Volta
The Influential Role of the Habitat on the Diversity Patterns of Free-Living Aquatic Nematode Assemblages in the Cuban Archipelago
Free living nematodes are the most abundant and diverse metazoans in aquatic sediments. We used a framework of habitat types to reveal quantitative patterns in species richness (SR), β-diversity, and biological traits (BT). Meiofauna was quantitatively collected from 60 sites within nine habitat types and 24,736 nematodes were identified to species level. We reported a regional richness of 410 ± 12 species for the Cuban archipelago; however, caves and deep waters need to be sampled more intensively. Relationships between SR and abundance supported the dynamic equilibrium model with habitats ordered across gradients of resource availability and physical disturbance. Seagrass meadows were the most specious and freshwater/anchihaline caves the least diverse habitats. Differences in β-diversity likely were due to habitat heterogeneity …
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References (22)
Cited by (2)
| Ecology of freshwater nematodes | primary |
| Nematode diversity of freshwater and anchialine caves of Western Cuba | secondary |