Intertidal benthic community ecology of sand-dwelling macroinvertebrates of Goa beaches

Abstract

Studies on the intertidal ecology of two sandy beaches of Goa along the western coast of India revealed the presence of 47 species of macroinvertebrates belonging to 32 families. The open beach at Candolim, characterized by coarse sand-grain size, is relatively unstable, less productive, and supports a poor benthic fauna. In contrast, an estuarine beach at Siridao, having fine sand-grain size, is comparatively stable, more productive, and exhibits a rich fauna. This indicates the richness of benthic life in an estuarine environment. The heterogeneity and seasonality of the faunal community structure at these two beaches are mainly attributed to the interaction of abiotic and biotic factors. Different species showed distinct zonal patterns of distribution from high to low tide levels with species richness highest at low tide