Collected reprints: Abstract 2699

Collected reprints

Abstract

Hamerlynck, O.; Mees, J. (1991). Temporal and spatial structure in the hyperbenthic community of a shallow coastal area and its relation to environmental variables. Oceanol. Acta Spec. No. 11: 205-211

Monthly sampling with a sledge type gear at 24 stations in the shallow coastal area in front of the Dutch Delta (southern bight of the North Sea) shows that high densities of a variety of animals are present in the lower 1 m of the water column: the hyperbenthos. Hyperbenthic community structure is strongly dominated by seasonal fluctuations due to the sequential appearance, high abundance and disappearance of the different species of temporary hyperbenthos. In winter and early spring, when the community is dominated by its permanent residents, spatial patterns emerge. Averaged over the year, these spatial patterns are consistent with the hydrodynamic regime in the system. Sedimentation of silt occurs in the same sheltered areas where the highest biomass of hyperbenthic animals is encountered. Low current velocities and protection from wave action thus create an environment suitable for settlement of macrobenthic larvae and for sedimentation of the phytoplankton bloom. This rich area attracts mobile invertebrates and juvenile fish.

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