02302nas a2200265   4500008004100000245007200041210006900113260009400182300001200276490000700288520143100295653001101726653002601737653001801763653001401781653001601795653002401811653002001835100001701855700001301872700001801885700001501903700001501918856010301933       2005                        eng d00aMeiofauna as descriptor of tourism-induced changes at sandy beaches0 aMeiofauna as descriptor of tourisminduced changes at sandy beach  aTHE BOULEVARD, LANGFORD LANE, KIDLINGTON, OXFORD OX5 1GB, OXON, ENGLANDbELSEVIER SCI LTD  a245-2650 v603 aTourism has long been considered as a 'clean industry' with almost no negative effects on the environment. This study demonstrated, in two different coastal systems (Mediterranean and Baltic), that tourism related activities are particularly affecting the sandy beach meio-and nematofauna in the upper beach zone, the specific ecotone in which many meiofauna species from both the marine and the terrestrial environment congregate. Tourist upper beaches are characterized by a lower % total organic matter (%TOM), lower densities, lower diversities (absence of Insecta, Harpacticoida, Oligochaeta, terrestrial nematodes and marine Ironidae nematodes) and higher community stress compared to nearby non-tourist locations. The %TOM was found to be the single most important factor for the observed differences in meiofauna assemblage structure at tourist versus non-tourist beaches in both the Mediterranean and the Baltic region. The free-living nematode assemblages from tourist upper zones depart significantly from expectations based on random selections from the regional nematode species pool. Furthermore upper zone assemblages are characterised by a low species diversity consisting of taxonomically closely related nematode species with r-strategist features. Generally, faunal differences between tourist and non-tourist beaches are decreasing towards the lower beach zones. (c) 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.10aBaltic10afree-living nematodes10aMediterranean10ameiofauna10asandy beach10ataxonomic diversity10atourist impacts1 aGheskiere, T1 aVincx, M1 aWeslawski, JM1 aScapini, F1 aDegraer, S  uhttps://nematoda.myspecies.info/content/meiofauna-descriptor-tourism-induced-changes-sandy-beaches