Fig. 7. Continued. 



station: JORDAN COVE INTERTIDAL 

 Hedxste diversicoLor 



R ^ = 0.47 



UAR79 MAR80 MAR81 MAR82 MAR83 MAR84 MARB5 MAR86 UAR87 MAR88 



, STATION: oORDAN COVE INTERTIDAL 

 Hediste diversicoloT 



Rhynchocoela 



The majority of rhynchocoel species either bur- 

 row in the sand or live among seaweeds on rocky 

 shores. Although common in all seas, this group 

 is most common in colder waters. Species which 

 live in mud and sand are excellent burrowers and 

 coupled with their ability to stretch, they are able 

 to escape the beating surf (MacGinitie and 

 MacGinitie 1968). These carnivores have been 

 among the numerical dominants at both GN and 

 WP throughout the monitoring program. They 



were the most abundant taxa collected at WP 

 during 1986 and 1987. At GN, this taxon was 

 less abundant in 1986-87 (ranking 4th) compared 

 to the 1980-85 period; when it ranked 1st. 



During 1986-87, quarterly abundance ranged 

 from 1 - 43/core at WP and from 2 - 10/core at 

 GN (Fig. 7I-J). Seasonal patterns in abundance 

 were evident only at WP, where densities were 

 highest in June in each of the last two years, a 

 pattern consistent with previous years. Abun- 

 dances at WP during 1986-87 fluctuated widely 



Benthic Infauna 



79 



