Intertidal zonation patterns of macroinfauna over a range of exposed sandy beaches in south-central Chile

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Abstract
Ten sandy beaches, covering a range from reflective to dissipative conditions, were sampled in south-central Chile to determine whether different beach morphodynamic states support different macroinfaunal zonation patterns. Three patterns were distinguished through examination of kite diagrams and analysis using multivariate techniques: (1) in reflective beaches with coarse sand, a single zone of air-breathing crustaceans was located above the drift line; (2) a reflective beach with finer sands exhibited 2 faunal zones due to the addition of a second zone of cirolanid isopods below the drift line; and (3) in intermediate and dissipative beaches 3 faunal zones were delineated, the above 2 plus a broad zone covering the lower shore. Species representative of these zones are Orchestoidea tuberculata and Excirolana braziliensis in the upper shore, E. hirsuticauda and E. monodi in the middle shore and Emerita analoga and Bathyporeiapus magellanicus in the lower shore. This study also showed that zones were ordinated along an intertidal gradient of sediment water content. The 3 zone pattern agrees with the worldwide scheme proposed by Dahl (1952; Oikos 4: 1-27). Body-size comparisons showed that individual sizes in some species differed across their intertidal distribution.

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