Baltic Coastal Zone No. 1 • 1997

PRELIMINARY STUDIES ON SANDY LITTORAL MACROFAUNA AT PROTECTED AREAS OF THE POLISH OPEN BALTIC SEA COAST

Zmudzinski L.¹, Andrulewicz E.²

¹Marine Biological Centre P.A.S., Św. Wojciecha St. 5, 81-341 Gdynia, POLAND²

Departament of Oceanography, Sea Fisheries Institute, Kołłątaja St. 1, 81-332 Gdynia, POLAND

Baltic Coastal Zone No 1, pp. 33-43, ISSN 0208-7251

Abstract

This paper presents results of summer research project on benthic macrofauna carried out in 1992. The project was conducted along three protected areas of the Polish open Baltic coast: the Wolin National Park, the Slowinski National Park and the Rozewie Cape. Species composition and average density reflected well the type of bottom sediment. The least populated was coarse sand, while fine and muddy sands were more densely populated. Crustaceans were dominating in each region, while the Rozewie Cape oligochaetes constituted 44% of species abundance.

Key words: sandy littoral, Baltic Sea, zoobenthos