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Short-term changes of meiofaunal abundance in intertidal sediments

Helgoländer Meeresuntersuchungen volume 44, pages 375–386 (1990)Cite this article

Abstract

Some species of various meiofaunal taxa may actively emerge from the sediment and swim in the water column, preferably at night. In the water column they get dispersed by tital currents. The hypothesis that this drift may cause significant short-term changes in the abundance of these species was tested. Such changes were verified for harpacticoid copepods and plathelminths. Depending on the hydrographic conditions, abundance changes may be unpredictable or show regularly alternating patterns. In the light of these results, small-scale spatial estimates of abundance become generally very difficult to make in the taxa containing emergent species. It is suggested that reliable averages can only be obtained by repeated or large-scale spatial sampling.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Biologische Anstalt Helgoland, Wattenmeerstation Sylt, D-W-2282, List, Germany

    Werner Armonies

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  1. Werner Armonies
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Armonies, W. Short-term changes of meiofaunal abundance in intertidal sediments. Helgolander Meeresunters 44, 375–386 (1990). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02365474

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Helgoland Marine Research

ISSN: 1438-3888

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