A-52 



This again may be related to substrate availability. This 

 conclusion is somewhat tenuous due to the lack of correla- 

 tive substrate characteristics and environmental parameters 

 of the areas viewed. 



The nutrient rich shelf supports a variety of tropic 

 types. However, the fauna is dominated by carnivores and 

 scavengers (crabs and fish) . The upper slope which tends 

 to be rather homogeneous with regard to substrate is also 

 relatively nutrient rich. The fauna here again is dominated 

 by carnivores and scavengers namely, the red crab Geryon 

 quinquedens and fish. The lower slope is slightly more 

 heterogeneous in terms of substrate availability and is 

 rather nutrient poor. This region is dominated by deposit- 

 feeding echinoderms. This pattern is somewhat changed on the 

 walls of canyons. Here the fauna is frequently dominated by 

 sessile filter-feeding organisms, namely corals and sponges. 

 The presence of filter-feeders in canyons and not on the 

 slope may be explained by the postulated nutrient enrichment 

 of canyons and availability of hard substrates. 



In general, no discrete cohesive faunal assemblages 

 were identified by the community analysis. Rather the 

 results indicate that most of the dominant species in the 

 study area are independently distributed. This is concluded 

 from the fact that most end-members of the factor analysis 

 were monospecific. Intensive study of a more restricted 

 geographic area might reveal cohesive localized communities. 



