Abstract
Abstract Ninety-nine quantitative substrate samples of 0.2 m2 each, were taken at regular intervals between November 1975 and October 1976, from sandy bottoms at 0.3-13.3 m depth. The sediment was rich in CaCO3. Thirty-two bivalve species (3685 individuals) were obtained. Lucinoma borealis was by far the most common species (59.6% by number) followed by Dosinia exoleta (11.6%) and Astarte montagui (5.8%). Most species showed a specific preference concerning sediment structure, and two distinct groups or ‘communities’ of bivalves could be distinguished, and their distributions were shown to be correlated with the grain-size distribution in the sediment. It was not possible to explain the specific distribution patterns by means of feeding methods. Both types, i.e. deposit- and suspension-feeders, were spread throughout the sampling area. Species which are deposit-feeders made up only 1.9 % of the individuals sampled, and 81 % of the species were suspension-feeders, which indicates that the biotope was more ...
Published Version
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