277 research outputs found
Food web structure of fouling communities along the ecological zonation of artificial hard substrates in a North Sea offshore wind farm
onderzoeksrappor
31 years of macrobenthic data on the Thorntonbank and Goote Bank: a parallel evolution or not?
Meiobenthos and nematode community diversity patterns on isolated sandbank systems from the Belgian Continental Shelf
Food web structure of fouling communities along the ecological zonation of artificial hard substrates in a North Sea offshore wind farm
The added value of āsmallāscaleā monitoring of the softāsediment endobenthos aroundoffshore wind farms in the Belgian Part of the North Sea
The importance of <i>Lanice conchilega</i> reefs in trophic linkages on intertidal sandy beaches
Tidal and diurnal periodicity in macrocrustaceans and demersal fish of an exposed sandy beach, with special emphasis on juvenile plaice <i>Pleuronectes platessa</i>
Macrocrustaceans and juvenile demersal fish were sampled in spring of 1997 in the surf zone of an exposed sandy beach on the Belgian coast. Three consecutive 24 h cycles were sampled to investigate tidal, diurnal and semi-lunar distribution patterns within the epibenthic community. Multivariate statistical techniques and 3-way ANOVA were used to evaluate the effects of the environmental variables measured. The most important variable correlated with the variation in epibenthic catch density was the state of the tide (ebb and flood), but light intensity (day and night) was also important. The individual catch density of several species differed significantly over the three 24 h cycles. Despite the strong turbulent conditions of the site studied, clear tidal (e.g. the brown shrimp Crangon crangon, juvenile plaice Pleuronectes platessa) and diurnal (e.g. juvenile sole Solea solea and clupeids, caught mainly during the night/day respectively) periodicities of many macrocrustacean and demersal fish species were observed. Nevertheless, the extremely turbulent conditions of the surf zone possibly affect the behaviour of many species (e.g. juvenile brown shrimp are not able to bury themselves as the water retreats). To investigate whether the high dynamics of the surf zone suppress the ability of juvenile plaice to actively search for food, stomach contents were analysed. Also, the interaction with potential prey was investigated: the hyperbenthic fauna was sampled simultaneously and macrobenthic data were available from the literature. Clearly, the Belgian sandy beaches are used as a feeding ground by I-group plaice. An opportunistic utilisation of available food resources is suggested. I-group plaice migrate high up the beach during the flood tide to profit from the rich macrobenthic intertidal area, while the 0-group feeds mainly on the most abundant hyperand macrobenthic organisms from somewhat deeper water. The presence of the 0-group in the intertidal area is possibly linked to refuge for predators or influenced by the strong surf zone currents
Structural and functional diversity of the meiobenthos on the Belgian Continental Shelf, with emphasis on nematode communities = Structurele en functionele diversiteit van het meiobenthos op het Belgisch Continentaal Plat, met nadruk op de nematodengemeenschappen
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