Spatial variability in structural and functional aspects of macrofauna communities and their environmental parameters in the Jade Bay (Wadden Sea Lower Saxony, southern North Sea)

Table 3 Comparison of the dominant species ranked according to highest species abundance found per m² on intertidal mudflats, mixed sediments, sandflats and seagrass beds in different areas of the Wadden Sea

	Jade Bay (present study)	Balgzand (Beukema 1988)	Königshafen (Reise et al.1994)
Mesh size/season dominant species (ind./m²)	0.5 mm/late spring/early summer 2009	1 mm/early spring	1 mm/sping and autumn 1990*
Mudflats	Tubificoides benedii	Corophium volutator	Tharyx spp.
	Hydrobia ulvae	Hydrobia ulvae	Macoma balthica
	Pygospio elegans		Pygospio elegans
	Corophium spp.		Heteromastus filiformis
	Nereis spp.		Tubificoides pseudogaster
Mixed sediments	Caulleriella killariensis	Hydrobia ulvae
	Hydrobia ulvae	Cerastoderma edule
	Pygospio elegans	Mya arenaria
	Scoloplos armiger	Mytilus edulis
Sandflats/Arenicola-sandflats	Hydrobia ulvae	Scoloplos armiger	Hydrobia ulvae
	Scoloplos armiger		Scoloplos armiger
	Urothoe poseidonis		Tubificoides benedii
	Bathyporeia sarsi		Cerstoderma edule
			Hediste diversicolor
			Macoma balthica
Seagrass beds	Hydrobia ulvae		Hydrobia ulvae
	Cerastoderma edule		Scoloplos armiger
	Tubificoides benedii		Cerastoderma edule
	Pygospio elegans		Tubificoides benedii
	Retusa obtusa		Littorina littorea
	Macoma balthica

ISSN: 1438-3888