Mass strandings of discinid brachiopod shells related to artificial habitat disturbance

Abstract

Although it has believed that discinid brachiopods are rare along the coast of the Japan Sea, the shells were massively washed up on Hamakurosaki beach at the coast of Toyama Bay, concurrently with the construction of an offshore breakwater. After the shore becomes sheltered by the breakwater, brachiopod shell strandings are very rare on the back beach, but still stably commonon the surrounding beaches. The presence of abundant shells suggests that discinid brachiopods are not rare in the coast.