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Nematode Biomass Spectra at Two Abyssal Sites in the NE Atlantic with a Contrasting Food Supply
Author(s) -
Vanreusel Ann,
Vincx Magda,
Bett Brian J.,
Rice Anthony L.
Publication year - 1995
Publication title -
internationale revue der gesamten hydrobiologie und hydrographie
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.524
H-Index - 52
eISSN - 1522-2632
pISSN - 0020-9309
DOI - 10.1002/iroh.19950800215
Subject(s) - abyssal zone , sediment , water column , seabed , biomass (ecology) , environmental science , abyssal plain , abundance (ecology) , oceanography , productivity , organic matter , eutrophication , ecology , geology , hydrology (agriculture) , biology , nutrient , geomorphology , geotechnical engineering , macroeconomics , economics
Abundance and biomass sizes spectra of nematodes have been investigated at two contrasting abyssal sites in the NE Atlantic. The northern site is situated on the Porcupine Abyssal Plain where there is evidence for a high, seasonal input of organic matter derived from the overlying water column. The southern site is the oligotrophic station of the French EUMELI programme off Mauritania and is characterized by low primary productivity in the overlying water column and consequently by a lower organic input to the deep‐sea floor. Low nematode density and total biomass in the surficial centimetre of the sediment at the EUMELI site (89 ind/10 cm 2 , 8.52 μg wwt/10 cm 2 ), in contrast to the PAP site (254 ind/10 cm 2 , 54.16 μg wwt/10 cm 2 ), supports a presumed lower food supply to this area. Similary, mean individual nematode body weight is significantly smaller at the oligotrophic EUMELI site (0.0241 μg dwt) compared to the PAP site (0.0511 μg dwt), which supports the hypothesis that mean nematode body size is correlated with food availability. However, differences are much less obvious when comparing geometric mean biomasses and median individual body sizes. The abundance size spectra for the two localities diverge appreciably only in the upper quartile. The differences in mean individual body weights are caused by the relatively greater abundance of larger nematodes at the more eutrophic PAP site.