Abstract
Two hundred and eighty-eight quantitative benthic invertebrate samples were collected during four quarterly sampling cruises at two areas off the Delaware coast. Species composition, species dominance (abundance and frequency of occurrence), density, and species evenness were compared. Based on cluster analysis three species-site groups emerged: (1) a high energy shoal assemblage characterized by a year-round suite of haustoriids and a few bivalves, (2) a mixed hard bottom-sand assemblage that featured marked seasonal dominance of Mytilus edulis with a variety of seasonal epifaunal and infaunal species, (3) a medium sand assemblage with a variety of seasonal infaunal species. Similar assemblages have been recognized off New Jersey and New York. Seasonal fluctuations in undisturbed coastal invertebrate assemblages can be so marked that many environmental impact studies are inadequate to assess the effects of human activities.
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