(1977). Sampling was begun in January 1977 and continued until September 1978, 
well after the nourishment actually took place. Sampling was performed every 
2 weeks because this regime coincided with a tidal cycle in which low tide 
occurred during daylight hours. 
(3) Night-Migrating Consumer Sampling. Approximately every 2 weeks, 
usually on the same day as the macrofaunal sampling, two transects were observed 
on the Fort Macon beach. Each transect was 500 meters long and parallel to the 
waterline. The transects always covered the same beach segment and their 
beginning and end were marked by posts driven into the primary dune. This was 
done to observe and enumerate on a semiquantitative basis the migrating con- 
sumers that visited the intertidal zone at night to feed. The enumerating 
procedure was as follows: A fluorescent camp lantern was suspended from the 
neck of the investigators who then walked each transect, counting all the 
animals in the field of vision covered by the light. A representative sample 
was captured using a hand net, but animals were not chased out of the field of 
vision. As individuals were encountered, they were enumerated using a hand- 
operated counting device. 
The first transect was walked at or near the high tide drift mark left by 
the preceding high tide. This transect was established primarily to measure 
the influx of ghost crabs, Ocypode quadrata, and talitrid amphipods. 
The second transect was walked in the surf zone at a water depth of 20 to 
50 centimeters, where the bottom could be viewed clearly. On this transect 
mainly portunid crabs and fish were observed, but ghost crabs were occasionally 
encountered. Crabs and fish were taken whenever possible, and crabs were 
enumerated even when not caught. It was generally impossible to enumerate the 
numerous fast-moving fish; however, when fish were taken, their gut contents 
were examined and identified. 
2. Laboratory Work. 
a. Biological Methods. 
(1) Analyses of Microalgal Samples. Several different methods of 
analysis were tried to obtain results. None of them produced any organisms for 
study. The first set of samples taken during the spring of 1977 was placed 
in finger bowls in the laboratory. Glass microslide cover slips were placed on 
the surface of each sample. Each sample was then covered with 0.5 centimeter 
of filtered seawater. The following morning one cover slip from each sample 
was removed, dried on a hotplate, and ashed in a muffle furnace at 450° Celsius 
for 1 hour. The cover slips were then mounted, using HyraxR mounting medium, 
and viewed under several magnifications including oil immersion. On the second 
and third days another cover slip was removed and the process repeated. 
The second set of samples taken during the summer of 1977 was first 
swirled with freshwater and decanted to remove free-swimming or epipelic forms 
(Round, 1965). Each sample was then placed in a finger bowl. Two cover slips 
were placed on the surface and, in addition, small pieces of lens tissue were 
placed on each sample. The lens tissue was later teased apart under magnifica- 
tion and searched for diatoms or other algae. After removal of the last cover 
slips, the samples were stained with a vital stain (rose bengal) and individual 
sand grains were examined using a microscope. 
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