Effects of the feeding activity of the polychaete Streblosoma bairdi (Malmgren) on meiofaunal abundance and community structure

Warwick, R.M., Gee, J.M., Berge, J.A. and Ambrose Jr, W. (1986) Effects of the feeding activity of the polychaete Streblosoma bairdi (Malmgren) on meiofaunal abundance and community structure. Sarsia, 71 (1). pp. 11-16.

Abstract

Streblosoma bairdi forms prominent faecal mounds in sublittoral mud mesocosms established at Solbergstrand, Oslofjorden, Norway. The abundance of meiofauna (nematodes and copepods) is highest in the mounds and very reduced in the surrounding feeding area, with intermediate densities in unaffected areas. Species diversity is highest in the feeding area, with a more equitable distribution of species, while the mounds and unaffected areas have higher dominance and lower diversity. It is suggested that these differences arise partly because of varying levels of predation, disturbance, and sediment modification resulting from the feeding activity of the polychaete. However, differences in the trophic structure of the nematode component of the meiofauna between the three areas suggest that diversity profiles are also modified indirectly by the influence of the polychaete on the nature of the primary food resources available to the meiofauna. The importance of macrofauna/ meiofauna interactions in controlling meiofaunal community structure is emphasized.

Item Type:	Journal Article
Publisher:	Norwegian Universities Press
URI:	http://researchrepository.murdoch.edu.au/id/eprint/23091

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