Ghent University, Biology Department, Marine Biology Section, Krijgslaan 281/S8, B-9000 Gent, Belgium.
Mar Environ Res. 2011 Feb;71(1):31-40. doi: 10.1016/j.marenvres.2010.09.006. Epub 2010 Oct 8.
We investigated the sediment-related distribution of both nematodes and macrofauna on the Belgian part of the North Sea (Southern Bight of the North Sea) in order to evaluate whether both faunal groups reflect similar patterns in community composition and diversity. Fine-grained sediments (median grain size <200μm) were inhabited by nematode communities characterised by a low diversity and dominated by non-selective deposit-feeding nematodes. Nematode communities from coarser sediments were significantly different in terms of community composition and diversity. Moreover, all nematode feeding types were present in coarser sediments. These differences were explained by the contrasting biogeochemical processes prevailing in both sediment types, rather than granulometry and food availability per se. Macrofaunal distribution patterns were different from those of the nematode communities and seem to be related to water column processes (SPM loading, food availability, hydrodynamic stress) that promote the establishment of diverse communities in the coarser sediments but not in the finest sediments. This suggests that data on nematodes and macrofauna reveal different, complementary aspects of the factors structuring the benthic ecosystem that can be of importance in assessing the ecological status of the seafloor.
我们研究了比利时北海部分（北海的南荷兰）的线虫和大型底栖动物与沉积物相关的分布情况，以评估这两个动物群在群落组成和多样性方面是否反映出相似的模式。细颗粒沉积物（中值粒径<200μm）栖息着线虫群落，其特点是多样性低，以非选择性的沉积食性线虫为主。较粗沉积物中的线虫群落在群落组成和多样性方面存在显著差异。此外，所有的线虫摄食类型都存在于较粗的沉积物中。这些差异是由两种沉积物类型中占主导地位的生物地球化学过程的差异而不是粒度和食物供应本身所解释的。大型底栖动物的分布模式与线虫群落不同，它们似乎与水柱过程（悬浮物质负荷、食物供应、水动力压力）有关，这些过程促进了在较粗沉积物中建立多样化的群落，而在最细的沉积物中则不能。这表明，线虫和大型底栖动物的数据揭示了影响底栖生态系统结构的因素的不同、互补方面，这在评估海底的生态状况方面可能很重要。
