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

Neves, Frederico Monteiro; Bemvenuti, Carlos Emílio

Abstracts

The 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.

benthic macrofauna; spatial and temporal distribution; sandy beaches; Rio Grande do Sul littoral

A distribuição espacial da macrofauna bentônica nas praias de Tramandaí, Jardim do Éden e Harmonia foi investigadadurante 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 mareaisEmerita 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.

macrofauna bentônica; distribuição espacial e temporal; praias arenosas; litoral do Rio Grande do Sul

References

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Borzone, C. A. & Gianuca, N. M. 1990. A zonação infralitoral em praias arenosas expostas. In: Simpósio sobre Ecossistemas da Costa Sul e Sudeste Brasileira. II. Águas de Lindóia, 1990. Anais. São Paulo, ACIESP, 3:280-296.
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Borzone, C. A.; Souza, J. R. B. & Soares, A. G. 1996. Morphodynamic influence on the structure of inter and subtidal macrofaunal communities of subtropical sandy beaches. Revta. chil. Hist. Nat.., 69:565-577.
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Brown, A. C. 1983. The ecophysiology of sandy beach animals. In: McLachlan, A. & Erasmus, T., eds. Sandy beaches as ecosystems. Boston, Dr. W. Junk. p. 575-605.
Dahl, E. 1952. Some aspects of the ecology and zonation of the fauna of sandy beaches, Oikos, 4: 1-27.
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McLachlan, A. & Hesp, P. 1984. Faunal response to morphology and water circulation of a sandy beach with cusps. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser., 19:133-144.
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McLachlan, A.; Jaramillo, E.; Donn, T. E. & Wessels, E. 1993. Sandy beach macrofauna communities and their control by the physical environment: a geographical comparison. J. coast. Res., 15(Special Issue):27-38.
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Suguio, K. 1973. Introdução à sedimentologia. São Paulo, EDUSP. 317p.
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Wright, L. D. & Short, A. D. 1984. Morphodynamic variability of surf zones and beaches: a synthesis. Mar. Geol., 48:259-284.
Borzone, C. A. 1991. Ecologia de los moluscos del infralitoral raso de una playa arenosa expuesta del sur del Brasil. Tese de Doutorado, Universidade de Buenos Aires. 221p.
Gianuca, N. M. 1985. The ecology of a sandy beach in southern Brazil. PhD Thesis. University of Southampton, 330p.

Publication Dates

Publication in this collection
01 Nov 2007
Date of issue
Sept 2006

History

Reviewed
16 Jan 2006
Received
17 Oct 2005
Accepted
25 Mar 2006

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

[1] Birkemeier, W. A. 1985. Fast, accurate two person beach surveys. Coast. Engng. Tech. Aid, 81, 17p.

[2] Borzone, C. A. & Gianuca, N. M. 1990. A zonação infralitoral em praias arenosas expostas. In: Simpósio sobre Ecossistemas da Costa Sul e Sudeste Brasileira. II. Águas de Lindóia, 1990. Anais. São Paulo, ACIESP, 3:280-296.

[3] Borzone, C. A. & Souza, J. R. B. 1997. Estrutura da macrofauna bentônica no supra, meso e infralitoral de uma praia arenosa do sul do Brasil. Oecol. Bras., 3:197-212.

[4] Borzone, C. A.; Souza, J. R. B. & Soares, A. G. 1996. Morphodynamic influence on the structure of inter and subtidal macrofaunal communities of subtropical sandy beaches. Revta. chil. Hist. Nat.., 69:565-577.

[5] Brazeiro, A. & Defeo, O. 1996. Macroinfauna zonation in macrotidal sandy beaches: is it possible to identify patterns in such variable environments? Estuar. coast. Shelf Sci.,42:523-536.

[6] Brown, A. C. 1983. The ecophysiology of sandy beach animals. In: McLachlan, A. & Erasmus, T., eds. Sandy beaches as ecosystems. Boston, Dr. W. Junk. p. 575-605.

[7] Dahl, E. 1952. Some aspects of the ecology and zonation of the fauna of sandy beaches, Oikos, 4: 1-27.

[8] Defeo, O.; Jaramillo, A. & Lyonnet, A. 1992. Community structure and intertidal zonation of the macroinfauna on the Atlantic coasts of Uruguay. J.coast. Res., 8:830-839.

[9] Dexter, D. M. 1992. Sandy beach community structure: the role of exposure and latitude. J. Biogeogr., 19:59-66.

[10] Gianuca, N. M. 1983. A preliminary account of the ecology of sandy beaches in southern Brazil. In: McLachlan, A. & Erasmus, T. eds. Sandy beaches as ecosystems. Boston, Dr. W. Junk, p. 413-420.

[11] Gianuca, N. M. 1987. Zonação e produção nas praias arenosas do litoral sul e sudeste do Brasil. In: Simpósio de Ecossistemas da Costa Sul e Sudeste Brasileira - síntese dos conhecimentos. Cananéia, 1990. São Paulo, ACIESP, 1(1):313-332.

[12] James, R. J. & Fairweather, P. G. 1996. Spatial variation of intertidal macrofauna on a sandy ocean beach in Australia. Estuar. coast. Shelf Sci., 43:81-107.

[13] Jaramillo, E.; Mclachlan, A. & Coetzee, P. 1993. Intertidal zonation patterns of macroinfauna over a range of exposed sandy beaches in south-central Chile. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser., 101:105-118.

[14] Little, C. 2000. The biology of soft shores and stuaries. New York. Oxford University Press, 252p.

[15] McLachlan, A. 1990. Dissipative beaches and macrofaunal communities on exposed intertidal sands. J. coast. Res., 6:57-71.

[16] McLachlan, A. 1996. Phisical factors in benthic ecology: effects of changing sand particle size on beach fauna. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser., 131: 205-211.

[17] McLachlan, A. & Hesp, P. 1984. Faunal response to morphology and water circulation of a sandy beach with cusps. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser., 19:133-144.

[18] McLachlan, A. & Jaramillo, E. 1995. Zonation on sandy beaches. Oceanogr. Mar. Biol. a. Rev., 33:305-335.

[19] McLachlan, A.; Jaramillo, E.; Donn, T. E. & Wessels, E. 1993. Sandy beach macrofauna communities and their control by the physical environment: a geographical comparison. J. coast. Res., 15(Special Issue):27-38.

[20] Odebrecht, C.; Abreu, P. C.; Fugita, C. C. & Bergesch, M. 2003. The impact of mud deposition on the long term variability of the surf-zone diatom Asterionellopsis glacialis (Castracane) round at Cassino beach, Brazil. J. coast. Res., 35(Special Issue):486-491.

[21] Raffaelli, D. G.; Karakassis, I. & Galloway, A. 1991. Zonation schemes on sandy shores: a multivariate approach. J. Exp. Mar. Biol. Ecol., 148:241-253.

[22] Salvat, B. 1964. Les conditions hydrodinamicques interstitielles des sedimentes meubles intertidaus et la repartition verticale de la faune endogée. Cah.. Rech. Sci, Paris, 259:1576-1579.

[23] Short, A. D. 2003. Australian beach systems - The morphodynamics of wave through tide-dominated beach-dune systems. J. coast. Res., 35(Special Issue):7-20.

[24] Souza, J. R. B. & Gianuca, N. M. 1995. Zonation and seasonal variation of the intertidal macrofauna on a sandy beach of Paraná State, Brazil. Sci. Mar., Barcelona, 59(2):103-111.

[25] Suguio, K. 1973. Introdução à sedimentologia. São Paulo, EDUSP. 317p.

[26] Veloso, V. G. & Cardoso, R. S. 2001. Effects of morphodynamics on the spatial and temporal variation of macrofauna on three sandy beaches, Rio de Janeiro State, Brazil. J.mar. biol. Ass., UK Mar, 81:369-375.

[27] Wright, L. D. & Short, A. D. 1984. Morphodynamic variability of surf zones and beaches: a synthesis. Mar. Geol., 48:259-284.

[28] Borzone, C. A. 1991. Ecologia de los moluscos del infralitoral raso de una playa arenosa expuesta del sur del Brasil. Tese de Doutorado, Universidade de Buenos Aires. 221p.

[29] Gianuca, N. M. 1985. The ecology of a sandy beach in southern Brazil. PhD Thesis. University of Southampton, 330p.