Diversity of nematode assemblages along a Mediterranean deep-sea transect
Soetaert, K.; Heip, C.H.R.; Vincx, M. (1991). Diversity of nematode assemblages along a Mediterranean deep-sea transect. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. 75: 275-282
In: Marine Ecology Progress Series. Inter-Research: Oldendorf/Luhe. ISSN 0171-8630; e-ISSN 1616-1599, meer
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| Abstract |
The diversity of the nematode assemblages along a Mediterranean transect off Calvi, Corsica, Mediterranean Sea (depth range 160 to 1220 m) was very high. There was no clear trend in species diversity with station depth, and diversity at the station located on the continental shelf was not markedly lower than that at the deep-sea stations. However, diversity decreased with increasing depth into the sediment. As with the macrofauna, nematode assemblages in the Mediterranean is explained by a slight dominance of some species, while no species are dominant in the Bay of Biscay. Generic (between-genus) diversity was much higher than the average species diversity within genera, indicating that the high overall species diversity was not caused by large numbers of closely related co-existing species. Since species abundances are low, mate location for amphimictically reproducing species can impose an important metabolic cost on the organism. However, there are no indications that parthenogenesis is important in deep-sea nematodes. |
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