Organism and Environment on Polluted Beaches: A Canonical Correlation Analysis

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Abstract
Beach conditions and the variety and abundance of intertidal macrofauna on beaches in different states of pollution on the south shore of the Outer Firth of Forth [Scotland, United Kingdom] were studied. Exploration of the nexus linking species with sediment was carried out using the statistical method of canonical correlation analysis. On the most heavily polluted of the 4 beaches included in the analysis, 2 contrasting features of the macrofaunal community are apparent: Scolelepis fuliginosa and Spio filicornis form a substantial part of the biomass and are associated with finer sediments, whereas Eteone longa contributes less to the biomass and is associated with coarser sediments which have a lower organic content. Beach characteristics and the species associated with them are largely specific to the individual beaches along a pollution gradient. An outline description of the observed nexus is given.

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