Abstract
Studies in the coastal area of Bohai Bay, China, from July 2006 to October 2007, suggest that the method of meiofaunal biomass estimation affected the meiofaunal analysis. Conventional estimation methods that use a unique mean individual weight value for nematodes to calculate total biomass may cause deviation of the results. A modified estimation method, named the Subsection Count Method (SCM), was also used to calculate meiofaunal biomass. This entails only a slight increase in workload but generates results of greater accuracy. Results gained using each of these two methods were compared in the present study. The results show that the conventional method generally estimates a meiofaunal biomass. The difference between the two estimation methods was highly significant (P<0.01) for the spring and winter cruises. Furthermore, the estimation method for meiofaunal biomass affected the analysis of horizontal distribution and correlation with environmental factors. These findings highlight the importance of estimation methods for meiofaunal biomass and will hopefully stimulate further investigation and discussion of the topic.
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Supported by Chinese Offshore Investigation and Assessment Project (No. 908-TJ-10, 908-TJ-09) and the Initial Fund for Introduced Talent of Tianjin University of Science and Technology (No. 20090413)
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Zhang, Q., Wang, X. & Hu, G. Evaluation of estimation methods for meiofaunal biomass from a meiofaunal survey in Bohai Bay. Chin. J. Ocean. Limnol. 28, 82–87 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00343-010-9262-4
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00343-010-9262-4