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Interaction of free-living marine nematodes in the artificial mangrove environment (southeast coast of India)

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Abstract

Free-living marine nematode diversity was analyzed between Avicennia marina and Rhizophora mucronata mangrove covers of the Vellar Estuary (southeast coast of India). A total of 4,976 specimens of free-living marine nematodes were collected in 56 species. Comparatively, a higher species richness was obtained for A. marina (52 species) than for R. mucronata (44 species), whereas 40 species commonly existed in both mangrove covers. A higher density of nematodes was found in sediments of sandy nature, whereas there was lower total organic carbon compared to silt/clay composition; epigrowth feeders were dominant over the other feeding groups based on organic enrichment in surface sediments. Principal component analysis clearly explained the relationship between the environmental parameters of various months. Higher R values of analysis of similarities revealed significant differences in nematode assemblages between months, and it was quite evident by non-metric multidimensional scaling. Diversity indices showed higher values in the dry months. RELATE analysis explained serial changes in nematode species composition between months, and a relationship between biotic and abiotic variables was clarified using the BIO-ENV procedure. Viscosia spp., Metachromadora spp., Theristus spp., and Sphaerolaimus spp. were candidate species of A. marina leaf interaction by observation.

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Acknowledgments

The authors are thankful to Prof. T. Balasubramanian, Dean, for the encouragement and the University authorities for the facilities. The authors are also thankful to the Centre for Marine Living Resources and Ecology (CMLRE) of Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES), Kochi, Government of India, for the financial assistance.

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  1. Centre of Advanced Study in Marine Biology, Faculty of Marine Sciences, Annamalai University, Parangipettai, 608 502, Tamil Nadu, India

    K. G. Mohamed Thameemul Ansari, S. Manokaran, S. Raja, P. S. Lyla & S. Ajmal Khan

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Ansari, K.G.M.T., Manokaran, S., Raja, S. et al. Interaction of free-living marine nematodes in the artificial mangrove environment (southeast coast of India). Environ Monit Assess 186, 293–305 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-013-3374-1

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