Macrozoobenthos of the sandy littoral zone in the military area between Hel and Jurata

The aim of the study was to determine the distribution, composition and seasonal variability of macrozoobenthos in the sandy littoral zone of the military area between Hel and Jurata. The results of qualitative and quantitative investigations of the benthic fauna are presented. The material was collected monthly from November 1991 till November 1992 at 10 stations situated in the sandy littoral zone (0.5-1 m depth) on the Puck Bay shore of the Hel Peninsula. A total of 17 macrofaunal taxa were identified. At each station 2 or 3 subsamples were collected with a 225 cm2 Petersen grab. The average abundance and wet weight of particular taxa were calculated. Bathyporeia pilosa, Hediste diversicolor and Oligochaeta were most frequent taxa in the study area. Polychaeta and Bivalvia constituted up to 93% of the bottom fauna biomass, Hediste diversicolor was the dominant species.