Temporal variations in fine sand assemblages in the North Aegean sea (Eastern Mediterranean)

Two sites were selected in the North Aegean Sea for the study of shallow fine sand assemblages, which are poorly known in the Eastern Mediterranean. The biomonitoring of these sites can provide useful information on the impact of human activities on the macrofaunal and meiofaunal composition of these assemblages. In order to examine this impact, sampling took place in five different periods between 2000 and 2001. The qualitative and quantitative compositions of the communities at the two sites showed certain differences, mostly between the sites and the year of sampling rather than between sampling periods, which would be the expected outcome. The communities seem to be affected by a combination of the human activities with the particular hydrodynamics of the studied sites.