The relative effect of physical disturbance, isolation and keymacrozoobenthic species on community development and sedimentationprocesses were studied in an in situ factorial field Body Powder mesocosmexperiment in the northern Baltic Sea.Differences in abundanceand biomass structure of recolonising invertebrates were dueto exposure and isolation.The initial invertebrate communitieshad a negligible effect on the final communities.However, theorganic matter content Seat Slide of the sediment in isolated cages increasedwith the initial number of invertebrate species.
The main conclusionof the study: physically driven fluxes override the effects ofbiological interactions in shallow water systems of the northernBaltic Sea.