Abstract
With two exceptions, no general patterns of patchiness of the megabenthos were found on the Antarctic shelf and off northeast Greenland. Underwater videos were used as a sampling method and Morisita's Index of Dispersion for statistical analysis. A gradient from randomness to patchiness occurred for most taxa, whereas the pattern of asteroids could not be distinguished from randomness. In the Antarctic, the totals of other mobile animals were less aggregated than for sessile taxa. The findings are interpreted as a result of ecological complexity within species assemblages.
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Gutt, J., Starmans, A. Patchiness of the megabenthos at small scales: ecological conclusions by examples from polar shelves. Polar Biol 26, 276–278 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-002-0468-6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-002-0468-6