The sandy beaches of Quintana Roo, Mexico: The intertidal fauna diversity

Abstract

Field research of macrofaunal communities of sandy beaches at 10 sites of the central and southern coast of Quintana Roo State, was performed in 2011. For each beach 3 transects were conducted perpendicular to the coast with a variable number of levels depending on the length of the beach. The slopes of the beaches were also variable; however, as a recurring pattern, the southern part of each beach was wider than the northern part. The best represented fauna were mollusks (18 species), but also other groups were recorded such as crustaceans (4), annelids (4), sipunculids (1), nemerteans (1), foraminifera (4) and insects (1). The numerical analysis divided the coast of the state in areas of the Maya Rivera, that were more diverse and richness in fauna, while the sites located in the Gran Costa Maya were the least diverse. The assemblage sites representing the major groups show affinities between nearby sites, but are able to detect differences between areas in the same region. Using a content analysis divisive second-order information, for different groups, the species responsible for most decrease of information was obtained; in mollusks, was Terebra tuberculosa, whereas annelids was Scoloplos latum and for foraminifera Bigenerina angulata. A long-term study is proposed for this ecosystem.