem like estuaries/creeks provide an opportunity to understand the role of the environment on the community. Kalbadevi beach along the central west coast of India, invaded by creeks at the northern and southern ends, provides an opportunity to investigate the role of environmental heterogeneity in structuring the intertidal macrofaunal communities. Further, the annual tropical rainfall brings about drastic changes in the environmental parameters. Seasonal survey was carried out at 10 transects covering the entire *5-km beach of Kalbadevi for environmental and macrofaunal studies. We quantified the abundance, biomass, assemblage structure and distribution of macrofauna at different spatio-temporal scales. The univariate and multivariate analyses showed significant spatio-temporal variability in the biotic and abiotic variables. BIOENV analyses showed the best correlation with OC, phaeopigment and grain size. High abundance of macrofauna in the north and south was due to food availability, influenced by the creek. The low abundance during monsoon and subsequent increase in the post-monsoon can be attributed to annual spawning and recruitment of tropical fauna. Therefore, the present research suggests that the other environmental variables also play an important role in structuring the macrofauna of sandy beach. This supports our hypothesis that environmental heterogeneity influences the structuring of macrofaunal community.

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“…Total abundances of macrozoobenthos fall in the ranges reported in the literature for Mediterranean sediments [38][39][40] and displayed a slight seasonal variability (Fig. 5).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 52%

Ecological Assessment of a Marine Coastal Area Affected by a Power Plant Water Discharge (Brindisi, Adriatic Sea)

Matteucci¹

2011

TOEBMJ

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Coastal ecosystems are subjected to multiple stresses, from physical disturbance to chemical contamination related to the local anthropogenic activities. The recent European directives and Italian laws recommend that the assessment of the ecological quality of costal seawater should be based on an integrated approach, taking into account the ecological complexity of the systems and highlighting the potential sources of impact. Here, we present the results of an environmental study carried out in the marine coastal area affected by the sea discharge of a Combined Cycle Power Plant (Torre Cavallo, Brindisi) and characterized by the presence of a Posidonia oceanica meadow. The study focused on the concentration of chemical contaminants in sediments, coupled with the study of quali-quantitative determinations of biological benthic communities meio-and macrozoobenthos). Data were integrated with data of phenology and lepidochronology of P. oceanica, as well as the concentrations of trace elements in leaves and rhizomes, in order to identify potential sources of stress. Results suggested a good status of health of the coastal marine ecosystem.

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Ecology of exposed sandy beaches in northern Spain: Environmental factors controlling macrofauna communities

Cited by 71 publications

References 42 publications

Spatio-temporal variability in benthic mineralization processes in the eastern English Channel

Spatio-temporal variability in benthic mineralization processes in the eastern English Channel

Role of environmental heterogeneity in structuring the macrobenthic community in a tropical sandy beach, west coast of India

Ecological Assessment of a Marine Coastal Area Affected by a Power Plant Water Discharge (Brindisi, Adriatic Sea)

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