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Notes On Sea Beach Ecology. Food Sources On Sandy Beaches And Localized Diatom Blooms Bordering Gulf Beaches, Gordon Gunter

Gulf and Caribbean Research

Food production along sandy beaches is much different from that of rocky beaches. No large algae grow on sand beaches. Small filamentous green algae find footholds upon molluscs, mole crabs, strands of Leptogorgia and logs. Basic food along the sand beach is made up of diatoms, bacteria, unicellular algae and detritus; diatoms are probably the most abundant autotrophic organism; the beach bacteria are largely heterotrophic. Most food on sandy beaches comes from the sea. The sandy shore seems to be barren, but it swarms with plant and animal life. Food production has a seasonal aspect. Food strands more abundantly on …