- Published:
Biomass and abundance of macrofauna in intertidal sediments of Königshafen in the northern Wadden Sea
Helgoländer Meeresuntersuchungen volume 48, pages 201–215 (1994)
Abstract
Intertidal sediments of Königshafen (Island of Sylt, North Sea) were sieved for mesofauna (>0.25 mm) and macrofauna (>1 mm) in spring and autumn 1990. Although sediments are coarser than in other parts of the Wadden Sea, the macrobenthic fauna was very similar but with a tendency towards higher species density, abundance and biomass. Taking into account the areal size of sandy flats, seagrass beds, mud flats and mussel beds, the average biomass is calculated to be 65 g ash-free dry weight m−2 The lugwormArenicola marina dominates the biomass (28%), followed by the bivalvesMytilus edulis (21%),Mya areanaria (16%),Cerastoderma edule (10%) and the mudsnailHydrobia ulvae (9%). While spring and autumn biomass are almost alike, abundance is highly variable and entirely dominated byH. ulvae. Mesofauna is mainly composed of oligochaetes, small and juvenile polychaetes. Abundance is similar to that of macrofauna, while biomass is only about 1 g m−2. Macrophyte biomass amounted to 9% of that macrofauna. In the course of the centurym mussel beds expanded while muddy areas declined. The concomitant effects on biomass presumably compensated each other.
Literature Cited
Asmus, H. & Asmus, R., 1985. The importance of grazing food chain for energy flow and production in three intertidal sand bottom communities of the northern Wadden Sea. — Helgoländer Meeresunters.39, 273–301.
Asmus, H., 1987. Secondary production of an intertidal mussel bed community related to its storage and turnover compartments. — Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.39, 251–266.
Austen, I., 1992. Geologisch-sedimentologische Kartierung des Königshafens (List/Sylt.) — Meyniana44, 45–52.
Beukema, J. J., 1974. Seasonal changes in the biomass of the macrobenthos of a tidal flat area in the Dutch Wadden Sea. — Neth. J. Sea Res.8, 90–107.
Beukema, J. J., 1976. Biomass and species richness of the macro-benthic animals living on the tidal flats of the Dutch Wadden Sead. — Neth. J. Sea Res.10, 236–261.
Beukema, J. J., 1989. Long-term changes in macrozoobenthic abundance on the tidal falts of the western part of the Dutch Wadden Sea. — Helgoländer Meeresunters.43, 405–415.
Beukema, J. J., 1990. Expected effects of changes in winter temperatures on benthic aminals living in soft sediments in coastal North sea areas. In: Expected effectsof climatic changes on marine coastal ecosystems. Ed. by J. J. Beukema, W. J. Wolf & J. J. W. Brouns. Kluwer, Dordrecht. 83–92.
Beukema, J. J., 1991. Changes in composition of bottom fauna of a tidal-flat area during a period of eutrophication. — Mar. Biol.111, 293–301.
Beukema, J. J., 1992. Long-term and recent changes in the benthic macrofauna living on tidal flats in the western part of the Wadden Sea. — Publ. Ser. Neth. Inst. Sea Res.20, 135–141.
Dekker, R., 1989. The macrozoobenthos of the subtidal, Wadden Sea. I. Biomass and species richness. — Neth. J. Sea Res.23, 57–68.
Dörjes, J., Michaelis, H. & Rhode, B., 1986. Long-tern studies of macrozoobenthos in intertidal and shallow subtidal habitats near the island of Norderney (East Frisian coast, Germany). — Hydrobiologia142, 217–232.
Duineveld, G. C. A., Wilde, P. A. W. J. de & Kok, A., 1990. A synopsis of the macrobenthic assemblage and benthic ETS activity in the Dutch sector of the North Sea. — Neth. J. Sea. Res.26, 125–138.
Führböter, A., 1989. Changes of the tidal water levels at the German North Sea coast. — Helgoländer Meeresunters.43, 325–332.
Jensen, K. T., 1992. Macrozoobenthos on an intertidal mudflat in the Danish Wadden Sea: comparisons of surveys made in the 1930s, 1940s and 1980s. — Helgoländer Meeresunters.46, 363–376.
Jepsen, U., 1965. Die Struktur der Wattbiozönosen im Vormündungsgebiet der Elbe. — Arch. Hydrobiol.24, 252–370.
Kröncke, I., 1992. Macrofauna standing stock of the Dogger Bank. A comparison: III. 1950-54 versus 1985–87. — Helgoländer Meeresunters.46, 137–169.
Michaelis, H., 1981. Intertidal benthic animal communities of the estuaries of the river Ems and Weser. In: Invertebrates of the Wadden Sea. Ed. by N. Dankers, H. Kühl & W. J. Wolff. Balkema, Rotterdam, 158–188.
Michaelis, H., 1987. Bestandsaufnahme des eulitoralen Makrobenthos im Jadebusen in Verbindung mit einer Luftbild-Analyse. — Jber. ForschSt. Küste, Norderney38, 13–97.
Nienburg, W., 1927. Zur Okologie der Flora des Wattenmeeres. I. Der Königshafen bei List auf Sylt. — Wiss. Meeresunters. (Kiel)20, 146–196.
Obert, B., 1982. Bodenfauna der Watten und Strände um Borkum — Emsmündung. — Jber. ForschSt. Küste, Norderney33, 139–162.
Reise, K., 1978. Experiments on epibenthic predation in the Wadden Sea. — Helgoländer Meeresunters.31, 55–101.
Reise, K., 1981. Ökologische Experimente zur Dynamik und Vielfalt der Bodenfauna in den Nordseewatten. — Verh. dt. zool Ges.1981, 1–15.
Reise, K., 1982. Long-term changes in the macrobenthic invertebrate fauna of the Wadden Sea: Are polychaetes about to take over? — Neth. J. Sea Res.16, 29–36.
Reise, K., 1985. Tidal flat ecology. Springer, Berlin, 191 pp.
Reise, K., 1987. Distribution and abundance of small and juvenile macrofauna on the tidal flats in the North Frisian Wadden Sea. — Biologiske Meddr31, 7–25.
Reise, K., 1990. Historische Veränderungen in der ökologie des Wattenmeeres. — Vortr. rheinwestf. Akad. Wiss. (N)382, 35–50.
Reise, K., Herre, E. & Sturm, M., 1989. Historical changes in the benthos of the Wadden Sea around the island of Sylt in the North Sea. — Helgoländer Meeresunters.43, 417–433.
Reish, D. J., 1959. A discussion of the importance of screen size in washing quantitative marine bottom samples. — Ecology40, 307–309.
Smidt, E. L. B., 1951. Animal production in the Danish Waddensea. — Meddr Danm. Fisk.-og Havunders.11 (6), 1–151.
Urk, R. M. van, 1987.Ensis americanus (Binney) (syn.E. directus Auct. non conrad) a recent introduction from Atlantic North America. — J. Conch., Lond.32, 329–333.
Wilde, P. A. J. W. de & Beukema, J. J., 1984. The role of the zoobenthos in the consumption of organic matter in the Dutch Wadden Sea. — Publ. Ser. Neth. Inst. Sea Res.10, 145–158.
Wohlenberg, E., 1937. Die Wattenmeer-Lebensgemeinschaften im Königshafen von Sylt. — Helgoländer wiss. Meeresunters.1, 1–92.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Reise, K., Herre, E. & Sturm, M. Biomass and abundance of macrofauna in intertidal sediments of Königshafen in the northern Wadden Sea. Helgolander Meeresunters 48, 201–215 (1994). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02367036
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02367036