General Patterns of Spatial Distribution of the Integral Characteristics of Benthic Macrofauna of the Northwestern Pacific and Biological Structure of Ocean

Abstract

Horizontal (geographic) and vertical (geonemic) spatial distribution of the integral properties of a large multispecies assemblage (1306 species of fish and invertebrate with body size ≥ 1 cm) from northwest Pacific sea bottom is investigated. There are total number and biomass, average animal size (mean individual weight), species diversity (Shannon’s index) and its components: species richness and evenness (Pielou’s index), i.e. generalized parameters describing benthic macrofauna as a whole. Correlations of these parameters with distance from shore and depth have been found as well as very weak latitudinal zonality display in the region. Even such well-known generalization as Humboldt-Wallace’s law and Bergman’s rule has no noticeable manifestations here. Earlier similar, but not identical, regularities were discovered in the northwest Pacific pelagic water layer. Collation of what there is in the two different sea zones results in new supplements to Zenkevich-Bogorov’s concept of biological structure of the ocean.