Zoological Institute, Russian Academy of Science, White Sea Biological Station Laboratory, Universitetskaya naberezhnaya 1, St.-Petersburg 199034, Russia

Abstract

In fouling communities that developed on the ropes macro-organisms form aggregations locating not on a plate but along one axis (the "length" of substrate). This fact allows to use the method of time series analysis for their investigation. Mytilus edulus L. and Styela rustica L. are dominants of studied communities. The distribution of biomass of subdominant species is usually correlated with the changes of spatial characters of aggregations of sedentary organisms and is not dependent on the dominant species of the community. Any coincidence of their aggregations with the patches of dominant species were not found. Coincidence of aggregations of dominant and subdominant species on topic and trophic levels are not obligate. Close correlation was shown between aggregations of predator and prey.