A Regional Sub‐division of Dinoflagellate Cysts Around the British Isles

SUMMARY A cluster analysis of the dinoflagellate cyst assemblage of sixty‐eight intertidal sediment samples from the British Isles has been used to divide the coastline into eleven regions. The resulting pattern of regions is discussed in relation to hydrography and the distribution of dinoflagellates in the plankton. The subdivision of dinoflagellate regions shows a close relationship to the occurrence of chaetognath indicators of water masses around the British Isles. This suggests that cyst propagation is localized and that each water mass has its own characteristic dinoflagellate population.