Abstract

The talitrid amphipod Orchestoidea tuberculata (Nicolet) is one of the dominant species inhabiting the upper intertidal of a variety of morphodynamic types of exposed sandy beaches of the Chilean coast. The macroalgae stranded on the beach are the primary food source for this amphipod. In this study, we analyzed the influence of the availability of macroalgae and beach morphodynamic features on the population abundance and life history of O. tuberculata. Eleven beaches of the coast of Valdivia (ca. 39