The meiofauna from seagrass meadows in the western sector of the Gulf of Batabanó, Cuba were studied to describe the spatial and temporal variations in community structure. Replicated cores were taken in three locations (arranged in m-and km-scales) and in two seasons (dry and wet). The meiofauna (metazoans between 500 and 45 µm) were identified to major taxa. Temporal changes in the meiofaunal communities could not be detected and they are not linked to the subtle seasonal changes in the water column. A larger variation in community structure was observed in the spatial m-scale (among cores in a station) probably accredited to heterogeneity of microenvironment and biological processes. A second source of variation in the km-scale (among locations) was identified relating to physical processes affecting seagrass meadows: marine currents and anthropogenic disturbances. Distribution patterns of meiofauna across locations coincide with one study from 20 years ago in seagrass beds (i.e. higher densities in area closer to break-shelf and diminution of fauna at southern of Pinar del Río); however, cumulative anthropogenic disturbances on seagrass meadows would most likely explain the depletion of communities observed in our survey in comparison with decades ago. Estimates of meiofaunal density and richness of major taxa from our study (and other areas from the Cuban shelf) are consistently lower than other temperate and tropical sites; possibly caused by low primary productivity due to narrow tidal amplitude and oligotrophic waters.
Abstract:The vertical distribution of meiofauna within subtidal sediments was studied in four stations pertaining to mangrove or muddy flats habitats. In 2003, replicated samples were taken in dry (February) and wet (July) seasons at the Bacunagua Inlet, southwestern coast of Cuba. The abundance and number of meiofaunal taxa exhibited a vertical gradient possibly due to changes in the concentrations of oxygen and hydrogen sulphide, rather than food availability along this gradient. Nematodes are capable of distributing themselves throughout the whole sediment column due to their ability to tolerate reducing conditions; however depletion of communities along depth was evident. Their presence in deeper sediments (6 -10 cm) suggests that certain species are adequately adapted to spend their entire life cycle in these harsh environments (where soluble tannins and decomposing organic matter predominate). Copepods showed a strong limitation to vertical distribution (concentrating in the top 2 cm), possibly in response to a sharp vertical decline in oxygenation within these organically enriched sediments. Rev. Biol. Trop. 56 (3): 1127-1134. Epub 2008 September 30.Key words: meiofauna, vertical distribution, Caribbean Sea, mangroves, muddy flats.The communities of meiofauna from soft bottom habitats show notable patchiness in their temporal and spatial distribution (Hodda 1990, Soetaert et al. 1995. In comparison to other benthic assemblages (e.g. macrofauna, macroalgae, stony corals, sponges), meiofauna have a well defined three dimensional distribution based on adaptations of their species to occupy the spaces within sediments up to several centimetres in depth (Soetaert et al. 1994). The vertical distribution depends on particular ecological processes (e.g. oxygenation of pore water, interstitial circulation, concentration of H 2 S), still poorly understood (Steyaert et al. 1999). In comparison to temperate habitats, the ecology of meiofauna in tropical areas still needs to be widely explored, particularly the vertical distribution.Mangroves are subtidal or intertidal tropical ecosystems characterized by high primary production and where the presence of vascular plants affects notably the associated assemblages of fauna. Research on meiofauna in mangrove ecosystems has been carried out in several places around the world, and insights on the effects of mangrove litter (Alongi 1987), disturbance by macrofauna (Olafsson and Ndaro 1997), spatial distribution (Hodda 1990, Armenteros et al. 2006 and seasonality (Hodda and Nicholas 1986) exist. The vertical distribution of meiofauna within tropical mangrove sediments and the factors that affect it are poorly studied; only two surveys (Ansari et al. 1980, Somerfield et al. 1998 have been published concerning this topic. Muddy flats are common habitats in shallow waters, particularly in semi/close estuaries (e.g. bays and coastal lagoons) or in the mouth of rivers and creeks. In tropical muddy flats, meiofaunal surveys concerning spatial and temporal distribution (Dittman 200...
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