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Wrack Removal as Short-Term Disturbance for Talitrus Saltator Density in the Supratidal Zone of Sandy Beaches: an Experimental Approach

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Abstract

A distinctive feature of sandy beaches is the stranded wrack, which represents a key element in the maintenance of their biodiversity and ecosystem function. However, these materials are commonly removed from beaches worldwide. In October–November 2012, a field experiment following an M-BACI design was conducted to assess the effect of wrack removal on sandhopper populations on two sandy beaches on the Atlantic southwest coast of Spain. The beaches, Levante (36°33′N, 6°13′W) and Cortadura (36°28′N, 6°15′W) differed in their morphodynamics (dissipative and intermediate, respectively) and in the dominant wrack sources (seagrasses vs. macroalgae). Wrack removal diminished the density of the sandhopper, Talitrus saltator, a dominant species in the supratidal zone especially under wrack, but the difference between impacted and control plots was short-lived (several days). Juvenile sandhoppers appeared more sensitive to this disturbance than adults, although this was found only at Levante. This study highlights the adaptability of this sandhopper to a single wrack removal event and shows that the magnitude of the effect is likely dependent on the particular characteristics of individual beaches. The consequences of frequent wrack removal from these beaches on sandhopper populations remain to be determined.

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Acknowledgments

We would like to thank authorities of the Los Toruños Natural Park for permission and its staff for facilities and help during the field experiment. We specially thank Javier Brenes and Jose Manuel Ávila for their assistance with the laboratory work, Leonardo Sandrini-Neto for statistical support and David Nesbitt for English revision. We thank the two anonymous reviewers whose constructive criticism improved the quality of this manuscript. M.C. Ruiz-Delgado was supported by the Spanish Ministry of Education via a predoctoral grant (FPU, AP-2009-3906) and J.V. Vieira was supported by the Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Ensino Superior (CAPES) of Brazil (CAPES/DGU n° 206/09). This work was supported by the incentive program for Excellent Research Projects, financed by the Regional Government of Andalusia (P09-HUM-4717) and by the Hispanic-Brazilian program of interuniversity cooperation of the Ministry of Education and Science of Spain (PHB-2008-0132).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departamento de Sistemas Físicos, Químicos y Naturales, Universidad Pablo de Olavide, ES-41013, Sevilla, Spain

    Mª Carmen Ruiz-Delgado, Mª José Reyes-Martínez & Francisco José García-García

  2. Centro de Estudos do Mar, Departamento de Ciências da Terra, Universidade Federal do Paraná, Av. Beira Mar, s/n, Pontal do Sul, CEP 83255-000, Pontal do Paraná, PR, Brazil

    Jenyffer Vierheller Vieira & Carlos Alberto Borzone

  3. Departamento de Zoología, Universidad de Sevilla, Av. Reina Mercedes 6, 41012, Sevilla, Spain

    Juan Emilio Sánchez-Moyano

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  1. Mª Carmen Ruiz-Delgado
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  2. Jenyffer Vierheller Vieira
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Correspondence to Mª Carmen Ruiz-Delgado.

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Ruiz-Delgado, M.C., Vierheller Vieira, J., Reyes-Martínez, M.J. et al. Wrack Removal as Short-Term Disturbance for Talitrus Saltator Density in the Supratidal Zone of Sandy Beaches: an Experimental Approach. Estuaries and Coasts 39, 1113–1121 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12237-015-0060-2

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