Abstract
Quantitative data on plants and animals from 20 transects of the eulittoral zone in 8 fjords of sub-arctic east Iceland were analysed by a number of classification and ordination techniques. Field work was carried out during two periods of spring tides in June and July 1987. The study was restricted to gently sloping stable bedrock, but transects were otherwise randomly chosen. Species composition was strongly influenced by the relative position of the transects along the length of the fjords. Species richness increased from heads towards mouths. Increased temperature fluctuations towards inner parts of fjords are suggested as an explanation for these patterns, while salinity is unlikely to be a critical factor. The analyses also indicate that degree of exposure, as measured both by a physically derived index and by a simple biological index, is an important factor in structuring these eulittoral communities, although affecting species richness only slightly, if at all. Classification of transects results in a number of community types which, however, are not well defined. A classification based on the presence/absence of three canopy-forming fucoids yields groups of transects differing in species composition and in degree of exposure. The rocky eulittoral communities of the fjords of eastern Iceland resemble those of northern Norway, but differ in that several key species of the latter communities are missing, probably largely due to the isolation of Iceland.
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Hansen, J.R., Ingólfsson, A. Patterns in species composition of rocky shore communities in sub-arctic fjords of eastern Iceland. Marine Biology 117, 469–481 (1993). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00349323
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00349323