Spatial distribution of the infaunal benthic communities of the Ría de Muros, north-west Spain

✍ Scribed by E. López-Jamar

• Publisher: Springer-Verlag
• Year: 1981
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 868 KB
• Volume: 63
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0025-3162
• DOI: 10.1007/bf00394660

✦ Synopsis

Benthic samples were collected at 13 stations in the Rta de Muros, north-west Spain. There are three major communities: (1) in the southern and outer part of the r/a, an Amphiura filiformis -Thyone fusus community, inhabiting sandy sediments with low organic content;

(2) in the middle part of the rla, an Amphiura ehiajei -Maldane glebifex community, inhabiting muddy sediments that are not anoxic (sulphide not detected);

(3) in Muros Bay and the inner part of the rla, a Spiochaetopterus costarum community, inhabiting anoxic sediments with high organic content. Biomass is very high (up to 46.2 g ash-free dry wt) in the first two communities. In the Spiochaetopterus costarum community, biomass and diversity are much lower, probably because of oxygen deficiency.