The spatial distribution of the subtidal benthic macrofauna and its relationship with environmental factors using geostatistical tools: a case study in Trapandé Bay, southern Brazil

Modeling the distribution patterns of the estuarine macrobenthic community has revealed itself as a difficult task due to spatio-temporal heterogeneity. This study uses ordinary kriging and Poisson modeling to generate distribution maps of the subtidal benthic macrofauna in the Trapandé Bay (southeastern Brazil). Samples were taken in duplicate from 36 locations distributed along nine transects perpendicular to the main estuarine axis in October 2006 and March 2007. One-hundred and seventy taxa belonging to 12 phyla, were identified, with dominance of Annelida Polychaeta. Distribution maps we...