JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact support@jstor.org.. The Micropaleontology Project, Inc. is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to Micropaleontology.ABSTRACT: Sediment grab samples from a series of depth transects were collected at 112 locations on the continental margin of Portugal. The benthic microfauna is rich and diverse; 248 species in 107 genera were observed. Distributions of the more frequent benthic species were further examined. Twenty-four species of planktonic foraminifera were identified. All the data have been treated by a descriptive multivariate analysis (correspondence analysis).The major oceanographic feature is seasonal upwelling, which decreases the planktonic-benthic ratio and permits the introduction of cold water species, both benthic and planktonic. The distribution of benthic and planktonic species depends on the depth and more exactly on factors related to it: temperature and its seasonal variations, salinity and sediment facies. Three benthic distributional patterns have been related to the grain size of the sediment. We can distinguish sand-dwellers, species tolerant towards muddy sediment, species tolerant towards muddy sand and species living indifferently in sand and mud.
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