Synoptic patterns of meiofaunal and macrofaunal abundances and specific composition in littoral sediments

Abstract

During recent years, many investigations on small zoobenthos have been performed at the island of Sylt. As these studies were carried out sporadically over many years and as different extraction methods were used, comparisons of the results have-been hampered. Therefore, in August/September 1986, 24 sites were sampled and evaluated using one quantitative method throughout. Sites range from mud to exposed sand and from the sublittoral to the supralittoral. Macrofauna and the taxa Plathelminthes, Polychaeta, and Oligochaeta are determined to species level. Macrofaunal (>0.5ram) abundance is highest in mud and continuously decreases with increasing exposure to wave action. Meiofaunal (< 0.5 mm) abundance is less variable. Nematoda dominate in mud and muddy sand, Copepoda in sheltered and exposed sand, other taxa only intermittently. Related to surface area, no correlation between macro-and meiofaunal abundance is apparent. Plathelminthes and Copepoda reach ~]ighest abundance per surface area in sand but their per volume density is higher in mud and muddy sand. Related to sediment volume instead of surface area, the meiofaunal abundance pattern is very similar to the macrofaunal pattern. The faunal composition changes gradually along the tidal gradient without general faunal boundaries. On an averange, the faunal similarity of neighbouring sites is highest in Oligochaeta and lowest in Plathelminthes. Presumably, Oligochaeta tolerate wider ranges of environmental factors. This may explain the low number of o]igochaete species. On the other hand, Plathelminthes seem to adapt to relatively narrow ranges of factors and their species richness is highest. Because of macrofaunameiofauna interaction it is suggested that the meiofaunal assemblage will be least stable in mud and muddy sand, and most stable in exposed sand.

Spatial and temporal patterns of mineralization rates and oxygen distribution in a permeable intertidal sand flat (Sylt, Germany)

“…The organic material at the upper station might be more refractory and, thus, more susceptible to aerobic than anaerobic mineralization (Hulthe et al 1998;Kristensen and Holmer 2001) and thereby maintain higher aerobic mineralization rates. A contribution by meiofauna to the utilization of oxygen might increase toward the upper flat stations, where highest abundances were found (Armonies and Hellwig-Armonies 1987). Macrofaunal oxygen consumption is not quantitatively included in the OCRs because the cores used for the measurements were too small to retrieve a representative sample for macrofauna evaluation.…”

Features of spatial distribution of benthic infauna in a Mediterranean shallow-water bay

“…Both factors contribute to the qualitative definition of species assemblages established by other workers (e.g. Armonies and Armonies 1987).…”

The intertidal zoning of cockles (Cerastoderma edule) in the Wadden Sea, or why cockle fishery disturbed areas of relatively high biodiversity

“…Like other tidal Xat areas (Dittmann 2000), the Wadden Sea tidal Xats show a clear zoning of the macrozoobenthic fauna that is related to intertidal height (Dankers and Beukema 1983;Armonies and Hellwig-Armonies 1987;Beukema 1988;Beukema and Flach 1995;Beukema and Cadée 1997;Beukema 2002, and literature therein). For Balgzand, this zoning is depicted in Fig.…”