Seasonal changes in abundance of Gammarus oceanicus (Crustacea, Amphipoda) in Newfoundland

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Abundance of Gammarus oceanicus reaches a peak in late summer – early autumn and declines to a low in the spring just before the young are produced. G. oceanicus disappears from the upper beach in late autumn, but is found permanently at lower levels. At low tide the numbers found under stones vary directly with stone size and inversely with the level of the stone on the beach. This, in turn, is related to environmental temperature. In the microhabitat under the stones, temperature varies inversely with stone size and directly with the level on the beach.