Distribution of benthic macrofauna in the western Scheldt estuary (The Netherlands)

Twenty stations distributed over four transects in the Western Scheldt estuary were sampled, and the benthic invertebrate community structure examined. Based on cluster analysis and Detrended Correspondence Analysis two main species-site groups emerged: (1) a muddy and fine sand assemblage in the shallow parts that featured a dominance of species belonging to the Macoma balthica community, (2) a medium sand assemblage in the deeper parts.The distribution and abundance of the species seemed primarily determined by the sediment factors but are also influenced by the salinity-gradient.