Notes on the Analysis of Shallow-Water Soft Substrata

Morgans, J. F. C.

doi:10.2307/1932

Cited by 157 publications

(70 citation statements)

References 20 publications

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“…The percentage organic content of the sediment was determined using the Walkley and Black titration method following wetoxidation by potassium dichromate, as described by Buchanan (1984) and Morgans (1956). The physically derived exposure index proposed by Thomas (1986) was used to determine the exposure to wave action experienced by each beach.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Low faunal diversity on Maltese sandy beaches: fact or artefact?

Deidun

Azzopardi

Saliba

et al. 2003

Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science

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Eight sandy beaches on Malta and two on Gozo were sampled for macrofauna to test the hypothesis that Maltese beaches have an intrinsically low diversity. Stations distributed in the supralittoral (dry zone), mediolittoral (wet zone) and upper infralittoral (submerged zone to 1 m water depth) were sampled by sieving core samples and standardised searching during daytime, and pitfall trapping and standardised sweeping of the water column using a hand-net at night, as appropriate. Physical parameters of the sediment were measured and human occupancy of the beaches was estimated.From the supralittoral and mediolittoral, 39 species represented by 1584 individuals were collected by the combined techniques of pitfall trapping, sieving and standard searching. For Ramla beach, which had the highest diversity, 267 individuals representing 25 infaunal species were collected by sieving from a combined volume of 1.175 m 3 of sand, and 149 individuals representing 28 epifaunal species were collected by standardised searching from a combined area of 700 m 2 of sand during two winter and two summer sampling sessions between 1992 and 1993. For nine other beaches sampled during the summer of 2000, only six macrofaunal species were collected from core samples, with overall population densities ranging from 4.13 to 45.45 individuals m ÿ2 . Only 92 individuals belonging to 12 species were collected by hand-net from the uppermost infralittoral of five beaches sampled using this method during the summer of 2000. Taxa of gastropods, bivalves, decapods, mysids and staphylinid beetles generally abundant on Mediterranean sandy beaches, were entirely absent from the beaches sampled.Few correlations that could explain the impoverishment of Maltese sandy beaches were found between physical parameters and faunal abundances, and other factors such as inadequate sampling effort, human disturbance and marine pollution were also excluded; however, seasonally biased sampling may partly explain the results obtained. One factor that may explain why certain species are missing could be lack of recruitment, due to Malta's geographical isolation from the European and African mainlands.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Low faunal diversity on Maltese sandy beaches: fact or artefact?

Deidun

Azzopardi

Saliba

et al. 2003

Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science

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“…To test whether differences in physico-chemical properties between the areas of high and low density might confound the effects of Callianassa kraussi on biofilms and recruitment, measurements were made of water temperature and salinity (measured using a mercury thermometer and an optical refractometer), sediment particle sizes and organic content (determined according to Morgans 1956) during mid-high spring tides.…”

Section: Physico-chemical Variablesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of Callianassa kraussi on microbial biofilms and recruitment of macrofauna: a novel hypothesis for adultjuvenile interactions

Pillay¹,

Branch²,

Forbes³

2007

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

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“…The beach was surveyed and three reference levels, named L W, MW and HW, were marked out at heights of 0,3 m; I ,0 m and I ,9 m above EL WS respectively. Sand samples were collected for particle size analysis following Morgans (1956) and the depths of the water tables and salinities of this water were measured at each tide level. Salinities were read on a refractometer to I part per thousand.…”

Section: Samplingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Composition, Distribution, Abundance and Biomass of the Macrofauna and Meiofauna of Four Sandy Beaches

McLachlan¹

1977

Zoologica Africana

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The macrofauna and meiofauna have been investigated quaDtitativeJy on four exposed sandy beaches · of medium quartz sands. Of the 12 macrofauna species recorded, two bivalves (Donax spp.) and one gastropod (Bul/io rhodoJtomo) made up the bulk of the num~rs and biomass values on all beaches.Macrofauna biomass values were 0,01 -316,46 g/m 2 on an ash-free, dry mass basis. Diversity index values for the macrofauna were low and on all beaches decreased from L W to HW irrespective of the distribution of densities. Similarity analysis indicated three faunal assemblages, which were less related to tidal heights than to quantities of available food. High meiofauna numbers were recorded (IS2 -10S6fl0 cm 2 ) and these were made up mainly of crustaceans (48%) and nematodes (44%). Meiofauna ash-free dry biomass values were 0,08-3,36g/m 2 • On all beaches the meiofauna tended to be concentrated at those tide levels where a moderate, but not extreme, degree of desiccation of the sand occurred. Biomass values of macrofauna and meiofauna were extrapolated to I m transects of beach giving macrofauna values of 17,S-16SS3,3 g/transect and meiofauna values of 13,8-76,0 1 /transect. Production estimates based on these biomass values indicated that the meiofauna dominated two beaches and the macrofauna two beaches. Two acneral conclusions are discussed, namely that the meiofauna and macrofauna on these beaches are quite distinct faunal components in all respects, and that the meiofauna, although not part of the macrofauna food chain, are nevertheless of great quantitative importance in the flow of energy.

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Notes on the Analysis of Shallow-Water Soft Substrata

Cited by 157 publications

References 20 publications

Low faunal diversity on Maltese sandy beaches: fact or artefact?

Low faunal diversity on Maltese sandy beaches: fact or artefact?

Effects of Callianassa kraussi on microbial biofilms and recruitment of macrofauna: a novel hypothesis for adultjuvenile interactions

Composition, Distribution, Abundance and Biomass of the Macrofauna and Meiofauna of Four Sandy Beaches

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Notes on the Analysis of Shallow-Water Soft Substrata

Cited by 157 publications

References 20 publications

Low faunal diversity on Maltese sandy beaches: fact or artefact?

Low faunal diversity on Maltese sandy beaches: fact or artefact?

Effects of Callianassa kraussi on microbial biofilms and recruitment of macrofauna: a novel hypothesis for adultjuvenile interactions

Composition, Distribution, Abundance and Biomass of the Macrofauna and Meiofauna of Four Sandy Beaches

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Effects of Callianassa kraussi on microbial biofilms and recruitment of macrofauna: a novel hypothesis for adultjuvenile interactions