The Distribution and Abundance of Macrobenthic Invertebrates in the Hormozgan Province, the Persian Gulf

During the Persian Gulf and Oman Sea Oceanographic study (PG-GOOS) in autumn 2012, sampling of macrobenthos was undertaken in 31 stations in Hormozgan Province waters. Three samples were taken from each site using Van Veen grab. Effects of environmental variables on assemblages and distributions of macrobenthos were analyzed. A total of 5677 individuals of macrobenthos were counted being represented by 8 taxa (i.e. gastropods, bivalves, polychaetes, crustaceans, scaphopods, echinoderms, sipunculids). The highest average number of macrobenthos belonged to gastropds 52.67 ind. (±18.94). Macrobenthos were distributed mostly around Bu Mussa and Lavan Islands with lower abundances around Kish and Qeshm Islands. Canonical Correspondence and Pearsonʹs Correlation Coefficient analysis found sediment temperature, total organic matter and depth as the main factors contributing to the macrobenthos assemblages (P < 0.05).