The spatial distribution patterns of the macrozoobenthic community on the continental shelf off Santa Marta, Colombian Caribbean Sea, was determined on the basis of bottom samples taken at 27 stations in water depths between 15 and 100 m. The taxocenosis Polychaeta-Mollusca-Crustacea was quantified at the genus level and data were analyzed using classification and ordination techniques. Results indicated the presence of several macrobenthic assemblages arranged in bands parallel to the shore. Lower abundance, diversity and richness of genera was associated with increasing water depth. Of the five environmental variables measured, only water depth appeared to be related to the distribution pattern of the biological associations. The shallowest assemblage had a structurally more complex benthic assemblage than deeper zones with muddy bottoms.
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