Development of macrofaunal community structure in mussel beds on the northern East Pacific Rise

Dreyer, Jennifer; Knick, Kathleen E.; Flickinger, W. B.; Dover, Cindy Lee Van

doi:10.3354/meps302121

Cited by 32 publications

(42 citation statements)

References 37 publications

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“…This technique risks possible loss of macrofaunal individuals through winnowing compared with the closed bag technique of the pot samplers. Consequently, scoop samples have previously been included in analyses of macrofaunal species richness but excluded from multivariate analyses of macrofaunal composition (Van Dover & Trask, 2000;Van Dover, 2002;Dorries & Van Dover, 2003;Turnipseed et al, 2003;Van Dover, 2003;Dreyer et al, 2005). The abundance of nematodes per litre of mussel volume, however, is actually greater in scoop samples than pot samples, indicating that this meiofaunal taxon is resistant to any winnowing effect.…”

Section: Sample Collection and Processingmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The macrofaunal assemblages of young (<6 y) and old (>8 y) mussel beds could also be distinguished by multivariate analysis (Van Dover, 2003;Dreyer et al, 2005).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The nematode assemblages of the youngest sites (East Wall: 4 y; Train Station: 5 y) contained the fewest species (6 species each), but mussel beds older than 6 y contained similar numbers of nematode species (10 to 12 species; Table 3). The mussel bed at 11°N studied by Zekely et al (2006a) similarly contained nine nematode species and was estimated to be 14 y old at the time of sampling (Dreyer et al, 2005).…”

Section: Composition Of Nematode Assemblagesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…As these mussel beds can be quantitatively sampled with relative ease, they have provided ecological units for comparisons of macrofaunal assemblages between sites (Van Dover & Trask, 2000;Van Dover, 2002;Dorries & Van Dover, 2003;Turnipseed et al, 2003;Van Dover, 2003;Dreyer et al, 2005). Zekely et al (2006a) report nine species of nematode in mussel beds at 11°N on the EPR and seven species in a mussel bed on the Mid Atlantic Ridge (MAR), with no species but five genera in common between them.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Bed formation progresses from initial colonization to well-developed aggregations of adult mussels within 5 y, with beds typically persisting for 10 to 20 y depending on fluctuations in local hydrothermal conditions. Comparisons of NEPR and SEPR mussel beds ∼3000 km apart indicate that their macrofauna Van Dover, 2002 andDreyer et al, 2005). Meiofauna of hydrothermal vent mussel beds J.T.P.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Diversity of meiofauna and free-living nematodes in hydrothermal vent mussel beds on the northern and southern East Pacific Rise

et al. 2007

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The ecology and biogeography of meiofauna at deep-sea hydrothermal vents have historically received less attention than those of mega-and macrofauna. This study examines the composition of major meiofaunal taxa in beds of the mussel Bathymodiolus thermophilus at hydrothermal vents on the northern and southern East Pacific Rise (EPR) and presents the first comparison of species assemblages of the dominant taxon, the nematodes, among sites spanning 27 degrees of latitude. Meiofaunal samples were collected by submersible from three mussel beds at 9°N on the EPR and four mussel beds between 17 and 18°S in 1999. Estimated ages of the mussel beds at the time of sampling range from 4 to >20 years, enabling investigation of the influence of mussel bed age on meiofaunal assemblages. Overall, the meiofauna of the mussel beds was dominated by nematodes, with copepods constituting the second most abundant meiofaunal group. There was variation in the ratio of nematodes to copepods between sites, however, with copepods more abundant than nematodes in the youngest mussel beds. Apart from polychaete larvae, other meiofaunal groups were generally present at very low abundance (<1%) in the samples and restricted in diversity to gastropod larvae, acari, foraminifera, ostracoda and turbellaria. Seventeen nematode species from 14 genera and 11 families were found in the samples, with no evidence of endemicity to hydrothermal vents at the generic level. Four genera present were not previously recorded at hydrothermal vents. Nematode species richness, species:genus ratios and abundances were low compared with other deep-sea habitats, though the ecological relevance of comparisons with soft-sediment benthos is discussed. Nematode assemblages exhibited high dominance by a few species, with one species of Thalassomonhystera most abundant at five of the seven vent sites. Multivariate analysis of nematode assemblages reveals similarities among sites that do not match geographical proximity. The youngest mussel beds were most similar to each other and exhibited lower species richness than other sites, consistent with colonization of mussel bed habitat by nematodes over time. Similarity in the composition of nematode assemblages among sites separated by ∼3000 km indicates that they lie within a single biogeographic province, consistent with that proposed for mussel bed macrofauna. At a generic level, samples exhibited some overlap with nematode assemblages at vents elsewhere on the EPR, on the Mid Atlantic Ridge and in the North Fiji Basin.

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Section: Sample Collection and Processingmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The macrofaunal assemblages of young (<6 y) and old (>8 y) mussel beds could also be distinguished by multivariate analysis (Van Dover, 2003;Dreyer et al, 2005).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%