The importance of turbellarians in the marine meiobenthos: a review

Martens, Paul; Schockaert, Ernest R.

doi:10.1007/bf00046263

Cited by 63 publications

(26 citation statements)

References 47 publications

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“…This figure is comparable to, but somewhat lower than, the 7-25% reported for meiobenthic communities in other areas of the world (McIntyre, 1968;Martens & Schockaert, 1986). I cannot confirm the figure of 90% plathehninths in tropical meiobenthic communities given by Alongi (1987b).…”

Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 75%

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Plathelminths in tropical intertidal sediments of northeastern Australia

Dittmann¹

1991

Hydrobiologia

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Assemblages of free-living interstitial plathelminths are described from the tropical coast of northeastern Australia. About one hundred species were recorded from sediments of mangroves, tidal flats, and seagrass beds. The majority (88%) of the plathelminths occurred in only one habitat. Richest in species were Kalyptorhynchia (39), followed by Acoela (17) and Typhloplanoida (16). Over 50% of the species found were represented by one to three individuals, but a few species were frequently encountered. The preferred habitat was sand with 86% of all species, while abundances were higher in muddy sediments. The mean species density was 7 in 10 cm -2 of sediment, and abundances ranged from 8 to 52 individuals 10 cmm2 with an average plathehninth abundance of 25 individuals 10 cme2. Predatory plathelminths were predominant with up to 77% of the individuals. A comparison is made to plathelminth assemblages in temperate tidal flats.

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Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 75%

“…Free-living plathelminths are a worldwide component of marine meiofaunal communities (Martens & Schockaert, 1986). They are well studied in temperate areas but considerably less well known in the tropics.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Plathelminths in tropical intertidal sediments of northeastern Australia

Dittmann¹

1991

Hydrobiologia

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“…Most of sediments collected in Northern Sardinia ranged from clean, fine to coarse sand, to shelly gravel, including marine caves. This type of sediment favours taxa such as Proseriata [108], Gastrotricha [12], Annelida [75] and Acoela [4]. Conversely, most of the sediments collected at Tjärnö were much siltier, consisting, in many cases, of muddy sand [4].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Moreover, no differences in the macroecological correlates of diversity could be observed between Sardinia and Sweden, even if there are differences in habitat heterogeneity, and there is a general shortage of suitable well sorted, coarse, and possibly calcareous sediments in the North Atlantic. Poorly sorted sediments provide less pore volume and consequently a low potential for the presence of interstitial meiofauna [2], [108]. Moreover, the fact that the sediment type may be far more restrictive than latitude for meiofauna is supported by several examples of extremely diverse meiofauna in the North Atlantic found in e.g., shell gravel of the Faroe Bank [117], [118], and the coarse sand of Flakkerhuk, West Greenland [77], [119]–[121].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Patterns of Diversity in Soft-Bodied Meiofauna: Dispersal Ability and Body Size Matter

et al. 2012

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Background Biogeographical and macroecological principles are derived from patterns of distribution in large organisms, whereas microscopic ones have often been considered uninteresting, because of their supposed wide distribution. Here, after reporting the results of an intensive faunistic survey of marine microscopic animals (meiofauna) in Northern Sardinia, we test for the effect of body size, dispersal ability, and habitat features on the patterns of distribution of several groups. Methodology/Principal Findings As a dataset we use the results of a workshop held at La Maddalena (Sardinia, Italy) in September 2010, aimed at studying selected taxa of soft-bodied meiofauna (Acoela, Annelida, Gastrotricha, Nemertodermatida, Platyhelminthes and Rotifera), in conjunction with data on the same taxa obtained during a previous workshop hosted at Tjärnö (Western Sweden) in September 2007. Using linear mixed effects models and model averaging while accounting for sampling bias and potential pseudoreplication, we found evidence that: (1) meiofaunal groups with more restricted distribution are the ones with low dispersal potential; (2) meiofaunal groups with higher probability of finding new species for science are the ones with low dispersal potential; (3) the proportion of the global species pool of each meiofaunal group present in each area at the regional scale is negatively related to body size, and positively related to their occurrence in the endobenthic habitat. Conclusion/Significance Our macroecological analysis of meiofauna, in the framework of the ubiquity hypothesis for microscopic organisms, indicates that not only body size but mostly dispersal ability and also occurrence in the endobenthic habitat are important correlates of diversity for these understudied animals, with different importance at different spatial scales. Furthermore, since the Western Mediterranean is one of the best-studied areas in the world, the large number of undescribed species (37%) highlights that the census of marine meiofauna is still very far from being complete.

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“…It is possible that this is due to release from predation by Turbellaria, whose abundances showed approximately the opposite trend to M. littorale. Turbellaria are hard to identify and little is known about their ecology [55], but some species are known to predators on other meiofauna. Turbellaria were least abundant in the treatments A− and W+ where L. balthica were the largest (although these size differences were non-significant).…”

Section: Hbcdd Effectsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Coastal Ecosystem Effects of Increased Summer Temperature and Contamination by the Flame Retardant HBCDD

Bradshaw

Golz

Gustafsson

2017

JMSE

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Abstract:The combined effects of ocean warming and contaminants on marine ecosystems are poorly understood. In this study, we exposed model ecosystems comprising typical shallow coastal Baltic Sea communities to elevated temperature (+5 • C) and the flame retardant hexabromocyclododecane (HBCDD), both singly and in combination, for 13 days. Higher temperatures caused the release of PO 4 from the sediment, which in turn stimulated the growth of the cyanobacteria Dolichospermum sp. This in turn led to an increase in the copepod Acartia bifilosa and other indirect effects in the plankton, interpreted as being caused by changes in predation, grazing, and competition. Elevated temperatures also stimulated benthic primary production and increased production of benthic mollusk larvae. Although increased temperature was the dominant driver of effects in these systems, HBCDD also appeared to have some effects, mainly in the zooplankton (both direct and indirect effects) and benthic meiofauna (an interactive effect with temperature). Although the study used model ecosystems, which are an approximation of field conditions, it highlights that interactive ecosystem effects between two stressors are possible and demonstrates the ecological and temporal complexity of such responses. Such unpredictable responses to warming and contaminants are a major challenge for ecosystem management to deal with multistressor situations in the Baltic Sea.

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The importance of turbellarians in the marine meiobenthos: a review

Cited by 63 publications

References 47 publications

Plathelminths in tropical intertidal sediments of northeastern Australia

Plathelminths in tropical intertidal sediments of northeastern Australia

Patterns of Diversity in Soft-Bodied Meiofauna: Dispersal Ability and Body Size Matter

Coastal Ecosystem Effects of Increased Summer Temperature and Contamination by the Flame Retardant HBCDD

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