ISSN:
1095-8649
Source:
Blackwell Publishing Journal Backfiles 1879-2005
Topics:
Biology
Notes:
The demersal fish and cephalopod communities of the continental shelf and upper slope from 17 to 395m deep were studied during five annual cruises between Cape Agulhas and Port Alfred, South Africa. The cruises showed a consistent pattern of an inshore community (〈100m), a shelf community (c. 90–190m) and a shelf-edge/upper slope fauna (〉200m). These groups were identified by dendrograms and multidimensional scaling cluster analysis, which supported on-board observations of catch variation with depth. Although the boundaries are not clearly defined, examination of physical features at the clustered stations suggests that depth, temperature and, to a lesser extent, oxygen concentration are important in the grouping. Occasional, apparently anomalous associations of inshore stations suggested that water temperature and oxygen may over-ride the normal depth distributions of the species groups. This intimates that patterns offish and cephalopod distribution may be dynamic and in part related to the physical parameters of the water body.
Type of Medium:
Electronic Resource
URL:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1095-8649.1993.tb01186.x
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