Application of brachiopods in palaeoceanographic reconstructions; Macandrevia cranium (Müller, 1776) from the Norwegian shelf

The brachiopod Macandrevia cranium (Müller, 1776) occurs in Late Weichselian and Holocene sediments from the Norwegian continental shelf. It is particularly well known from the southern Barents Sea where it is a characteristic member of the Holocene macrofpssil assemblages. The Recent biogeography of the species is established. The general distribution is not random, but is almost completely confined to the continental shelves surrounding the North Atlantic and the Norwegian‐Greenland Sea. The distribution pattern is compared with information on autecology and possible limiting environmental factors. It is concluded that there is substantial evidence that the distribution of Recent M. cranium is a function of dispersal by the Gulf Stream and its continuations, e.g. the Norwegian Current and the North Cape Current. Thus the stratigraphic occurrence of M . cranium in sediments on the Norwegian continental shelf may be used as an important marker for the presence of Atlantic water. Late Weichselian records of rare specimens of the species are related to incipient influx of Atlantic water following the deglaciation. Early Holocene records of abundant specimens are related to the final intrusion of the Norwegian Current. These records also suggest that the Holocene introduction of the species is time‐transgressive in a south‐north direction.