Table 3 Average abundance of meiofauna (individuals per 10 cm²) across the beaches of Heist (a) and De Panne (b)

Heist

Nematoda

38

506

361

83

41

277

158

753

690

331

209

175

163

Harpacticoida

2

253

15

4

28

99

108

72

42

36

367

106

138

Turbellaria

9

8

14

8

113

222

220

203

216

81

84

125

89

Ostracoda

–

–

1

–

–

5

4

77

20

15

5

5

1

Tardigrada

–

1

–

–

–

–

–

1

–

–

–

–

–

Gastrotricha

1

–

1

–

–

1

4

1

1

11

–

1

–

Nauplii Copepoda

1

42

12

9

5

3

22

11

17

–

1

1

9

Oligochaeta

1

3

1

–

1

1

–

1

–

3

3

1

–

Bivalvia

–

–

–

1

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

Polychaeta

–

4

2

4

9

34

103

52

16

5

13

10

–

Halacaroidea

2

19

84

16

95

3

175

–

–

–

–

–

–

Total

52

834

490

123

290

644

793

1,169

1,000

480

681

421

399

De Panne

Nematoda

81

2,536

804

1,298

521

850

590

1,159

1,101

1,837

1,105

2,663

1,920

1,359

Harpacticoida

–

2

20

41

35

12

13

4

2

4

3

1

5

6

Turbellaria

–

68

80

135

168

170

130

77

74

658

85

721

263

10

Ostracoda

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

1

–

2

–

Tardigrada

–

38

11

12

9

–

6

2

1

–

–

–

4

6

Gastrotricha

–

–

–

–

–

3

3

2

6

8

6

–

–

–

Nauplii Copepoda

–

–

–

4

2

–

2

–

1

–

–

–

1

–

Oligochaeta

2

9

3

–

–

2

4

7

6

5

3

–

3

1

Bivalvia

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

Polychaeta

–

–

1

3

2

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

Halacaroidea

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

Total

83

2,653

919

1,493

737

1,037

748

1,251

1,191

2,512

1,209

3,385

2,198

1,382