Sandy beaches are the most widely distributed coastal systems worldwide and have several relevant ecological functions. However, in the last decades, they have been subjected to an increasing human pressure related with recreational activities, unbridled urbanization of coastal areas and tourism, which led to an environmental quality decline of these fragile ecosystems. Often dominated by Crustaceans, the macrofauna of exposed sandy beaches occupies a key-position in the food chains and plays an important ecological role in sandy shore function. Studying abundant species at the population...