VERTICAL MIGRATION OF A MIXED-SPECIES EUGLENA (EUGLENOPHYTA) ASSEMBLAGE INHABITING THE HIGH-INTERTIDAL SANDS OF NYE BEACH, OREGON(1).

Abstract

Comparatively little is known about the vertical migration of the microphytobenthic community forming visible patches on high-energy beaches. We collected surface and cored samples to evaluate the timing and extent of downward migration of a multispecies Euglena assemblage inhabiting Nye Beach, Oregon. Euglena density at the surface was highly variable and was not correlated with the time of low tide or instantaneous irradiance measurements; however, triplicate cores collected at low and high tides revealed a tidal rhythm in mean depth. On average, 95% of the assemblage occurred within 1 cm of the surface during low tide, but 54% of the assemblage was collected between 1 and 8 cm below the surface during high tide. A midday shading experiment revealed that short-term changes in irradiance levels altered the Euglena density at the sediment surface by inducing vertical migration. This response to short-term fluctuations in light may explain the weak correlation between cell density at the surface and time of day. The high-intertidal location of these patches prevented the removal of nonmigrating cells by daily high tides, which increased the variability in surface samples and obscured the tidal migration rhythm detected in the core samples. Due in part to the semidiurnal nature of Oregon tides, this study provides in situ confirmation of past mesocosm research indicating that sediment disturbance during daily submersed periods is an important process in maintaining the quasi-tidal rhythm in the appearance and disappearance of Euglena spp. from the surface of beaches and intertidal sandflats.