A field colonization experiment with meiofauna and seagrass mimics effect of time, distance and leaf surface area
From a conservation point of view, it is essential to know how fast an ecosystem can recover after physical disturbance. Meiofauna and especially harpacticoid copepods are abundant in seagrass beds and are therefore useful to study ecosystem recovery after disturbance. In the western Caribbean coast, a fragmented Thalassia testudinum seagrass bed was selected to conduct a colonization field experiment by means of plastic seagrass mimics. Meiofauna colonization, with special emphasis on harpacticoid copepods, was followed in relation to: (1) colonization time (2, 4, 6, 10, 14 and 21 days); (2) distance to source of colonizers (close and far series) and (3) leaf surface area to colonize (small, medium, large). Colonization was recorded after 2 days with average meiofauna densities of 480 ind/100 cm2 (close) and 1350 ind/100 cm2 (far) of leaf surface area, while on average 400 ind/100 cm2 were collected from the natural seagrass plants. In this early phase, the meiofauna diversity was high, with on average 8 taxa. A longer period of colonization (21 days) showed an increased meiofaunal density and diversity (average density: 3220 ind/100 cm2, 13 taxa).
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Texto biblioteca |
| Language: | eng |
| Subjects: | Harpacticoides, Copépodos, Pastos marinos, Meiofauna, Restauración ecológica, Artfrosur, |
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