SPATIAL AUTOCORRELATION ANALYSIS OF MEIOFAUNAL AND MICROALGAL POPULATIONS ON AN INTERTIDAL SANDFLAT - SCALE LINKAGE BETWEEN CONSUMERS AND RESOURCES

Spatial autocorrelation analysis procedures were used to characterize the spatial pattern of meiofaunal and microalgal populations on an intertidal sandflat located in Barnstable Harbor, Massachusetts. Simple correlation analyses between the abundance of meiofaunal groups and microalgal biomass did not reveal significant correlations. However, the results of autocorrelation analyses suggested that total meiofauna, nematodes, copepods, ostracods, Chl α, and pheopigments exhibit significant spatial autocorrelation. Further analysis, using correlograms, showed that these groups share nearly identicial spatial patterns and have similar patch sizes, suggesting a common spatial linkage between these grazers and microalgal resources. © 1990.