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The ecology of estuarine intertidal flats: the example of the Westerschelde
Heip, C.H.R.; Herman, P.M.J.; Middelburg, J.J.; Moodley, L.; Soetaert, K.; Ysebaert, T.J. (2005). The ecology of estuarine intertidal flats: the example of the Westerschelde, in: Wilson, J.G. (Ed.) The intertidal ecosystem: the value of Ireland’s shores. pp. 179-195
In: Wilson, J.G. (Ed.) (2005). The intertidal ecosystem: the value of Ireland’s shores. Royal Irish Academy: Dublin. ISBN 1-904890-09-1. 206 pp.
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    Vlaams Instituut voor de Zee: Open Marine Archive 101679 [ download pdf ]
Keywords
    Aquatic communities > Benthos
    Biodiversity
    Topographic features > Landforms > Coastal landforms > Tidal flats
    Water bodies > Coastal waters > Coastal landforms > Coastal inlets > Estuaries
    ANE, Netherlands, Westerschelde [Marine Regions]
    Marine/Coastal
Authors  Top 
  • Heip, C.H.R.
  • Herman, P.M.J.
  • Middelburg, J.J.
  • Moodley, L.
  • Soetaert, K.
  • Ysebaert, T.J.
Abstract
    The ecology of estuarine intertidal flats is characterised by low species diversity and high productivity. The consequences of these two main characteristics have been investigated in detail on an intertidal flat in the Schelde estuary in the Netherlands. The existence of a species minimum in the oligohaline section of the estuary, as postulated by Remane, could not be confirmed for nematodes and macrofauna for the Schelde, nor for several other European estuaries. Rather, a linear decrease in species richness from the sea to the freshwater was observed. The productivity of estuarine tidal flats depends on an in situ source of primary produced material, the microphytobenthos, as well as on the capacity of the macrofauna to transfer material from the water column to the sediments. Avery rapid transfer of 13C labelled carbon from primary production to the higher trophic levels was observed.
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