Seasonal variability of intertidal bacterial metabolism and growth efficiency in an exposed sandy beach during low tide

Benthic gross primary production (GPP) and community respiration (BCR) were regularly measured on sandy beach sediment during low tide in a megatidal ecosystem. These measurements were assessed during 2 years in situ within a benthic chamber simultaneously with bacterial production (BP). Results suggested that community respiration in Wimereux sandy beach sediments was probably dominated by bacterial respiration and that the estimated benthic bacterial growth efficiency (BGE) was highly variable. Although temperature significantly controlled both BP and BCR during low tide at the annual scale, the temperature effect on BGE was not significant. The instability and sediment erosion caused by the wave action and the tidal cycle were thus thought to influence the BGE. Since the sampling site is regularly affected by Phaeocystis foam deposit (enhancing the BCR and decreasing the BGE), and since GPP rates were highly variable and supported by high assimilation numbers (i.e., > 1 mgC mgChla(-1) h(-1)), phytoplankton organic matter deposit following the immersion of the study site was thought to explain the BGE variability.