Abstract
The present research is a first attempt to study the hyperbenthic fauna of the surf zone of Valdivia Bay (South East Pacific--Ecuador), an exposed low tide terrace--rip beach. The aims of the study were to contribute to the inventory of the surf zone fauna of the tropical southeast Pacific coast, to investigate spatial distribution patterns along the bay and to search for possible tidal effects on the hyperbenthic composition. Samples were taken during daylight with a hyperbenthic sledge on 6 consecutive days in August 1999 at high tide, low tide and mid tide. The hyperbenthic community was characterized by quantifying the higher taxa, their density and the relative composition of the dominant groups. No tidal effect could be observed, but two main geographically distinct hyperbenthic assemblages were distinguished along the bay, related to hydrodynamic factors (local current velocity, intertidal beach slope and suspended particulate matter). In the turbulent northern part of the bay the highest densities were encountered and hyperbenthos was, next to the dominant mysid Metamysidopsissp., mainly composed of planktonic organisms (calanoid copepods, chaetognaths and fish eggs). In the calmer southern part of the bay Metamysidopsissp. dominated as well, but the community was completed with other mysid species, and early life stages of Brachyura and fish. Most striking was the general dominance of the mysid Metamysidopsis sp. in all the samples (97%, max. density of 62000 ind. 100 m-2) and the high amount of unknown species. Penaeid shrimp larvae, important for the local shrimp industry, were only found in very low densities during the sampling period (≈1%). Compared to other studies on the whole surf zone hyperbenthic community of sandy beaches, the average densities encountered in Valdivia Bay can be considered to be relatively high (2500--6000 ind. 100 m-2). Although limited in time and performed with a limited taxonomic resolution, the results indicate a high contribution of early life stages of invertebrate and fish species to the biodiversity of the intertidal hyperbenthic community in comparison with temperate regions.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
K. Aerts T. Vanagt S. Degraer S. Guartatanga J. Wittoeck N. Fockedey M. Cornejo-Rodriguez J. Calderon M. Vincx (2004) ArticleTitleMacrofaunal community structure and zonation of an Ecuadorian sandy beach (Bay of Valdivia) Journal of Belgian Zoology 134 15–22
M. Amend A. Shanks (1999) ArticleTitleTiming of larval release in the mole crab Emerita talpoida Marine Ecology Progress Series 183 295–300
J.L. Barnard G.S. Karaman (1991) The Families and Genera of Marine Gammaridean Amphipoda (Except Marine Gammaroids), Supplement 13 Part 1 Globe Press Melbourne 412
F. Basurto B. Naranjo (1983) ArticleTitleManual práctico para la identificación de post-larvas y juveniles de cuatro especies de camarones marinos Boletín científico y técnico (Instituto Nacional de Pesca, Guayaquil, Ecuador) 6 1–42
B. Beyst A. Cattrijsse J. Mees (1999) ArticleTitleFeeding ecology of juvenile flatfishes of the surf zone of a sandy beach Journal of Fish Biology 55 1171–1186
Beyst, B., 2001. Epi- and hyperbenthic communities of Belgian sandy beaches. Ph.D. thesis, Ghent University, 351␣pp.
B. Beyst D. Buysse A. Dewicke J. Mees (2001) ArticleTitleSurf zone hyperbenthos of Belgian sandy beaches: seasonal patterns Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science 53 877–895
D. Bonilla (1983) ArticleTitleEstudio taxonómico de los quetognatos del Golfo de Guayaquil Acta oceanográfica del Pacífico (INOCAR, Guayaquil, Ecuador) 2 509–529
B.M. Clark (1997) ArticleTitleVariation in surf-zone fish community structure across a wave-exposure gradient Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science 44 659–674
B.M. Clark B.A. Bennett S.J. Lamberth (1996) ArticleTitleFactors affecting the spatial variability in seine net catches of fish in the surf zone of False bay, South Africa Marine Ecology Progress Series 131 17–34
R.I. Clutter (1966) ArticleTitleZonation of nearshore mysids Ecology 48 200–208
A.C. Cockcroft P. Webb T. Wooldridge (1988) ArticleTitleNitrogen regeneration by two surf-zone mysids, Mesopodopsis slabberi and Gastrosaccus psammodytes Marine Biology 99 75–82
J.S. Colman F. Segrove (1955) ArticleTitleThe tidal plankton over stoupe beck sands, Robin Hood’s Bay (Yorkshire, North Riding) Journal of Animal Ecology 24 445–462
J. Corbera C. San Vicente J.C. Sorbe (2000) ArticleTitleSmall-scale distribution, life cycle and secondary production of Cumopsis goodsir in Creixell Beach (Western Mediterranean) Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 80 271–282
M.H. Cornejo-Rodriguez E. Blacio R. Guartatanga L. Schwarz M.A. Bonilla-Coello A. Milstein (1993) ArticleTitleVariación anual de larvas y postlarvas de peces en una zona de rompiente de playa arenosa (Guayas-Ecuador) Acuicultura Tropical 1 17–21
Cucalón, E., 1989. Oceanographic characteristics off the coast of Ecuador. In Olsen, S. & L. Arriaga (eds), A Sustainable Shrimp Mariculture Industry for Ecuador. University of Rhode Island, Technical Report TR-E-6: 185–194.
W. Dall B.J. Hill P.C. Rothlisberg D.J. Sharples (1990) The biology of Penaeidae J.H.S. Blaxter A.J. Southward (Eds) Advances in Marine Biology Academic Press London 1–489
O. Defeo J. Gomez D. Lercari (2001) ArticleTitleTesting the swash exclusion hypothesis in sandy beach populations: the mole crab Emerita brasiliensis in Uruguay Marine Ecology Progress Series 212 159–170
O. Defeo R.S. Cardoso (2002) ArticleTitleMacroecology of population dynamics and life history traits of the mole crab Emerita brasiliensis in Atlantic sandy beaches of South America Marine Ecology Progress Series 239 169–179
A.M.C. De Ruyck T.E. Donn A. McLachlan (1991a) ArticleTitleLife histories and breeding patterns of three intertidal sand beach isopods P. S. Z. N. I.: Marine Ecology 12 105–121
A.M.C. De Ruyck A. McLachlan T.E. Donn (1991b) ArticleTitleThe activity of three intertidal sand beach isopods (Flabellifera: Cirolanidae) Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology 146 163–180
A.M.C. De Ruyck T.E. Donn SuffixJr. A. McLachlan (1992) ArticleTitleDistribution of three intertidal cirolanid isopods (Flabellifera: Cironanidae) on a South African sandy beach Cahiers de Biologie Marine 33 147–168
D.M. Dexter (1992) ArticleTitleSandy beach community structure: the role of exposure and latitude Journal of Biogeography 19 59–66
A. Dewicke A. Cattrijsse J. Mees M. Vincx (2003) ArticleTitleSpatial patterns of the hyperbenthos of subtidal sandbanks in the southern North Sea Journal of Sea Research 49 27–45
J.E. Dugan D.M. Hubbard (1996) ArticleTitleLocal variation in populations of the sand crab Emerita analoga on sandy beaches in southern California Revista Chilena de Historia Natural 69 579–588
Fauchald, K., 1977. The polychaete worms. Definitions and keys to the orders, families and genera. Natural History Museum of Los Angeles Science Series 28: 190 pp.
J.G. Field K.R. Clarke R.M. Warwick (1982) ArticleTitleA practical strategy for analysing multispecies distribution patterns Marine Ecology Progress Series 8 37–52
A.A. Fincham (1970) ArticleTitleAmphipods in the surf plankton Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 50 177–198
W. Fisher C. Sommer F. Krupp K.E. Carpenter W. Schneider V.H. Niem (1995) Guia FAO para la identificación de especies para los finos de la pesca, Pacifica centro-oriental, 1 Plantas e invertebrados. FOA Roma 646
N. Fonseca (1970) ArticleTitleLista de crustáceos del Perú (Decapoda y Stomatopoda) Informe Instituto del Mar del Perú 35 1–95
O. Hamerlynck J. Mees (1991) ArticleTitleTemporal and spatial structure in the hyperbenthic community of a shallow coastal area and its relation to environmental variables Oceanologica Acta 11 205–212
Y. Hanamura (1999) ArticleTitleSeasonal abundance and life cycle of Archaeomysis articulata (Crustacea: Mysidacea) on a sandy beach of western Hokkaido, Japan Journal of Natural History 33 1811–1830
S.A. Harris D.P. Cyrus (1996) ArticleTitleLarval and juvenile fishes in the surf zone adjacent to the St. Lucia Estuary Mouth, Kwazulu-Natal, South Africa Marine and Freshwater Research 47 465–482
G. Hartmann-Schröder (1996) Die Tierwelt Deutschlands Annelida Borstenwürmer, Polychaeta. Gustav Fisher, Jena, Stuttgart, Lübeck, Ulm 648
G. Hendler J.E. Miller D.L. Pawson P.M. Kier (1995) Echinoderms of Florida and the Carribean, sea stars, sea urchins and allies Smithsonian Institution Press Washington, London 390
Hill, M. O., 1979. TWINSPAN – a FORTRAN program for arranging multivariate data in an ordered two-way table by classification of the individuals and attributes. Ithaca, NY Dep. Ecology and Systematics, Cornell University.
E. Jaramillo J. Dugan H. Contreras (2000) ArticleTitleAbundance, tidal movement, population structure and burrowing rate of Emerita analoga (Anomura, Hippidae) at a dissipative and reflective beach in southern Chile Marine Ecology 21 113–127
D.A. Jones C.J. Pierpoint (1997) ArticleTitleEcology and taxonomy of the genus Eurydice (Isopoda: Cirolanidae) from sand beaches on the Iberian Peninsula Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 77 55–76
Z. Kabata (1979) Parasitic Copepoda of the British Isles British Museum London 468
A.M. Keen (1971) Sea shells of Tropical West-America Marine Mollusks from Baja California to Peru Stanford University Press Stanford, California 1064
B. Kensley M. Schotte (1989) Guide to the Marine Isopod Crustaceans of the Caribbean Smithsonian Institution Press Washington, DC, London 308
P.E. King (1974) British Sea Spiders Academic Press London, New York 68
I. Kinoshita (1993) ArticleTitleEcological study on larvae and juveniles of sparine fishes occurring in surf zones of sandy beaches Bulletin of Marine Sciences and Fisheries, Kochi University 13 21–99
T.A. Lasiak (1981) ArticleTitleNursery grounds of juvenile teleosts: evidence from the surf zone of King’s Beach, Port Elizabeth South African Journal of Science 77 388–390
Lasiak, T. A., 1983. The impact of surf-zone fish communities on faunal assemblages associated with sandy beaches: a review. In McLachlan, A. & T. Erasmus (eds), Sandy Beaches as Ecosystems. Developments in Hydrobiology 19: 501--506.
T.A. Lasiak (1986) ArticleTitleJuveniles, food and the surf zone habitat: implications for teleost nursery areas South African Journal of Zoology 21 51–56
M. Lastra J.E. Dugan D.M. Hubbard (2002) ArticleTitleBurrowing and swash behavior of the Pacific mole crab Hippa pacifica (Anomura, Hippidae) in tropical sandy beaches Journal of Crustacean Biology 22 53–58
Lewin, J. & C. T. Schaefer, 1983. The role of phytoplankton in surf ecosystems. In McLachlan, A. & T. Erasmus (eds), Sandy Beaches as Ecosystems. Developments in Hydrobiology 19: 381–389.
R.J. Lincoln (1979) British Marine Amphipoda: Gammaridea British Museum London 658
Lock, K., 1996. Intertidal hyperbenthic communities of sandy beaches. B.Sc. Thesis, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium, 95 pp [in Dutch].
K. Lock B. Beyst J. Mees (1999) ArticleTitleCircadiel patterns in the tidal plankton of a sandy beach in Zeebrugge (Belgium) Belgean Journal of Zoology 129 339–352
K. Lock J. Mees (1999) ArticleTitleThe winter hyperbenthos of the Ria Formosa – a lagoon in southern Portugal – and adjacent waters Cahiers de Biologie Marine 40 47–56
H. Loesh Q. Avila (1964) ArticleTitleClaves para identificación de camarones peneidos de interés comercial en el Ecuador Boletín científico y técnico (Instituto Nacional de Pesca – Guayaquil, Ecuador) 1 1–29
S. Massay (1983) ArticleTitleRevisión de la lista de los peces marinos del Ecuador Boletín científico y técnico (Instituto Nacional de Pesca – Guayaquil, Ecuador) 6 1–113
G. Masselink A.D. Short (1993) ArticleTitleThe effect of tide range on beach morphodynamics and morphology: a conceptual beach model Journal of Coastal Research 9 785–800
J. Mauchline (1980) The biology of mysids and euphausiids J.H.S. Blaxter F.S. Russell M. Yonge (Eds) Advances in Marine Biology 18 Academic Press London 681
McCune, B. & M. J. Mefford, 1999. Multivariate Analysis of Ecological Data. Version 4.24. MjM Software, Gleneden Beach, Oregon, USA.
A. McLachlan (1980) ArticleTitleThe definition of sandy beaches in relation to exposure: a simple rating system South African Journal of Science 76 137–138
J. Mees O. Hamerlynck (1992) ArticleTitleSpatial community structure of the winter hyperbenthos of the Shelde estuary, The Netherlands, and the adjacent coastal waters Netherlands Journal of Sea Research 29 357–370
J. Mees M. Jones (1997) ArticleTitleThe hyperbenthos Oceanography and Marine Biology: An Annual Review 35 221–255
M. Méndez (1981) ArticleTitleClaves de identificación y distribución de los langostinos y camarones (Crustácea: Decapoda) del mar y ríos de la Costa del Perú Boletín (Instituto del Mar del Perú) 5 1–170
T. Munilla M.J. Corrales (1995) ArticleTitleSuprabenthos de la playa de Rosas (Gerona, Mediterranea occidental) Orsis 10 83–90
T. Munilla M.J. Corrales C. San Vicente (1998) ArticleTitleSuprabenthic assemblages from Catalan beaches: Zoological groups Orsis 13 67–78
T. Munilla C. San Vicente (2000) ArticleTitleSuprabenthic pycnogonids from Creixell beach (Tarragona, west Mediterranean) Cahiers de Biologie Marine 41 321–328
R. Nel A. McLachlan D. Winter (1999) ArticleTitleThe effect of sand particle size on the burrowing ability of the beach mysid Gastrosaccus psammodytes Tattersall Estuarine and Coastal Shelf Science 48 599–604
B.L. Norcross F.R. Shaw (1984) ArticleTitleOceanic and estuarine transport of fish eggs and larvae: a review Transactions of the American Fisheries Society 113 153–165
D.P. O’Brien (1988) ArticleTitleDirect observations of clustering (school- ing and swarming) behaviour in mysids (Crustacea : Mysidacea) Marine Ecology Progress Series 42 235–246
C. Odebrecht A.Z. Segatto C.A. Freitas (1995) ArticleTitleSurf-zone chlorophyl a variability at Casino Beach, Southern Brazil Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science 41 81–90
D.A. Ritz (1994) ArticleTitleSocial aggregation in pelagic invertebrates Advances in Marine Biology 30 155–216
A.I. Robertson R.C.J. Lenanton (1984) ArticleTitleFish community structure and food chain dynamics in the surf zone of sandy beaches: the role of detached macrophyte detritus Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology 84 265–283
G.S. Romer (1990) ArticleTitleSurf zone fish community and species response to a wave energy gradient Journal of Fish Biology 36 279–287
G.S. Romer A. McLachlan (1986) ArticleTitleMullet grazing on surf diatom accumulations Journal of Fish Biology 28 93–104
M. Rose (1933) Faune de France. Copépodes Pélagiques Paul Lechevalier Paris 347
Ross, S. T., 1983. A review of surf zone ichtyofaunas in the Gulf of Mexico. In Proceedings of Northern Gulf of Mexico Estuaries and Barrier Islands Research Conference, 25--34 pp
Rossouw, G. J., 1983. The importance of non-teleost fishes (Elasmobranchs) in the surf zone with special reference to Rhinobatus annualtus. In McLachlan, A. & T. Erasmus (eds), Sandy Beaches as Ecosystems. Developments in Hydrobiology 19: 749.
F.S. Russell (1953) The Medusae of the British Isles Cambridge University Press Cambridge 530
F.S. Russell (1976) The Eggs and Planctonic Stages of British Marine Fishes Academic Press London, New York, San-Francisco 524
C. San Vicente J.C. Sorbe (1999) ArticleTitleSpatio-temporal structure of the suprabenthic community from Creixell beach (western Mediterranean) Acta Oecologica 20 377–389
C. San Vicente T. Munilla (2000) ArticleTitleMisidaceas suprabentonicos de las playas catalanas (Mediterraneo nordoccidental) Orsis 15 45–55
San Vicente, C. & J. C. Sorbe, 1999. Spatio-temporal structure of the suprabenthic community from Creixell beach (western Mediterranean). Acta Oecologica 20: 377--389.
T. Senta I. Kinoshita (1985) ArticleTitleLarval and juvenile fishes occurring in surf zones of western Japan Transactions of the American Fisheries Society 114 609–618
G. Smaldon (1979) British Coastal Shrimps and Prawns Academic Press London, New York, San Francisco 126
K. Takahashi K. Kawaguchi (1995) ArticleTitleInter- and intraspecific zonation in three species of sand-burrowing mysids, Archaeomysis kokuboi, A grebnitzkii and Iella ohshimai, in Otsuchi Bay, norteastern Japan Marine Ecology Progress Series 116 75–84
K. Takahashi K. Kawaguchi (1998) ArticleTitleDiel and tidal migrations of the sand-burrowing mysids Archaeomysis kokuboi and A japonica in Otsuchi Bay, northeastern Japan Marine Ecology Progress Series 162 191–199
W.M. Tattersall O.S. Tattersall (1951) The British Mysidacea Bartholomew Press Dorking 459
C.D. Todd M.S. Laverack G.A. Boxshall (1996) Coastal Marine Zooplankton, A Practical Manual for Students EditionNumber2 Cambridge University Press Cambridge 106
P. Webb T. H. Wooldridge (1990) ArticleTitleDiel horizontal migration of Mesopodopsis slabberi (Crustacea: Mysidacea) in Algoa Bay, southern Africa Marine Ecology Progress Series 62 73–77
T. Wooldridge (1981) ArticleTitleZonation and distribution of the beach mysid, Gastrosaccus psammodytes (Crustacea: Mysidacea) Journal of the Zoological Society of London 193 183–189
Wooldridge, T. H., 1983. Ecology of beach and surf-zone mysid shrimps in the eastern cape, South Africa. In McLachlan, A. & T. Erasmus (eds), Sandy Beaches as Ecosystems. Developments in Hydrobiology 19: 449–460.
T.H. Wooldridge (1989) ArticleTitleThe spatial and temporal distribution of mysid shrimps and phytoplankton accumulations in a high energy surfzone Vie et Milieu 39 127–133
Wright, S. W. & S. W. Jeffrey, 1997. High resolution HPLC system for chlorophyll and carotenoids of marine phytoplankton. In Jeffrey, S. W., R. F. C. Mantoura & S. W. Wright (eds), Phytoplankton Pigments in Oceanography. UNESCO: 327–341.
J.M. Wright (1989) ArticleTitleDetached chlorophytes as nursery areas for fish in Sulaibikhat Bay, Kuwait Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science 28 185–193
O.H. Yu H.Y. Soh H.L. Suh (2002) ArticleTitleSeasonal zonation␣patterns of benthic amphipods in a sandy shore surf zone of Korea Journal of Crustacean Biology 22 459–466
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Domínguez granda, L., Fockedey, N., De mey, M. et al. Spatial patterns of the surf zone hyperbenthic fauna of Valdivia Bay (Ecuador). Hydrobiologia 529, 205–224 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-004-6417-3
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-004-6417-3