Table 4. Abundance and feeding types of characteristic species (ind/m2) for the different communities found on the Dogger Bank in May 1996–1998. Species are ordered in decreasing contribution to similarity, as indicated by SimPer for the √√ transformed abundance data; HP hyperbenthos predator, IF interface feeder, P predator, SD surface deposit feeder, SL sandlicker, SSD subsurface deposit feeder, SyD symbiotic deposit feeder, U unknown
Bank community | South-West Patch community | North-eastern community | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Spiophanes bombyx | IF | 514 | Bathyporeia elegans | SL | 192 | Spiophanes bombyx | IF | 125 |
Magelona johnstonii | IF | 74 | Nephtys cirrosa | P | 60 | Bathyporeia elegans | SL | 114 |
Amphiura brachiata | IF | 83 | Bathyporeia guilli. | SL | 75 | Scoloplos armiger | SSD | 59 |
Bathyporeia elegans | SL | 158 | Donax vittatus | SF | 44 | Polinices pulchellus | P | 15 |
Fabulina fabula | IF | 85 | Polinices pulchellus | P | 21 | Perioculodes longimanus | U | 17 |
Bathyporeia guilli. | SL | 83 | Pontocrates arenarius | U | 15 | Chaetozone sp. F group | SD | 12 |
Polinices pulchellus | P | 39 | Perioculodes longimanus | U | 9 | Edwardsiidae spp. | HP | 24 |
Magelona filiformis | IF | 30 | Spiophanes bombyx | IF | 125 | Dosinia lupinus | SF | 12 |
Perioculodes longimanus | U | 22 | Goniada maculata | P | 4 | Nephtys assimilis | P | 10 |
Phoronis mülleri | SF | 11 | Magelona johnstonii | IF | 4 | Cerianthus lloydii | HP | 62 |
Owenia fusiformis | IF | 13 |
|
|
| Gari fervensis | SF | 11 |
Nephtys assimilis | P | 7 |
|
|
| Ophelia borealis | SSD | 10 |
Bathyporeia tenuipes | SL | 27 |
|
|
| Abra prismatica | SD | 26 |
Spio cf. decorata | IF | 24 |
|
|
| Magelona johnstonii | IF | 14 |
Chaetozone sp. F group | SD | 11 |
|
|
| Amphiura filiformis | IF | 14 |
Iphinoe trispinosa | SL | 10 |
|
|
| Echinocyamus pusillus | SL | 20 |
Urothoe poseidonis | SL | 12 |
|
|
| Goniada maculata | P | 7 |
Nephtys cirrosa | P | 13 |
|
|
| Phoronis mülleri | SF | 30 |
Edwardsiidae spp. | HP | 8 |
|
|
| Hippomedon denticulatus | U | 5 |
Goniada maculata | P | 7 |
|
|
| Magelona filiformis | IF | 15 |
Mean total abundance per m2 |
| 1,184 |
|
| 573 |
|
| 813 |
Mean species number per 0.4 m2 |
| 49 |
|
| 23 |
|
| 50 |
Southern Amphiura community | Western Amphiura community | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Amphiura | Transitional | |||||||
Amphiura filiformis | IF | 640 | Amphiura filiformis | IF | 376 | Amphiura filiformis | IF | 103 |
Mysella bidentata | SF | 127 | Pholoe baltica | P | 33 | Spiophanes bombyx | IF | 182 |
Spiophanes bombyx | IF | 300 | Spiophanes bombyx | IF | 109 | Scoloplos armiger | SSD | 44 |
Pholoe baltica | P | 66 | Diplocirrus glaucus | SD | 23 | Bathyporeia elegans | SL | 85 |
Magelona filiformis | IF | 23 | Mysella bidentata | SF | 36 | Goniada maculata | P | 11 |
Polinices pulchellus | P | 13 | Phoronis mülleri | SF | 16 | Echinocyamus pusillus | SL | 199 |
Nemertini spp. | P | 13 | Nemertini spp. | P | 14 | Polinices pulchellus | P | 13 |
Nucula nitidosa | SSD | 61 | Cylichna cylindracea | P | 16 | Ophelia borealis | SSD | 58 |
Echinocardium cordatum | SD | 10 | Phaxas pellucidus | SF | 10 | Phaxas pellucidus | SF | 14 |
Phaxas pellucidus | SF | 11 | Lucinoma borealis | SyD | 8 | Phoronis mülleri | SF | 8 |
Bathyporeia tenuipes | SL | 10 | Nucula nitidosa | SD | 22 | Cochlodesma pratenue | SF | 6 |
Harpinia antennaria | U | 7 | Harpinia antennaria | U | 13 | Owenia fusiformis | IF | 7 |
Tellimya ferruginosa | SF | 7 | Scoloplos armiger | SSD | 13 | Sthenelais limicola | P | 7 |
Cylichna cylindracea | P | 12 | Edwardsiidae spp. | HP | 7 | Edwardsiidae spp. | HP | 10 |
Thyasira flexuosa | SyD | 16 | Echinocardium cordatum | SD | 4 | Nephtys assimilis | P | 4 |
Nephtys hombergii | P | 10 | Thyasira flexuosa | SyD | 5 | Echinocardium cordatum | SD | 3 |
Diplocirrus glaucus | SD | 29 | Nephtys hombergii | P | 8 | Bathyporeia guilliamsoniana | SL | 4 |
Phoronis mülleri | SF | 11 | Nuculoma tenuis | SSD | 21 | Amphiura brachiata | IF | 15 |
Scoloplos armiger | SSD | 37 | Eudorellopsis deformis | SL | 13 | Abra prismatica | SD | 12 |
Abra alba | SD | 20 | Goniada maculata | P | 5 | Nemertini spp. | P | 6 |
Mean total abundance per m2 |
| 1,748 |
|
| 992 |
|
| 1,000 |
Mean species number per 0.4m2 |
| 47 |
|
| 50 |
|
| 53 |