Effect of short-term hypoxia on marine nematode community structure and vertical distribution pattern in three different sediment types of the North Sea

• Published in: Marine environmental research 2014-08, Vol.99, p.149-159
• Main Authors: Taheri, Mehrshad, Braeckman, Ulrike, Vincx, Magda, Vanaverbeke, Jan
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Analysis of Variance; Animal and plant ecology; Animal Distribution - physiology; Animal, plant and microbial ecology; Animals; Biological and medical sciences; Biota; Communities; Community structure; Density; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Geologic Sediments - analysis; Geologic Sediments - parasitology; Hypoxia; Invertebrates; Marine nematodes; Nemathelminthia. Plathelmintha; Nematoda; Nematoda - physiology; Nematodes; North Sea; Oxygen - metabolism; Sand; Sea water ecosystems; Sediments; Stations; Synecology; Vertical distribution
• ISSN: 0141-1136; 1879-0291
• DOI: 10.1016/j.marenvres.2014.04.010

The responses of nematode communities to short-term hypoxia (1 and 7 days) were investigated in three North Sea stations with different sediment types (coarse silt, fine sand and medium sand). In the field, nematode density, diversity, vertical distribution and community structure differ among the stations. In the laboratory, oxic and hypoxic treatments were established for 1 and 7 days for all sediment types. Comparison between field control and oxic day 1 treatments showed that experimental sediment handling did not affect nematode characteristics. Our results revealed that short-term hypoxia did not affect total density, diversity, community composition, vertical density profiles (except in the fine sand) and densities of five dominant species in all sediment types. •We tested the effect of short-term hypoxia on marine nematode communities.•Community composition and diversity were not affected by short-term hypoxia.•Vertical distribution of nematode communities was not altered by short-term hypoxia.