New applications of the Poisson distribution in micropalaeontology: relationships between environmental variables and the Ammonia tepida distribution in the south‐western Spanish estuaries

The application of the Poisson regression to the populations of the benthic foraminifer Ammonia tepida collected in three south‐western Spanish estuaries permits to obtain a quantitative approach between some environmental variables and the number of individuals of this species. Although the three general models are unsatisfactory to predict the observed abundance of this micro‐organism, a partial statistical analysis permits to detect quantitatively the impact of each variable. This analysis indicates an increasing abundance from the high‐salt marshes to the subtidal channels and higher densities in those samples subjected to very euryhaline conditions. Increasing sand percentages show negative effects on the A. tepida abundance, whereas the silt contents do not affect significantly to this species and increasing organic carbon percentages have a small positive effect on the A. tepida densities.