Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-mkpzs Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-28T16:08:29.511Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Diversity and habitat selectivity of harpacticoid copepods from sea grass beds in Pujada Bay, the Philippines

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  14 May 2008

Marleen De Troch ,
Jenny Lynn Melgo-Ebarle ,
Lea Angsinco-Jimenez ,
Hendrik Gheerardyn  and
Magda Vincx
Marleen De Troch*
Affiliation:
Ghent University, Biology Department, Marine Biology Section, Campus Sterre—Building S8, Krijgslaan 281, B-9000 Ghent, Belgium
Jenny Lynn Melgo-Ebarle
Affiliation:
Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Ecological Marine Management, Pleinlaan 2, B-1050 Brussels, Belgium
Lea Angsinco-Jimenez
Affiliation:
Davao Oriental State College of Science and Technology (DOSCST), NSM Department, 8200 Mati, Davao Oriental, the Philippines
Hendrik Gheerardyn
Affiliation:
Ghent University, Biology Department, Marine Biology Section, Campus Sterre—Building S8, Krijgslaan 281, B-9000 Ghent, Belgium
Magda Vincx
Affiliation:
Ghent University, Biology Department, Marine Biology Section, Campus Sterre—Building S8, Krijgslaan 281, B-9000 Ghent, Belgium
*
Correspondence should be addressed to: Marleen de TrochGhent UniversityBiology Department Marine Biology Section Campus Sterre—Building S8 Krijgslaan 281 B-9000 GhentBelgium email: marleen.detroch@ugent.be
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

The spatial diversity of meiofauna from sea grass beds of Pujada Bay (the Philippines), was studied with special emphasis on harpacticoid copepods. Sediment cores were obtained from areas adjacent to the different species of sea grasses. Meiofauna was enumerated at higher taxon level and harpacticoid copepods were identified to genus level. Diversity indices were calculated corresponding to the hierarchical levels of spatial biodiversity, i.e. alpha, beta and gamma. Nematodes were the most abundant meiofaunal group in all sediment layers and along the entire tidal gradient (37–92%); harpacticoids were second in abundance (3.0–40.6%) but highly diverse (N0: 9.33–15.5) at the uppermost sediment layer (0–1 cm) near all beds of sea grass species. There was a sharp turnover of harpacticoid genera along the tidal gradient, thus suggesting a relatively low proportion of shared genera among benthic communities in different sea grass zones. The families of Tetragonicipitidae and Miraciidae were the dominant harpacticoid groups occurring in all sediment layers of all sea grass species. The presence of the epiphytic genera of Metis at the deepest sediment layers in some sea grass species was striking. Overall, the major contributor to gamma (total) diversity of harpacticoid copepods in Pujada Bay is the high local (alpha) diversity (N0: 80.6%, H′: 94.7% of total diversity); hence, the habitat heterogeneity among sediment layers in sea grass beds is most relevant for the total diversity and richness of harpacticoid copepod genera in the area.

Keywords

biodiversitymeiofaunaharpacticoid copepodsthe Philippinessea grasses
Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom , Volume 88 , Issue 3 , May 2008 , pp. 515 - 526
Copyright
Copyright © Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 2008

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

Ansari, Z.A., Rivonker, C.U., Ramani, P. and Parulekar, A.H. (1991) Seagrass habitat complexity and macroinvertebrate abundance in Lakshadweep coral reel lagoons, Arabian Sea. Coral Reefs 10, 127–131.Google Scholar
Ansari, Z.A. and Parulekar, A.H. (1994) Meiobenthos in the sediments of seagrass meadows of Lakshadweep atolls, Arabian Sea. Vie et Milieu 44, 185–190.Google Scholar
Aryuthaka, C. and Kikuchi, T. (1996) Sediment meiobenthos community in the seagrass (Zostera marina L.) bed and its vicinity in Amakusa, south Japan. I. Spatial and seasonal variation of nematode community. Publications from the Amakusa Marine Biological Laboratory 12, 79–107.Google Scholar
Bell, S.S., Walters, K. and Kern, J.C. (1984) Meiofauna from seagrass habitats: a review and prospectus for future research. Estuaries 7, 331–338.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bell, S.S., Walters, K. and Hall, M.O. (1987) Habitat utilization by harpacticoid copepods: a morphometric approach. Marine Ecology Progress Series 35, 59–64.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bell, S.S., Hicks, G.R.F. and Walters, K. (1988) Active swimming in meiobenthic copepods of seagrass beds: geographic comparisons of abundances and reproductive characteristics. Marine Biology 98, 351–358.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bell, S.S. and Hicks, G.R.F. (1991) Marine landscapes and faunal recruitment: a field test with seagrasses and copepods. Marine Ecology Progress Series 73, 61–68.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Björk, M., Uku, J., Weil, A. and Beer, S. (1999) Photosynthetic tolerances to desiccation of tropical intertidal seagrasses. Marine Ecology Progress Series 191, 121–126.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Boxshall, G.A. and Hasley, S.H. (2004) An introduction to copepods diversity. London: The Ray Society.Google Scholar
Carpenter, K.E. and Springer, V.G. (2005) The center of the center of marine shore fish biodiversity: the Philippine Islands. Environmental Biology of Fishes 72, 467–480.Google Scholar
Cody, M.L. (1986) Diversity, rarity, and conservation in Mediterranean-climate regions. In M.E., Soulé (ed.) Conservation biology: the science of scarcity and diversity. Sunderland, Massachusetts, USA: Sinauer Associates, pp. 122–152.Google Scholar
Coull, B.C. (1999) Role of meiofauna in estuarine soft-bottom habitats. Australian Journal of Ecology 24, 327–343.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Coull, B.C. and Hogue, E.W. (1978) Revision of Apodopsyllus (Copepoda, Harpacticoida), including 2 new species and a redescription. Transactions of the American Microscopical Society 97, 149–159.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Crist, T.O., Veech, J.A., Gering, J.C. and Summerville, K.S. (2003) Partitioning species diversity across landscapes and regions: a hierarchical analysis of a, b, and g diversity. American Naturalist 162, 734–743.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Da Rocha, C.M.C., Venekey, V., Bezerra, T.N.C. and Souza, J.R.B. (2006) Phytal marine nematode assemblages and their relation with the macrophytes structural complexity in a Brazilian tropical rocky beach. Hydrobiologia 553, 219–230.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Decho, A.W., Hummon, W.D. and Fleeger, J.W. (1985) Meiofauna–sediment interactions around subtropical seagrass sediments using factor analysis. Journal of Marine Research 43, 237–255.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
De Troch, M., Fiers, F. and Vincx, M. (2001) Alpha and beta diversity of harpacticoid copepods in a tropical seagrass bed: the relation between diversity and species' range size distribution. Marine Ecology Progress Series 215, 225–236.Google Scholar
De Troch, M., Fiers, F. and Vincx, M. (2003) Niche segregation and habitat specialisation of harpacticoid copepods in a tropical seagrass beds. Marine Biology 142, 345–355.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
De Troch, M., Gurdebeke, S., Fiers, F. and Vincx, M. (2001b) Zonation and structuring factors of meiofauna communities in a tropical seagrass bed (Gazi Bay, Kenya). Journal of Sea Research 45, 45–61.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
De Troch, M., Steinarsdóttir, M.B., Chepurnov, V. and Ólafsson, E. (2005) Grazing on diatoms by harpacticoid copepods: species-specific density-dependent uptake and microbial gardening. Aquatic Microbial Ecology 39, 135–144.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
De Troch, M., Vandepitte, L., Raes, M., Suàrez-Morales, E. and Vincx, M. (2005) A field colonization experiment with meiofauna and seagrass mimics: effect of time, distance and leaf surface area. Marine Biology 148, 73–86.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
De Troch, M., Van Gansbeke, D. and Vincx, M. (2006) Resource availability and meiofauna in sediment of tropical seagrass beds: local versus global trends. Marine Environmental Research 61, 59–73.Google Scholar
Duarte, C.M. (2000) Marine biodiversity and ecosystem services: an elusive link. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology 250, 117–131.Google Scholar
Fleeger, J.W., Thistle, D. and Thiel, H. (1988) Sampling equipment. In Higgins, R.P. and Thiel, H. (eds) Introduction to the study of meiofauna. London: Smithsonian Institution Press, pp. 115–125.Google Scholar
Fujiwara, M. and Highsmith, R.C. (1997) Harpacticoid copepods: potential link between inbound adult salmon and outbound juvenile salmon. Marine Ecology Progress Series 158, 205–216.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gerlach, S.A. (1978) Food-chain relationships in subtidal silty sand marine sediments and the role of meiofauna in stimulating bacterial productivity. Oecologia 33, 55–69.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Gray, J.S. (1968) An experimental approach to the ecology of the harpacticoid Leptastacus constrictus Lang. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology 26, 77–96.Google Scholar
Gray, J.S. (2004) Marine biodiversity: patterns, threats and conservation needs. Biodiversity and Conservation 6, 153–175Google Scholar
Guerrini, A., Colangelo, M.A. and Ceccherelli, V.U. (1998) Recolonization patterns of meiobenthic communities in brackish vegetated and unvegetated habitats after induced hypoxia/anoxia. Hydrobiologia 375/376, 73–87.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hicks, G.R.F. (1980) Structure of phytal harpacticoid copepod assemblages and the influence of habitat complexity and turbidity. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology 44, 157–192.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hicks, G.R.F. (1986) Distribution and behaviour of meiofaunal copepods inside and outside seagrass beds. Marine Ecology Progress Series 31, 159–170.Google Scholar
Hicks, G.R.F. and Coull, B.C. (1983) The ecology of marine meiobenthic harpacticoid copepods. Oceanography and Marine Biology: an Annual Review 21, 67–175.Google Scholar
Higgins, R.P. and Thiel, H. (1988) Introduction to the study of meiofauna. London: Smithsonian Institution Press.Google Scholar
Hill, M.O. (1973) Diversity and evenness: a unifying notation and its consequences. Ecology 54, 427–431.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hulings, N.C. and Gray, J.S. (1976) Physical factors controlling abundance of meiofauna on tidal and atidal beaches. Marine Biology 34, 77–83.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Huys, R., Gee, J.M., Moore, C.G. and Hamond, R. (1996) Marine and brackish water harpacticoid copepods. Part 1: keys and notes for identification of the species. In R.S.K., Barnes and J.H., Crothers (eds) Synopses of the British Fauna (New Series) no. 51. Shrewsbury: Field Studies Council, pp. 1–352.Google Scholar
Jansson, B.O. (1966) Microdistribution of factors and fauna in marine sandy beaches. Veröffentlichungen des Instituts für Meeresforschung, Bremerhaven 2, 77–86.Google Scholar
Joint, I.R., Gee, J.M. and Warwick, R.M. (1982) Determination of fine-scale vertical distribution of microbes and meiofauna in an intertidal sediment. Marine Biology 40, 157–164.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lambshead, P.J.D., Platt, M. and Shaw, K.M. (1983) The detection of differences among assemblages of marine benthic species based on an assessment of dominance and diversity. Journal of Natural History 17, 859–874.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lang, K. (1948) Monographie der Harpacticiden. Lund, Sweden: Håkan Ohlssons Boktryckeri.Google Scholar
Lang, K. (1965) Copepoda Harpacticoidea from the Californian Pacific Coast. Kungliga Svenska Vetenskapakademiens 10, 1–560.Google Scholar
MacArthur, R.H. (1965) Patterns of species diversity. Biological Reviews 40, 510–533.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Magurran, A.E. (1988) Ecological diversity and its measurement. London: Chapman and Hall.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mantoura, R.F.C. and Llewellyn, C.A. (1983) The rapid determination of algal chlorophyll and carotenoid pigments and their breakdown products in natural waters by reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography. Analytica Chemica Acta 151, 297–314.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
McLachlan, A., Winter, P.E.D. and Botha, L. (1977) Vertical and horizontal distribution of sublittoral meiofauna in Algoa Bay, South Africa. Marine Biology 40, 355–364.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Nakamura, Y. and Sano, M. (2005) Comparison of invertebrate abundance in a seagrass bed and adjacent coral and sand areas at Amitori Bay, Iriomote Island, Japan. Fisheries Science 71, 543–550.Google Scholar
Ndaro, S.G.M. and Ólafsson, E. (1999) Soft-bottom fauna with emphasis on nematode assemblage structure in a tropical intertidal lagoon in Zanzibar, Eastern Africa: I. spatial variability. Hydrobiologia 405, 133–148.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ravenel, W.S. and Thistle, D. (1981) The effect of sediment characteristics on the distribution of two subtidal harpacticoid copepod species. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology 50, 289–301.Google Scholar
Ricklefs, R.E. and Schluter, D. (eds) (1993) Species diversity in ecological communities: historical and geographical perspectives. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.Google Scholar
Sedlacek, L. and Thistle, D. (2006) Emergence on the continental shelf: differences among species and between microhabitats. Marine Ecology Progress Series 311, 29–36.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Snelgrove, P. et al. 1997. The importance of marine sediment biodiversity in ecosystem processes. AMBIO 26, 578–583.Google Scholar
Sogard, S.M. (1984) Utilisation of meiofauna as a food source by a grassbed fish, the spotted dragonet Callionymus pauciradsiatus. Marine Ecology Progress Series 17, 183–191.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Steyaert, M., Moodley, L.,  Vanaverbeke, J.,  Vandewiele, S.  and Vincx, M. (2005) Laboratory experiments on the infaunal activity of intertidal nematodes. Hydrobiologia 540, 217–223.Google Scholar
Suárez-Morales, E. (2000) A new species and new geographic records of Monstrilla (Copepoda: Monstrilloida) from the Philippines. Journal of Crustacean Biology 20, 680–686.Google Scholar
Sutherland, T.F., Shepherd, P.C.F. and Elner, R.W. (2000) Predation on meiofaunal and macrofaunal invertebrates by western sandpipers (Calidris mauri): evidence for dual foraging modes. Marine Biology 137, 983–993.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Terrados, J. et al. (1998) Change in community structure and biomass of seagrass communities along the gradients of siltation in SE Asia. Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science 46, 757–768.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Thistle, D. (1980) The response of a harpacticoid copepod community to a small-scale natural disturbance. Journal of Marine Research 38, 381–395.Google Scholar
Thistle, D. (2003) Harpacticoid copepod emergence at a shelf site in summer and winter: implications for hydrodynamic and mating hypotheses. Marine Ecology Progress Series 248, 177–185.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Vermaat, J.E., Agawin, N.S.R., Fortes, M.D., Uri, J.S., Duarte, C.M., Marba, N., Enriquez, S. and Van Vierssen, W. (1997) The capacity of seagrasses to survive increased turbidity and siltation: the significance of growth form and light use. AMBIO 26, 499–504.Google Scholar
Walter, T.C., Ohtsuka, S. and Castillo, L.V. (2006) A new species of Pseudodiaptomus (Crustacea: Copepoda: Calanoida) from the Philippines, with a key to pseudodiaptomids from the Philippines and comments on the status of the genus Schmackeria. Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington 119, 202–221.Google Scholar
Walters, K. and Bell, S.S. (1994) Significance of copepod emergence to benthic, pelagic, and phytal linkages in a subtidal seagrass bed. Marine Ecology Progress Series 108, 237–249.Google Scholar
Whittaker, R.H. (1960) Vegetation of the Siskiyou Mountains, Oregon and California. Ecological Monographs 30, 279–338.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Whittaker, R.H. (1967) Gradient analysis of vegetation. Biological Reviews 42, 207–264.Google Scholar
Whittaker, R.H. (1972) Evolution and measurement of species diversity. Taxon 21, 213–251CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Whittaker, R.H. (1975) Communities and ecosystems. 2nd edn.New York: Macmillan.Google Scholar
Whittaker, R.H. (1977) Evolution of species diversity in land communities. In M.H., Hecht et al. (eds) Evolutionary biology. New York: Plenum, pp. 1–67.Google Scholar
Wieser, W., Ott, J., Schiemer, F. and Gnaiger, E. (1974) Ecophysiological study of some meiofauna species inhabiting a sandy beach at Bermuda. Marine Biology 26, 235–249.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wisheu, I.C. (1998) How organisms partition habitats: different types of community organization can produce identical patterns. Oikos 83, 246–258.CrossRefGoogle Scholar