| Popis: |
Very few benthos surveys and even fewer detailed investigations have been carried out in the central North Sea. Therefore the macrozoobenthos of a muddy area north-east of the Dogger Bank was intensively investigated. Samples were taken at two stations in 1983 every two months. Species composition, abundance, biomass and seasonal changes of the Amphiura filiformis -association were determined. In comparison to the same type of association in the German Bight ( Salzwedel et al. , 1985), the area north-east of the Dogger Bank has higher species numbers, three times the abundance and twice the biomass. The investigated area is located at the transition from the southern to the central North Sea. Seasonal variations in hydrographic conditions are much lower than in the German Bight. The fauna consists of species occurring either south or north of the Dogger Bank. First results of a mapping of the benthos from the central North Sea (ICES North Sea Benthos Survey) are showing that the fauna corresponds more with the association south of the Dogger Bank. |
