Volta

Response of meiobenthos to migrating ripples in sandy lowland streams

Abstract Stream sediments move at low flow forming migrating ripples. These ripples can cover substantial areas where benthic communities experience erosion-resting cycles of sand grains. Sediment surface and interstitial space is colonized by meiobenthos, an assemblage of microscopic invertebrates. Here we describe how sediment migration influences the structure of the meiobenthic community. We sampled migrating and stationary sediment patches in five streams. Sediments in migrating ripple patches were characterized by coarser grain size and higher oxygen concentration, but less organic matter and chlorophyll than stationary patches. Meiobenthos was more abundant in the superficial layer of stationary sediment compared to the underlying layer, whereas comparable abundances were observed in both layers of migrating patches. This suggests that ripple migration enhances the …

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