Figure 7. Ahistogram illustrating the relative contributionsmade by eachmajor faunalgroup tothe totalabundae, taxonomicrichness and biomass sampledfrom across heEAOW cable rtearea.
Figure 8 illustrates the ten taxa that made the greatest contribution to total abundance across the study area. The most abundant taxon was the tubiculous polychaete Sabellaria spinulosa, this was followed by the bivalve molluscs of the family Mytilidae and the species Abra alba. The species that made the fourth greatest contribution to abundance was the barnacle Balanus crenatus. The polychaetes Sphaerosyllis bulbosa and Spiophanes bombyx also made significant contributions to total abundance. The ten species listed in Figure 8 contributed 55% of the total abundance from samples across the site.
Figure 9 illustrates the ten taxa were found in the greatest proportion of samples across the area of interest. The most widely distributed taxa were the ribbon worms (NEMERTEA), followed by the polychaete worm Spiophanes bombyx, which both occurred in over 50% of the samples.
Bivalve molluscs of the family Mytilidae occurred at 48% of the survey stations. The round worms (NEMATODA) were identified in 38% of the samples. OPHIUROIDEA (brittle stars) and the polychaete worm of the genus Polycirrus occurred in 34% of the samples.
Comparisons between Figure 8 and Figure 9 reveal that many of the most abundant taxa were also widely distributed across the area of interest, although their abundances at each station were not necessarily consistent.
