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Benthic seasonality in an intertidal mud flat at Kerguelen Islands (Austral ocean). The relationships between meiofaunal abundance and their potential microbial food

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Summary

Samples were taken weekly for one year at an intertidal mudflat at the “Halage des Swains”, Morbihan Sound, Kerguelen Islands, for meiofauna, their suspected microbial food (bacteria and diatoms) and associated chemical and physical factors. Organic carbon and nitrogen content, bacterial abundance and biomass, pigment content and daily primary production, were significantly correlated (Spearman rank) to the temperature. Meiofauna exhibited very high abundances (up to 14 000 ind./10 cm−2) without seasonal trend but with distinct short term oscillations of population densities. No direct correlation occurred between meiofauna (85.9% nematodes and 10.8% copepods) and temperature. Total meiofauna abundance was positively correlated to bacterial biomass in the oxidized layer, to organic content below redox potential discontinuity layer, and negatively correlated to the hourly primary production. The data suggest that nematodes are correlated to bacterial biomass and organic content in the sediment. Effect of ambient temperature on development time of nematofauna could be described by a Belehradek function. Even though some correlations existed, this study shows that peaks of meiofaunal abundance are not correlated to potential food abundance variability. Thus, the limitation of meiofauna community and its annual pattern is reasonably governed by the development time and reproductive strategy of the few co-dominant species of the main taxa.

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  1. M. Bouvy

    Present address: CRO ORSTOM, BP V18, Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire

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  1. Laboratoire Arago, Université Pierre et Marie Curie, CNRS URA 117, F-66650, Banyuls-sur-Mer, France

    M. Bouvy & J. Soyer

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Bouvy, M., Soyer, J. Benthic seasonality in an intertidal mud flat at Kerguelen Islands (Austral ocean). The relationships between meiofaunal abundance and their potential microbial food. Polar Biol 10, 19–27 (1989). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00238286

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