Publication Abstract

The structure and taxonomic composition of sublittoral meiofauna assemblages as an indicator of environmental status of marine environments

The structure of meiofauna assemblages as an indicator of environmental status in the marine environment

M. Schratzberger, J.M. Gee, H.L. Rees, S.E. Boyd, C.M. Wall

There are a number of ecological and practical advantages and drawbacks to using meiofauna in marine impact studies related to their small size, ubiquitous distribution, high abundance and diversity, short generation times and direct benthic development. In the last 25 years more than 200 meiofauna papers have been published in a pollution context. However, to date there have been few large-scale field studies aimed at assessing environmental quality through the inclusion of the examination of meiofauna. Therefore, a study was conducted between 1997 and 1999 to investigate meiofauna assemblages from selected inshore and offshore locations around the UK coast. The main objective was to relate the differences in meiofauna distribution patterns to a number of measured environmental variables and to establish more clearly the sensitivity of meiofauna communities to anthropogenic disturbance.

Reference:

M. Schratzberger, J.M. Gee, H.L. Rees, S.E. Boyd, C.M. Wall, 2000. The structure of meiofauna assemblages as an indicator of environmental status in the marine environment. Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom, 80(6): 969-980

M. Schratzberger*, J. M. Gee, H. L. Rees*, S. E. Boyd* and C. M. Wall*

Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom, 80(6): 969-980