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Trophic and other influences on macrobenthos population fluctuations in Liverpool Bay
Rees, E.I.S.; Eagle, R.A.; Walker, A.J.M. (1976). Trophic and other influences on macrobenthos population fluctuations in Liverpool Bay, in: Persoone, G. et al. (Ed.) Proceedings of the 10th European Symposium on Marine Biology, Ostend, Belgium, Sept. 17-23, 1975: 2. Population dynamics of marine organisms in relation with nutrient cycling in shallow waters. pp. 589-599
In: Persoone, G.; Jaspers, E. (Ed.) (1976). Proceedings of the 10th European Symposium on Marine Biology, Ostend, Belgium, Sept. 17-23, 1975: 2. Population dynamics of marine organisms in relation with nutrient cycling in shallow waters. IZWO/Universa Press: Wetteren. ISBN 90-6281-002-0. 712 pp., more
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Document type: Conference paper
Keyword
    Marine/Coastal
Authors  Top 
  • Rees, E.I.S.
  • Eagle, R.A.
  • Walker, A.J.M.
Abstract
    Liverpool Bay is a shallow sandy bay with a large tidal range and open to north-westerly gales. Owing to the mobility of the sand banks and areas of sand waves the fauna is generally sparse. However, to seaward of the mobile sands and where there is shelter, either from headlands or amongst the banks off the estuaries, there are areas of muddy sand. These areas are only intermittently disturbed by storms and at times develop very dense benthic populations. On the inshore areas the abundance and degree of dominance of the commonest species changes dramatically from time to time. Sometimes the muddy areas are dominated by deposit reworking species such as Pectinaria kareni and Abra alba, at other times sedentary tube building species such as Lanice and various spionid polychaetes dominate the fauna. Trophic group amensalism operates to prevent diversification where the opportunistic species colonising the area after storm disturbance is a deposit feeder. Diversification follows bed stabilisation when sedentary species dominate. In the outer area populations of the same species that fluctuate inshore remain fairly stable at moderate levels of abundance.
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