Young Blonde Girl Shows Off On The Sandy Beach At The Sea

Sandy shorelines are some of the most extensive intertidal systems worldwide, dominating most of the temperate and tropical coastlines, where they represent both excellent recreational assets and buffer zones against the sea . Despite their initial barren and sterile appearance, many sandy beaches sandy littoral localities might even be considered as highly productive . Shallow marine sands that appear to consist of clean mineral grains only harbour a microscopic community of microorganisms (bacteria, fungi, protozoa), meio- and macrofauna organisms that in its diversity rivals that of terrestrial ecosystems. Every single individual of this sedimentary community affects the processing of organic matter within the sediment and thereby enhances the biocatalytical filtration capacity of the permeable sand beds.
Biodiversity of sandy beaches
Most invertebrate phyla are represented on sandy beaches, either as interstitial forms or as members of the macrofauna . The macrofaunal forms are by far the better known. Some of them are typical of intertidal sands and their surf zone, while others are more characteristic of sheltered sandbanks, sandy muds or estuaries and are less common on open beaches of pure sand .