Biodiversity and distribution of macroinfauna assemblages on sandy beaches along the Gulf of Cadiz (SW Spain)

Abstract

Summary: In the current study, the macroinfauna communities inhabiting 12 sandy beaches along the Spanish coast of the Gulf of Cadiz were describe in order to characterize their unexplored biodiversity, their zonation patterns and their environmental features. A total of 66 macroinfauna taxa were recorded on 12 sandy beaches, ranging from 4 to 33 species. Density reached 848 individual per m 2 . The individual zonation pattern ranged from two to three zones, regardless of the morphodynamic state. A common zonation pattern of the whole set of beaches was established, comprising three across-shore biological zones. Generally, the supralittoral zone was typified by the air-breathing amphipod Talitrus saltator and coleopterans; the middle zone was dominated by true intertidal species, such as Haustoriidae amphipods (Haustorius arenarius), Cirolanidae isopods (Eurydice affinis), Spionidae polychaetes (Scolelepis spp.) and nemerteans; and the lower or sublittoral zone was typified by Pontoporeiidae amphipods, mysids and spionid polychaetes. Sediment moisture, average grain size, organic matter content and elevation were the main predictor variables of zonation patterns. We used the conservation and recreation potential indices to show how this information can be useful for coastal management. Most beaches studied show a score above 5 on the conservation index, so the beaches have a reasonable potential for conservation management.Keywords: sandy beaches; benthic macroinfauna; zonation pattern; environmental variables; Gulf of Cadiz, coastal management. Biodiversidad y distribución de las comunidades de macroinfauna en playas arenosas del Golfo de Cádiz (SO España)Resumen: En el presente estudio, se describen las comunidades de macroinfauna de doce playas arenosas de la costa española del Golfo de Cádiz con el objetivo de caracterizar su biodiversidad, sus patrones de zonación, y sus características ambientales. Un total de 66 taxones de macroinfauna fueron registrados en las playas de estudio, oscilando entre 4 y 33 especies, mientras que la densidad total fue de 848 individuos por m 2 . El patrón de zonación individual varió de dos a tres zonas, independientemente del estado morfodinámico de la playa. Se estableció un patrón de zonación común de todo el conjunto de playas, formado por tres zonas biológicas. En general, la zona supralitoral fue tipificada por el anfípodo Talitrus saltator y diversas familias de coleópteros. La zona media fue dominada por verdaderas especies intermareales, como anfípodos de la famila Haustoriidae (Haustorius arenarius), isópodos cirolánidos (Eurydice affinis), poliquetos (Scolelepis spp.) y nemertinos. La zona sublitoral se caracterizó por anfípodos de la familia Pontoporeiidae, misidáceos y poliquetos espiónidos. La humedad del sedimento, el tamaño medio de grano, el contenido en materia orgánica y la elevación fueron las principales variables influyentes en los patrones de zonación. Por último, toda esta información fue integrada para la aplicación de los índices de Conservación y Re...

Habitat structure and zonation patterns of northwestern Mediterranean shoreline strands

“…Chappuis et al 2014, Stotz et al 2016. Similar distributions have been described for sandy beaches (McLachlan and Jaramillo 1995, Pérez-Domingo et al 2008, Reyes-Martínez et al 2015, for which clear faunal zonation patterns along the vertical axis are acknowledged (Schlacher and Thompson 2013). On the other hand, shores characterized by the presence of coarse sediments ranging from gravels to large cobbles have been poorly studied as for habitat species compositions (but see Gauci et al 2005).…”

“…The most frequent trap captures were Collembola (often representing more than 94% of the organisms at northern sites), Fucellia maritima and other diptera, as observed on other Mediterranean beaches (Colombini et al 2005). On the other hand, the amphipod T. saltatorthe only abundant organism in the pitfall traps (Supplementary Material, Table S1)-was not as frequent and abundant as described in other studies (Węslawski et al 2000, Pérez-Domingo et al 2008, Reyes-Martínez et al 2015). This species generally shows low densities in late winter, a rapid increase from early spring to July, and the highest densities in summer (Marques et al 2003, Gonçalves et al 2009).…”

Unravelling Complex Interaction among Coastal Management and Marine Biodiversity: A Case Study in Southern Spain

“…For the purposes of marine water circulation, the Gulf of Cádiz is connected to the water inlet system from the Atlantic to the Mediterranean through the Strait of Gibraltar. Studies carried out in recent years [31][32][33][34][35] show that the biodiversity of the Gulf of Cádiz goes far beyond the simple presence of species of commercial interest and that there is an important information gap regarding species without commercial interest, especially when the focus moves away from the coast.…”