Response of meiofauna and nematode communities to increased levels of contaminants in a laboratory microcosm experiment

Gyedu-Ababio, Thomas; Baird, Dugald

doi:10.1016/j.ecoenv.2005.01.010

Cited by 102 publications

(49 citation statements)

References 20 publications

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“…The low values of the nematode Maturity Index and especially the notable dominance of general opportunistic genera (c-p = 2) of nematodes suggest a high stress level in the areas adjacent to the river mouths. General opportunistic genera (c-p = 2) are known to increase in abundance during adverse conditions and are also indicated in the literature as being a dominant group under stress induced by heavy metals (Bongers and Bongers 1998;Gyedu-Ababio and Baird 2006). In this study, the maturity index appears to be a good indicator of the stress induced by the river input, better than the diversity indices; this is probably because it is influenced to a lesser extent by the differences in sediment granulometry.…”

Section: Disturbance Of the Benthic Communities By The Riverssupporting

confidence: 49%

Benthic communities along a littoral of the Central Adriatic Sea (Italy)

et al. 2009

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Bacteria, meio-and macrofauna were investigated at different depths in a coastal area of the Central Adriatic Sea, yielding information about the composition and abundance of the benthic community. In particular, 14 nematode genera were recorded for the first time in the Upper Adriatic Sea. All communities resulted as being significantly different between inshore and offshore stations, especially when the season interaction was considered. Sediment grain size seemed to be the main natural variable, along with trophic resources, affecting the distribution and composition of these benthic components, whilst there was no clear evidence of competition for food sources and predatory pressure between the communities. Meiofauna appeared the most useful community for detecting disturbances and river influences. In particular, the lowest copepod abundance in the shallow waters seemed to be related to a greater anthropogenic disturbance inshore, whilst meiofaunal abundance and diversity together with the nematode maturity index suggest the influence of the Foglia and Metauro rivers and the small stream Arzilla.

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Section: Disturbance Of the Benthic Communities By The Riverssupporting

confidence: 49%

Benthic communities along a littoral of the Central Adriatic Sea (Italy)

et al. 2009

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“…Terschellingia is also a genus considered tolerant to metal and hydrocarbons contamination (e.g., Somerfield et al, 1994;Austen and Somerfield, 1997;Armenteros et al, 2009;Beyrem et al, 2010). Molgolaimus, a genus often associated to reduced conditions (Van Gaever et al, 2004), and Ptycholaimellus were found to be tolerant to a wide range of metal concentrations both in field and microcosm studies (Somerfield et al, 1994;Austen and Somerfield, 1997), and Microlaimus to heavy metals (Gyedu-Ababio and Baird, 2006). Moreover, Microlaimus is considered a successful, fast and opportunistic colonizer (Van Gaever et al, 2009) as well as Molgolaimus, another opportunistic colonizer abundant under stressful conditions and in recently colonized sediments (Fonseca et al, 2006(Fonseca et al, , 2007.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The use of nematodes in assessing ecological conditions in shallow waters surrounding a Mediterranean harbour facility

Losi

Ferrero

Moreno

et al. 2013

Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science

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a b s t r a c tThe spatial distribution and structure of nematode assemblages in the area surrounding the harbour of Vado Ligure (Savona, NW Mediterranean) were studied in relation to the influence of natural and anthropogenic environmental factors. Stations were selected following an "anthropogenic gradient" from sites located near the city centre and its harbour to more pristine and distant sites. Sediment quality was determined by considering both sediment granulometric and chemical parameters (hydrocarbons, heavy metals, total organic matter, proteins, carbohydrates) as well as nematode abundance, diversity, life strategies, trophic structure and assemblage composition. A high correlation between environmental characteristics and the nematode response was found. On the basis of the comparison of these results, which identified three distinct sub-areas associated with different levels of environmental quality, a set of nematode indicator genera was selected for the future evaluation of quality status.

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“…Paint factories, steel mills and waste dumps are all anthropogenic sources of heavy metals (Hack et al 2007). Several studies have shown a decrease in meiofaunal diversity due to heavy metal pollution in coastal systems (Austen and McEvoy 1997;Gyedu-Ababio and Baird 2006). Some species disappear; others can become dominant (Hack et al 2007).…”

Section: Heavy Metal Pollutionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…A study about the impact of heavy metals on nematodes from the Swartkops Estuary (Port Elizabeth, South Africa) revealed that nematode community structure was significantly impacted, with dominance of Monhystera and Theristus coloniser genera in the most polluted sites (Gyedu-Ababio et al 1999). Some species, such as Enoplus communis, show low tolerance to metals (Howell 1983), while others, such as Diplolaimella dievengatensis and Halomonhystera disjuncta nematodes (Vranken and Heip 1986;Vranken et al 1991;Gyedu-Ababio and Baird 2006), as well as copepods (Burton et al 2001), can be tolerant to high levels of heavy metals. Nematodes can accumulate and tolerate higher levels of copper, cadmium, zinc and lead than other meiofaunal organisms (van der Wurff et al 2007 and references therein).…”

Section: Heavy Metal Pollutionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Is the meiofauna a good indicator for climate change and anthropogenic impacts?

et al. 2015

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Our planet is changing, and one of the most pressing challenges facing the scientific community revolves around understanding how ecological communities respond to global changes. From coastal to deep-sea ecosystems, ecologists are exploring new areas of research to find model organisms that help predict the future of life on our planet. Among the different categories of organisms, meiofauna offer several advantages for the study of marine benthic ecosystems. This paper reviews the advances in the study of meiofauna with regard to climate change and anthropogenic impacts. Four taxonomic groups are valuable for predicting global changes: foraminifers (especially calcareous forms), nematodes, copepods and ostracods. Environmental variables are fundamental in the interpretation of meiofaunal patterns and multistressor experiments are more informative than single stressor ones, revealing complex ecological and biological interactions. Global change has a general negative effect on meiofauna, with important consequences on benthic food webs. However, some meiofaunal species can be favoured by the extreme conditions induced by global change, as they can exhibit remarkable physiological adaptations. This review highlights the need to incorporate studies on taxonomy,

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Response of meiofauna and nematode communities to increased levels of contaminants in a laboratory microcosm experiment

Cited by 102 publications

References 20 publications

Benthic communities along a littoral of the Central Adriatic Sea (Italy)

Benthic communities along a littoral of the Central Adriatic Sea (Italy)

The use of nematodes in assessing ecological conditions in shallow waters surrounding a Mediterranean harbour facility

Is the meiofauna a good indicator for climate change and anthropogenic impacts?

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