The influence of marine sand extraction on benthic copepod communities

More than 95% of the sand extraction on the Belgian Continental Shelf occurs on the Kwintebank and is concentrated at the north-western tip and in the centre of the bank. The extraction activities impact bottom habitat structure and diversity by coarsening and homogenising the sediment and cause a strong erosion process. Density, diversity and community structure of harpacticoid copepods on the Kwintebank were determined and related to sediment characteristics and sand extraction intensity. Samples were taken in 1997 with a Reineck box corer and included 10 stations on the bank and 2 in the ch... Mehr ...