Search results for "Meiofauna"
showing 4 items of 14 documents
Initial Fish-Farm Impact on Meiofaunal Assemblages in Coastal Sediments of the Western Mediterranean
1999
We studied the initial impact of organic loads due to the biodeposition of a new fish farm in a non-impacted coastal area of the Tyrrhenian Sea (Western Mediterranean). Sediment chemistry and meiofaunal assemblages were investigated from July 1997 to February 1998 on a monthly basis at two stations: the first was located under the fish farm, while the second was at about 1 km distance, and served as control. Variations in the biochemical composition of the sedimentary organic matter and meiofaunal community structure were also related to changes in reared fish biomass. The presence of the cage-induced rapid changes in the benthic compartment: the sediments reached rapidly (i.e., after only …
Influence of artificial reefs on the surrounding infauna: Analysis of meiofauna
2002
We adopted a bottom-up approach in studying the effect of two artificial reefs in contrasting environmental conditions (sandy-mud and meso-eutrophic in the Adriatic Sea versus coarse sands and oligotrophic in the Tyrrhenian Sea) on the surrounding environment by assessing changes in the meiofauna. The spatial distribution of meiofaunal assemblages was established along a transect running from within each reef to well outside its direct sphere of influence, along with information on the trophic conditions of sediments (chloropigments, proteins, carbohydrates and total organic matter). Although total densities were significantly higher in the Adriatic than in the Tyrrhenian, the meiofauna dis…
Meiofauna and benthic microbial biomass in a semi-enclosed mediterranean marine system (Stagnone di Marsala, Italy)
2004
Microbial and meiofaunal dynamics and their relationships with the biochemical composition of the sedimentary organic matter were investigated in a semi-enclosed marine system (Marsala lagoon, Western Sicily, Mediterranean Sea). Sediment samples were collected on a monthly basis from March 1996 to February 1997 in four stations located along a N–S transect characterized by different hydrodynamic regimes. Total sedimentary organic matter concentration ranged from 5.681.11 to 156.2812.63 mg g1, while the biopolymeric fraction of organic carbon (BPC, measured as sum of the lipids, carbohydrates and proteins) accounted for only a small fraction (24%) of total organic matter. Total meiofaunal de…
Desiccation risk favours prevalence and diversity of tardigrade communities and influences their trophic structure in alpine ephemeral rock pools
2022
AbstractRock pools are ephemeral freshwater habitats characterized by their small size, well-defined boundaries, and periodic desiccation, making them ideal model systems to answer numerous ecological questions. Although there are numerous studies on rock pool fauna around the world, tardigrades have only rarely been recorded. We conducted the first tardigrade-focused study on rock pools by quantitatively extracting and classifying them from rock pools in the Italian Apennines. Rock pools were divided into three types, based on maximum duration of their inundation period. Following the patterns usually observed with rock pool invertebrates, we tested the hypothesis that desiccation has a ne…