Effects of a Macroalgal Mat (<i>Ulva</i> spp.) on the Epibenthic Meiofauna of an Intertidal Sand Flat in Hiroshima Bay, Western Japan

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  • TSUJINO Mutsumi
    National Research Institute of Fisheries and Environment of Inland Sea
  • UCHIDA Motoharu
    National Research Institute of Fisheries and Environment of Inland Sea

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  • 堆積アオサが表層性のメイオベントスに及ぼす影響
  • タイセキ アオサ ガ ヒョウソウセイ ノ メイオベントス ニ オヨボス エイキョウ

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Abstract

The effects of a macroalgal mat (Ulva spp.) on the density, biomass, and composition of meiofauna were studied on intertidal sand flats at Zigozen beach in Hiroshima Bay. The density of nematodes and copepods in alga-covered sediment tended to be higher than that in unvegetated sediment. The biomass of meiofauna in sediment beneath the macroalgal mat was also higher than that in unvegetated sediment. A laboratory experiment demonstrated an increase in the density of copepods and nauplii in sand to which Ulva spp. was added, compared to control sand without algae. In addition, in the field the species composition of nematodes in alga-covered sediment was different from that in unvegetated sediment. In unvegetated sediment, the most dominant species of nematode was Desmodora sp. 1 (23%), but Dichromadora spp. were dominant in sediment covered by a macroalgal mat (27%). These results suggest that the macroalgal mat stimulates the population growth of some species of nematodes and copepods, which then contribute to the decomposition of the algae.

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