On the use of meiofauna in ecological monitoring: who needs taxonomy?
In: Marine Pollution Bulletin. Macmillan: London. ISSN 0025-326X; e-ISSN 1879-3363, more
|  |
| Keywords |
Aquatic communities > Benthos > Meiobenthos
Biocoenosis
Classification > Taxonomy
Composition > Community composition
Detection > Pollution detection
Monitoring > Environmental monitoring > Pollution monitoring
Pollution > Water pollution > Marine pollution
Species diversity
Taxa > Species > Indicator species
Marine/Coastal |
| Abstract |
Taxonomic problems have hindered the widespread use of meiobenthos for the purpose of pollution monitoring despite its potential usefulness. The question whether it is necessary to go down to species level in order to distinguish assemblages and stations was studied. From a practical point of view, it may be sufficient to identify the animals to genus or family level. It is proven that this result is not due to ecological similarities between congeneric or confamiliar species. Randomly assembled "families" allowed a separation of the stations as clear as that based on taxonomic groups. The information contained in species abundances was preserved, at least partially, when the species are grouped, even at random. The grouping in higher taxonomic categories was as good as any, and more convenient than all the others. |
|
