SBC LTER: Beach: Dynamics of intertidal wrack consumer distributions on an SBC Beach

Distribution of Intertidal Wrack Consumer Beds Over Time Zonation of intertidal biota on sandy beaches is extremely dynamic and challenging to model due to the unstable nature of the sandy substrate and the high mobility of the biota. Distributions of these biota can shift strongly with tides, wave runup, storms, and beach conditions on a variety of temporal scales. High frequency measurements of the positions of intertidal beds of a mid and an upper shore invertebrate species, including wrack consuming talitrid amphipods (Megalorchestia spp) and a deposit feeding polychaete (Euzonus mucronata), were conducted on an SBC study beach, West Isla Vista, for one year.