Mudflat habitats represent approximately fifty percent of the Kuwaiti coast, and although they lack macro-vegetation, they exhibit an exceptional biodiversity. Accordingly, the hypothesis that microbial mats form a major source of nutrition
supporting mudflat fauna was investigated for a small tidal embayment, Sulaibikhat Bay, within Kuwait Bay.
The ecology and community structure at two sites within the Bay was investigated in detail for the first time. Although environmental factors (temperature, salinity, pH) fluctuated, they exhibited strong seasonality. Qualitative and quantitative sampling revealed a total of 33 macro-species on the accessible upper intertidal mudflats, with brachyurans representing 40% of the total species assemblage. Both total abundance and biomass were lowest during summer ( 101 individuals^-2 and 6.4 lg AFDW m^-2 respectively) and highest during winter (304 individuals m^-2 and 9.4g AFDW m^-2 respectively), and were comparable with similar tropical habitats world-wide.
 A comparison between a virtually pristine site on the northwestern coast and an environmentally modified/disturbed site on the southern coast, revealed that both biodiversity and species abundance were lower at the latter site. The population dynamics of two dominating brachyuran species, Tylodiplax indica and Ilyoplax stevensi were investigated as potential bio-indicators. Low population levels and recruitment of T indica, at the disturbed site indicates that at this site the Bay is stressed due to physical modification of the upper littoral, and anoxicity due to sewage discharge. As I. stevensi did not demonstrate any difference in population structure between sites, T indica may be a more suitable bio-indicator of environmental stress.
 In the absence of macro-vegetation microbial mats appear to be a major source of primary productivity. Speciation of the mats was highly dependent on location along the intertidal gradient and in association with sediment type and temperature. Diatoms dominated the mat assemblage with 61 %, while Cyanophytes formed 30% of the mats. Field experiments showed that under natural grazing conditions the mat standing stock varied both temporally and spatially even on a small scale. The annual gross mat production within Sulaibikhat Bay is estimated to be 190.97 g C m^-2 , making these mudflats as productive as similar habitats elsewhere. Preliminary calculations also reveal that this habitat may be more productive than other vegetated biotopes within the Gulf region, contributing a gross primary production (GPP) of 12.72 x 10 ¹¹ g C y^-1, which is 30% of the total GPP of Kuwaiti coastal waters.
 Gut and faecal analysis revealed that 9 out of 13 faunal species consumed mats. Stable carbon isotopic analysis confirmed that despite the presence of other sources of primary productivity, fauna either directly grazed on mats, or preyed upon primary consumers .
 It is concluded that these mudflats are unique due to their high biodiversity, endemic species, and high faunal abundances. It is further demonstrated that microbial mats support much of the benthic faunal production supplying the energy requirements of commercial fish and shellfish. There is an urgent requirement for conservation of the last pristine area within the Bay.