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Size Structure of Deep‐Sea Meio‐ and Macrobenthos in the Western Pacific
Author(s) -
Shirayama Yoshihisa
Publication year - 1983
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.3510680605
Subject(s) - macrobenthos , meiobenthos , deep sea , oceanography , abundance (ecology) , sediment , deep water , biology , environmental science , geology , ecology , paleontology
The size structure of deep‐sea meio‐ and macrobenthos was studied using 12 USNEL box corer samples collected in the Western Pacific. Both macro‐ and meiobenthos decreased in abundance with increasing water depth, as expected, but contrary to previous findings, the rate of decrease did not differ significantly between the two size classes of organisms. The median size index of total meiobenthos decreased with increasing water depth, while when the vertical distribution of organisms in the sediment was considered, such a trend was restricted to the organisms found in the upper 1 cm layer. In contrast, the median size of the nematodes increased with increasing water depth, and a possible cause for this correlation is discussed.