Abstract
The spatial pattern of macrozoobenthos in an intertidal area was studied. Four commonly used measures of aggregation, the V/m ratio, k of the negative binomial distribution, the indices of Lloyd and b of the Taylor power function, were calculated and compared for 13 species based on 176 samples. It is argued that, contrary to common practice, the b value of the Taylor power function should not be used without the value of a, since it only measures how aggregation changes with density. The parameter k of the NBD is found to be an unreliable index of aggregation and the indices of Lloyd are difficult to interpret as well. There is very good agreement between the results of the V/m ratio and the b value of the Taylor power function. Only three species are distributed randomly, all others being aggregated. The consequences on the accuracy of sampling is discussed and it is concluded that 5 samples of 176 cm2 give an accuracy of 50% for the common species.
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Meire, P.M., Dereu, J.P.J., van der Meer, J. et al. Aggregation of littoral macrobenthic species: some theoretical and practical considerations. Hydrobiologia 175, 137–148 (1989). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00765124
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00765124