Spatial and Temporal Patterns in Structure of Macrobenthic Assemblages. A Three-Year Study in the Northern Adriatic Sea in Front of the Po River Delta |
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| Authors: | R Ambrogi D Bedulli G Zurijni |
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| Institution: | ENEL Centra Ricerca Tcrmica Nuclearc, 1–20134 Milano, Italy.;Musco di Storia Naturalc, Univcrsita, 1–43100 Parma, Italy.;ENEA Centra Ricerchc Encrgia Ambicntc S. Teresa, La Spczia, Italy. |
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| Abstract: | Abstract. Coastal benthic communities in soft-bottom deposits of a restricted area were studied by seasonal sampling at nine stations. Faunal assemblages at three different depths were consistently different and exhibited a seasonal pattern of abundance and diversity. Multivariate statistical analyses suggest that each community structure is very similar during the three summer samplings; in autumn and winter many causes of disturbance can disrupt this structure, which is reconstituted the following summer. The stability of benthic communities in this physically variable environment is discussed and a "cyclic" adjustment mechanism of stability is proposed to explain the dynamics of the benthos in this area. |
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| Keywords: | Adriatic Sea deltas macrobenthos temporal trends long-term studies multivariate analysis |
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