Important scales of distribution patterns of benthic species in the Gretagrund area, the central Gulf of Riga

Abstract

In this paper we quantify the relative importance of scale-specific variability of the prevalent macroalgal and benthic invertebrate species in the Gretagrund area, the central Gulf of Riga. The spectra of variability were related to those of different abiotic environmental factors. The used methodology allows identifying the correlation scales in which environmental variability predicts the distribution of benthic communities. The study showed that the spatial variability of benthic macrophytes and invertebrates varied among species and there was no key single spatial scale where the variability of species was higher. The study also showed that multiple environmental variables interactively contributed to the spatial patterns of benthic macrophyte and invertebrate species.