Table D.2. Summary of literature regarding the effects of macroalgae (biomass or percent cover) on 
estuarine infauna, epifauna, fishes, and shorebirds. 
Taxa 
Type 
Location 
T 
(° C) 
Sediment 
H 2 S or Low 
Eh 
Effect* 
Macroalgal 
Density 
Citation 
Shorebirds 
S 
England 
(S. coast) 
Y 
■i abundance 
Cover: 75% in 
20% of 
intertidal 
Tubbs 
(1977) 
Shorebirds 
S 
England 
(S. coast) 
Y 
Neg. correl.: areas 
densest algal mats vs. 
abundance 
Cover: >25% in 
40% of 
intertidal 
Tubbs & 
Tubbs 
(1980) 
Infauna 
Epi. fauna 
Shorebirds 
s 
England 
(S. coast) 
Y 
i infauna 
T epibenth.fauna 
i shorebirds 
Cover: 42 % 
Nicholls et al. 
(1981) 
Infauna 
Shorebirds 
s 
England 
(S. coast) 
Little effect on 
zoobenthos or shorebirds 
~ 300 gdw m' 2 
Soulsby et al. 
(1982) 
Shorebirds 
s 
England 
(S. coast) 
i abundance 
(refutes Soulsby et al., 
1982) 
Cover: >25% in 
40% of 
intertidal 
Tubbs & 
Tubbs 
(1983) 
Infauna/ 
Epi.fauna 
F 
Ireland 
(S.W. coast) 
Y 
i infauna 
T epi.fauna 
Thrush 
(1986) 
Infauna 
F 
Scotland 
(E. coast) 
Y 
xl amphipods 
t polych. & bivalves 
60 gdw m*“ 
Hull 
(1987) 
Infauna 
F 
Sweden 
(S. coast) 
~20 
i larval settlement 
143 gdw m' 2 
Olafsson 
(1988) 
Infauna 
S 
Scotland 
(E. coast) 
Altered infaunal 
composition 
440 gdw m' 2 
Raffaelli et al. 
(1989) 
Infauna 
F 
Central 
California 
Y 
i bivalves 
xl phoronids 
800 gdw m' 2 
Cover: 100 % 
Everett 
(1991) 
Infauna 
F 
Scotland 
(E. coast) 
Y 
xl amphipods 
by ~90 % 
200 gdw m' 2 
Raffaelli et al. 
(1991) 
Infauna 
S 
North Baltic 
Sea 
~16 
xl bivalves by 73 % 
832 gdw m' 2 
Bonsdorff 
(1992) 
Epibenthic 
fauna 
S 
Sweden 
(W. coast) 
14-20 
xl epi.fauna by > 50 % 
Epiphyte cover 
on eelgrass: 
80% 
Isaksson & 
Pihl (1992) 
Juvenile 
flatfish 
s 
Sweden (W. 
coast) 
4-20 
xl abundance 
Cover: 50% 
Pihl & van der 
Veer (1992) 
Infauna 
F 
Central 
California 
1 bivalves by ~ 70 % 
220 gdw m' 2 
Cover: 100 % 
Everett 
(1994) 
Decapods 
Pred. Fish 
F 
Sweden 
(W. coast) 
10-20 
T decapods 
xl foraging 
Cover: 35 % 
Cover: 75 % 
Isaksson et al. 
(1994) 
Fishes 
S 
Sweden 
(W. coast) 
14-20 
i fish biomass 
7-225 
gdw m' 2 
Pihl et al. 
(1994) 
Juvenile 
Flatfish 
L 
S 
Sweden 
(W. coast) 
9-12 
xl settling 
xl abundance 
Cover: 80 % 
179 gdw m' 2 
Wennhage & 
Pihl 
(1994) 
Epibenthic 
fauna 
Juvenile 
Flatfish 
S 
Sweden 
(W. coast) 
14-20 
T epi.fauna 
xl epi.fauna 
xl fish sp. & foraging 
Cover:30-50% 
Cover: 90% 
Cover:30-40% 
Pihl et al. 
(1995) 
Shorebirds 
S 
Portugal 
No effect on feeding 
30-60 gdw m' 2 
Murias 
et al. (1996) 
160 
