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Meiofauna and harpacticoid copepods in different habitats of a Mediterranean seagrass meadow

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  03 April 2013

Thibaud Mascart ,
Gilles Lepoint  and
Marleen De Troch
Thibaud Mascart*
Affiliation:
Marine Biology, Ghent University, Krijgslaan 281-S8, B-9000 Ghent, Belgium Laboratory of Oceanology, University of Liège, Allée du 6 août B6, B-4000 Liège, Belgium
Gilles Lepoint
Affiliation:
Laboratory of Oceanology, University of Liège, Allée du 6 août B6, B-4000 Liège, Belgium
Marleen De Troch
Affiliation:
Marine Biology, Ghent University, Krijgslaan 281-S8, B-9000 Ghent, Belgium
*
Correspondence should be addressed to: T. Mascart, Marine Biology, Ghent University, Krijgslaan 281-S8, B-9000 Ghent, Belgium email: [email protected]
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Abstract

This study investigated whether associated meiobenthic communities, especially harpacticoid copepods, differed amongst habitats. Five pre-defined habitats within and next to the Posidonia oceanica seagrass meadow were sampled: living seagrass canopy leaves (LL), small (SMF) and large (LMF) macrophytodetritus fragment accumulations and sand, bare (BS) and covered (CS). The highest meiofauna abundances were recorded in the BS for the core sampled habitats (BS, CS, SMF and LMF) and in the LMF for seagrass material habitats (SMF, LMF and LL). Harpacticoid copepods were the most abundant taxon in all habitats. The assemblage composition at copepod family level showed two distinct habitats clusters: a leaf (LMF and LL) and a sediment cluster (BS, CS and SMF). Subsequently, stable isotope analyses were conducted to analyse the relationship between copepods and their potential food sources in seagrass material habitats. Based on δ13C isotopic analyses and SIAR mixing model, harpacticoid copepods relied for 70% on epiphytes and for 30% on P. oceanica leaf material in the LMF and LL habitats.

Keywords

meiofaunaharpacticoid copepodsseagrassdetritusPosidonia oceanicastable isotopes
Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom , Volume 93 , Issue 6 , September 2013 , pp. 1557 - 1566
Copyright
Copyright © Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 2013 

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