Volta
Vertical and temporal distribution of free-living nematodes dwelling in two sandy-bed streams fed by helocrene springs
We monitored for 1 year the sediment nematofauna of two headwater streams located near water resurgence from typical helocrene springs. Nematode community composition, benthic organic matter (BOM) and chlorophylla(BChl a) were assessed in two sediment layers (0-5 and 5-10 cm depth), providing insights into nematode vertical distribution. Globally, the density, diversity and functional richness of nematodes were lower in the upper sediments, although important amounts of BChl awere available there. The assemblages differed markedly between springs, with only 41 shared species from a total of 120 species, suggesting stochastic horizontal distribution even at small geographical scales (<5 km). Bacterial-feeding nematodes dominated in the upper sediments, whereas omnivorous, fungal- and plant-feeding nematodes thrived in the deeper sediments. Reproduction by the dominant …
Reference & gravity metrics
Secondary-market trade history
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Cited by (1)
| Ecology of freshwater nematodes | primary |