LATITUDINAL GRADIENTS IN THE STRUCTURE OF MACROBENTHIC COMMUNITIES - A COMPARISON OF ARCTIC, TEMPERATE AND TROPICAL SITES

As part of a programme to re-assess the existence of latitudinal gradi ents in the diversity of the macrobenthic infauna of soft sediments, s amples were taken from Sassenfjord, Spitzbergen. Abundance-biomass cur ves showed the shallowest sites to be moderately disturbed, possibly a s a result of glacial run-off from the Gipselva. These clearly differe d from a site at 123 m which appeared to be in an undisturbed state. A comparison of the diversity profile of the latter site (78-degrees-N) with those of physically similar sites in the North Sea (55-degrees-N ) and off the coast of Java (7-degrees-S), sampled by identical method s, shows no real difference in diversity.