Distribution characteristics of macrobenthos in the shoal-water area along the northern coast of Jiangsu Province

A detail species composition and quantity distribution of macrobenthos community in the shoal-water area along the northern coast of Jiangsu Province were first reported. A total of 105 species of macrobenthos was identified and most of them were mollusk, crustacean and fish (93.33%). The average macrobenthos biomass was 0.3285 gm-2 and the average individual density was 0.5460 indm-2 and most of them were mollusk and crustacean. Biomass and density were higher in summer than in spring, and higher in the north area than in the south area. Macrobenthos in this area can be defined into five types by ecological character, dominant key species of each group are presented.