CASE STUDY ON NEMATODA TAXOCENOSIS UNDER VARIETY OF WASTE STRESS FOR FOUR STATIONS OF RIA FORMOSA LAGOON, PORTUGAL
Keywords:
Nematoda, meiobenthos, organic enrichment, hypoxic/sulfidic regimes, coastal lagoon, Southern PortugalAbstract
A pilot study on meiofauna assemblages was conducted at four stations at Ria Formosa coastal mesotidal lagoon in Southern Portugal. Natural and anthropogenic factors (additional organic input, grain size composition etc.) and their impacts on sedimentary environment (oxygen depletion, hydrogen sulfide contamination) have been discussed, as well as the meiofauna response on organic matter loadings. Bottom deposits from the studied sites of lagoon indicate different levels of organic enrichment – from undisturbed to grossly polluted under periodically anoxia at the deeper sediments layers. Meiobenthos assemblages and Nematoda, particularly, respond on hypoxia and pollution stress by decreasing abundance and diversity. Harpacticoids spatial distribution was associated with their sediment particle size preference of silt-clay and avoidance the sand. Nematoda assemblages have been demonstrated very specific species composition related to environmental factors. Nematoda genera of Anticoma, Leptolaimoides and Molgolaimus registered only under extreme hypoxic/sulfidic sediment conditions at polluted point being tolerant to oxygen deficient and H2S contamination. Terschellingia longicaudata and two species of Paracomesoma and Spirinia are reported across all studied location, widely distributed in a range of organic enriched lagoon sediments.
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