Macrobenthos of a sublittoral sandbank in the Southern Bight of the North Sea
Vanosmael, C.; Willems, K.A.; Claeys, D.; Vincx, M.; Heip, C.H.R. (1982). Macrobenthos of a sublittoral sandbank in the Southern Bight of the North Sea. J. Mar. Biol. Ass. U.K. 62: 521-534
In: Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom. Cambridge University Press/Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom: Cambridge. ISSN 0025-3154; e-ISSN 1469-7769, more
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| Keywords |
Aquatic communities > Benthos
Sedimentary structures > Bed forms > Banks (topography) > Sand banks
ANE, Belgium, Flemish Banks, Kwinte Bank [Marine Regions]; ANE, North Sea, Southern Bight [Marine Regions]
Marine/Coastal |
| Abstract |
The benthic fauna of a linear sandbank, the Kwinte Bank, in the Belgian coastal waters of the North Sea was sampled on ten stations in September 1978. Density and species composition of the macrofauna and sediment characteristics have been studied. The Kwinte Bank shows a gradient from finer sediments in the south to coarser sediments in the north, resulting from the tidal current pattern in the region, and can be considered as a biogeographical island as the bank is surrounded by a region of much finer sediments. The macrofauna consists of 73 identified species and has an average density of 4910 ind./m² and an average diversity of 2.5 bits/ind. Interstitial polychaetes predominate and among those Hesionura augeneri is the most abundant species. Two species groups can be distinguished and can be correlated with sediment characteristics. Both species number and density of the macrofauna increase with increasing grain size whereas diversity decreases due to the predominance of H. augeneri in coarser sediments. The macrobenthic fauna of the Kwinte Bank is clearly related to the fauna of the open sea zone of the Southern Bight, in spite of the fact that the bank is situated in the transition zone between open and coastal waters. |
| Dataset |
- Marine Biology Section, Ugent -Belgium. Macrodat. Macrobenthos of the Belgian Part of the North Sea and associated beaches since 1971. http://www.vliz.be/imis/imis.php?module=dataset&dasid=1615 accessed on [..date of extraction..], more
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