The Ecophysiology of Sandy Beach Animals — A Partial Review

Brown, A. C.

doi:10.1007/978-94-017-2938-3_45

Cited by 15 publications

(13 citation statements)

References 164 publications

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“…Grain size differences may lead to distinct patterns of food concentration, which influence the patch distribution of fauna, along with beach hydrodynamic characteristics (Defeo et al, 1992). Sandy beach fauna may be very selective for sediment grain size (Brown, 1983).…”

Section: Salvat's Zonation Schemementioning

confidence: 99%

Spatial distribution of macrobenthic fauna on three sandy beaches from northern Rio Grande do Sul, southern Brazil

Neves

Bemvenuti

2006

Braz. j. oceanogr.

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A B S T R A C TThe spatial distribution of benthic macrofauna on the beaches of Tramandaí, Jardim do Éden and Harmonia, was investigated over five consecutive days in April, 2003. The distribution pattern was also analyzed along with environmental parameters. Three transects were set on each beach, 50 m apart, with four sample stations set along each transect. On every station, three samples of benthic macrofauna were taken daily, with a core sampler with 20 cm diameter. In the midlittoral zone, the polychaete Euzonus furciferus and the isopod Excirolana armata dominated. In the swash zone, tidal migrators, Emerita brasiliensis, Donax hanlevanus and Mesodesma mactroides, were the most abundant species and, on some days, the polychaete Scolelepis gaucha. In the lower zones of the beaches, D. hanleyanus, M. mactroides and the amphipod Puelche orensani dominated. This zonation pattern was found for all three studied beaches, based on the average density of each species, over the five days period. Horizontal variation in the fauna was not found, either inter or intra the studied beaches, possibly due to little variability in slope and homogeneity of sediment grain size presented in the three beaches. R E S U M OA distribuição espacial da macrofauna bentônica nas praias de Tramandaí, Jardim do Éden e Harmonia foi investigada durante cinco dias consecutivos no mês de abril de 2003. Foi analisado também o padrão de distribuição da fauna em relação aos parâmetros ambientais. Foram demarcadas três transversais distantes 50 m uma da outra em cada praia e em cada transversal foram inseridas 4 estações, nas quais foram tomadas diariamente 3 amostras da macrofauna bentônica com um corer de 20 cm de diâmetro. No mesolitoral dominaram o poliqueta Euzonus furciferus e o isópode Excirolana armata. Na zona de varrido, os migradores mareais Emerita brasiliensis, Donax hanleyanus e Mesodesma mactroides foram os mais abundantes. Nas zonas inferiores das praias, dominaram D. hanleyanus, M. mactroides e o anfípode Puelche orensanzi. Este padrão de zonação foi encontrado para as três praias com base na média da densidade de cada espécie nos cinco dias estudados. Não foi encontrada variação na distribuição horizontal da fauna dentro e entre praias, provavelmente, devido a pouca variabilidade da declividade e a homogeneidade do tamanho do grão de sedimento que apresentaram as três praias.

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Section: Salvat's Zonation Schemementioning

confidence: 99%

Spatial distribution of macrobenthic fauna on three sandy beaches from northern Rio Grande do Sul, southern Brazil

Neves

Bemvenuti

2006

Braz. j. oceanogr.

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“…Thus, beach slope is a good indicator of the environmental characteristics of the intertidal habitat. The possible effects of swash climate for the intertidal macrofauna have been previously discussed by McLachlan and associates (McLachlan 1990, McArdle & McLachlan 1991, who proposed that the swash climate of reflective beaches could negatively affect the macrofauna through 3 mechanisms: (1) reduction of feeding time through frequent but short swashes; (2) increased risk of animals being removed from the substratum with increasing swash frequency; and (3) increased risk of animals being swept and stranded above the effluent line (where they are unable to burrow: see Brown 1983), with increasing frequency of effluent-line crossings. Swash climate may therefore play an important role in deciding the species-morphodynamics pattern.…”

Section: Swash Climatementioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, McLachlan (1990) and may have underrated the eventual role of grain size in the control of species richness along the morphodynamic gradient. Based on the experimental results of Brown (1983) and Jaramillo (1987), these authors suggested that sand type would not be a limiting factor because most sandy beach animals can exist in a wider range of particle sizes than they encounter in nature.…”

Section: Sediment Typementioning

confidence: 99%

Relationship between species richness and morphodynamics in sandy beaches: what are the underlying factors?

Brazeiro¹

2001

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

104

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One of the most documented generalisations in sandy beach ecology is the trend for species richness of macroinvertebrates to decrease along a morphodynamic gradient from the dissipative to the reflective condition. This widely documented pattern remains unexplained, because the responsible ecological factors and underlying biological processes are still unknown. It has been proposed that swash condition, which changes significantly along the morphodynamic gradient, is the key limiting factor underlying this biological pattern. In this study, I suggest that 2 other physical factors could also be involved: sediment grain size and erosion-accretion dynamics. This proposal is supported by a 2 yr study of 12 sandy beaches in Chile, which showed that grain size becomes coarser, erosion-accretion dynamics more intense, and swash frequency and velocity increase as morphodynamic conditions change from dissipative to reflective extremes. I propose that these 3 environmental factors, although physically interrelated, may have independent influences on different biological processes or species. I suggest therefore that the reduction of species towards the reflective extreme is caused by increasing environmental severity, which is generated by the action (of at least) the 3 physical factors mentioned above. This proposal constitutes the hypothesis of 'multicausal environmental severity', which agrees with the large interspecific variability in the life history and ecological traits of sandy beach communities, since it admits that species with different characteristics could be controlled by different limiting factors. Thus, the present hypothesis provides a more general and flexible framework for investigating the relationship between species richness and morphodynamics in sandy beaches.

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“…However, the disappearance of Donax serra may not be solely a result of particle size changes, and concomitant changes in beach morphology as well as smothering could also play a role. However, the mobility of the introduced sand is unlikely to be a cause of species loss per se; not only D. serra, but almost all species on these open beaches prefer mobile sands, many are tidal migrants, requiring dynamic environments (Brown 1983) and most are absent in sheltered sites without wave action.…”

Section: Faunamentioning

confidence: 99%

Physical factors in benthic ecology:effects of changing sand particle size on beach fauna

McLachlan¹

1996

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

160

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This paper reports on the disposal of diamond mine tailings on a Namibian sandy beach. Coarse sand in the tailings greatly increases the grain slze of the affected parts of the beach and thereby provides the opportunity to assess the effects of changing sand grain size on a beach when other physical vanables are kept constant. Elizabeth Bay (Namibia) is 4 km long and was originally composed of fine sand which, exposed to moderate to heavy wave acbon, produced a log spiral bay with a disslpative beach. Tailings disposal in the centre of the bay has increased mean sand particle size from original values of 110 to 160 pm to present values of 500 to 800 pnl w t h a concomitant conversion of beach morphodynanlic state from dissipative to intermediate. Surveys of the 2 ends of the bay, which are relatively undffected by disposal, and of an undisturbed similar bay nearby revealed intertidal benthlc macrofauna communities with 15 to 20 species occurring in h~g h abundance (24 120 to 129276 m -' ] . In 3 transects in the affected area, species nchness was 8 to 12 per transect and abundance was 640 to 4710 m -' Beds of the large sand mussel Donax serra have d~s a p p e a r e d from the affected sector of the bay and peracarids typical of finer sands have been replaced by a more robust species. Regression analysis revealed signlf~cant correlations between community parameters (species richness and abundance) and both beach slope and part~cle size; ANOVA confirmed the significantly lower abundances of fauna in the affected areas Smothering effects appeared to be localised and 11m-ited. This study has supported the hypothesis that a n increase In sand particle size (on a beach where tide range and wave energy have remained constant) results in a change in beach state and a decrease In species richness and abundance

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The Ecophysiology of Sandy Beach Animals — A Partial Review

Cited by 15 publications

References 164 publications

Spatial distribution of macrobenthic fauna on three sandy beaches from northern Rio Grande do Sul, southern Brazil

Spatial distribution of macrobenthic fauna on three sandy beaches from northern Rio Grande do Sul, southern Brazil

Relationship between species richness and morphodynamics in sandy beaches: what are the underlying factors?

Physical factors in benthic ecology:effects of changing sand particle size on beach fauna

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