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Sandy beach macrofaunal communities on the western coast of Portugal – Is there a steady structure under similar exposed conditions?

datacite.subject.fosCiências Naturais::Ciências da Terra e do Ambiente
datacite.subject.fosCiências Naturais::Ciências Biológicas
datacite.subject.sdg12:Produção e Consumo Sustentáveis
datacite.subject.sdg13:Ação Climática
datacite.subject.sdg14:Proteger a Vida Marinha
dc.contributor.authorGonçalves, Sílvia C.
dc.contributor.authorAnastácio, Pedro M.
dc.contributor.authorPardal, Miguel A.
dc.contributor.authorCardoso, Patrícia G.
dc.contributor.authorFerreira, Susana M.
dc.contributor.authorMarques, João C.
dc.contributor.authorGonçalves, Sílvia
dc.contributor.authorFerreira, Susana
dc.date.accessioned2025-04-16T10:04:08Z
dc.date.available2025-04-16T10:04:08Z
dc.date.issued2009-03
dc.description.abstractThe structure of macrofaunal communities at two similar exposed sandy beaches on the western coast of Portugal was monitored for approximately 18 months by sampling all the beach area, from the shoreline to the base of the dunes. The beaches' physical environment, as well as community density and composition, seasonal variations and the potential relationships between biological data and environmental parameters were studied. The two beaches had similar exposure to wave action, but differed in terms of sediment grain size, extent of the intertidal area, sediment moisture content and, especially, in the potential food availability in the form of allochthonous debris. Differences were observed with regard to the communities' structure, namely regarding composition and relative contribution of the dominant species. Seasonality, especially temperature variations, and the interaction between seasons and the beach zones (supralittoral vs. intertidal) also had a strong influence on communities: controlling dominant species' density and the horizontal distribution of the dominant species, and promoting a differential utilization of the beach by several resident macrofaunal animals. The present study allows the identification of key species in exposed sandy beaches of western Portugal and demonstrates that a steady community structure does not persist in the similarly exposed conditions observed, which may be mainly a response to distinct detritus subsidies, combined with differences in sediment grain size, sediment moisture content and extent of the intertidal area.eng
dc.description.sponsorshipThe present study was partially supported by the Projects WADI (INCO2003 – MPC2 – 015226) and EFICAS (POCI/MAR/61324/2004). The research complies with the current laws in the country where it was conducted. The authors are indebted with all the colleagues at IMAR-CIC who assisted in the field work, to Jean Burroughs for her valuable contribution on manuscript language revision, and with the two anonymous reviewers for their reviews and their helpful comments on the earlier versions of this manuscript.
dc.identifier.citationSílvia C. Gonçalves, Pedro M. Anastácio, Miguel A. Pardal, Patrícia G. Cardoso, Susana M. Ferreira, João C. Marques, Sandy beach macrofaunal communities on the western coast of Portugal – Is there a steady structure under similar exposed conditions?, Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science, Volume 81, Issue 4, 2009, Pages 555-568, ISSN 0272-7714, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecss.2008.12.004.
dc.identifier.doi10.1016/j.ecss.2008.12.004
dc.identifier.eissn1096-0015
dc.identifier.issn0272-7714
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10400.8/12803
dc.language.isoeng
dc.peerreviewedyes
dc.publisherElsevier
dc.relationINCO2003 – MPC2 – 015226
dc.relationPOCI/MAR/61324/2004
dc.relation.hasversionhttps://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S027277140800468X
dc.relation.ispartofEstuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science
dc.rights.urihttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
dc.subjectexposed sandy beaches
dc.subjectmacrofaunal community structure
dc.subjectseasonality
dc.subjectkey species
dc.subjectdetritus subsidies
dc.titleSandy beach macrofaunal communities on the western coast of Portugal – Is there a steady structure under similar exposed conditions?eng
dc.typejournal article
dspace.entity.typePublication
oaire.citation.endPage568
oaire.citation.issue4
oaire.citation.startPage555
oaire.citation.titleEstuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science
oaire.citation.volume81
oaire.versionhttp://purl.org/coar/version/c_970fb48d4fbd8a85
person.familyNameGonçalves
person.familyNameFerreira
person.givenNameSílvia
person.givenNameSusana
person.identifier.ciencia-id6E19-0C5D-6398
person.identifier.orcid0000-0003-1970-0181
person.identifier.orcid0000-0002-9969-2507
person.identifier.ridL-3547-2013
person.identifier.scopus-author-id16205308900
relation.isAuthorOfPublication3e88f294-5b87-47ff-83e6-2b526db8c017
relation.isAuthorOfPublication2d5a1035-3600-4c05-b35c-72b2af186ac8
relation.isAuthorOfPublication.latestForDiscovery3e88f294-5b87-47ff-83e6-2b526db8c017

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The structure of macrofaunal communities at two similar exposed sandy beaches on the western coast of Portugal was monitored for approximately 18 months by sampling all the beach area, from the shoreline to the base of the dunes. The beaches' physical environment, as well as community density and composition, seasonal variations and the potential relationships between biological data and environmental parameters were studied. The two beaches had similar exposure to wave action, but differed in terms of sediment grain size, extent of the intertidal area, sediment moisture content and, especially, in the potential food availability in the form of allochthonous debris. Differences were observed with regard to the communities' structure, namely regarding composition and relative contribution of the dominant species. Seasonality, especially temperature variations, and the interaction between seasons and the beach zones (supralittoral vs. intertidal) also had a strong influence on communities: controlling dominant species' density and the horizontal distribution of the dominant species, and promoting a differential utilization of the beach by several resident macrofaunal animals. The present study allows the identification of key species in exposed sandy beaches of western Portugal and demonstrates that a steady community structure does not persist in the similarly exposed conditions observed, which may be mainly a response to distinct detritus subsidies, combined with differences in sediment grain size, sediment moisture content and extent of the intertidal area.
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