Environmental drivers modelling the mangrove Kinorhyncha community along an urban-to-natural gradient in French Guiana (western Atlantic Ocean)
Meiofaunal communities are dominated by free-living nematodes and harpacticoid copepods. Most of the studies defining the environmental drivers that influence meiofauna focus on these profuse groups. The ‘rare’ meiofaunal organisms (densities <5%) are frequently overlooked, making it difficul...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2024-03-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Marine Science |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmars.2024.1342763/full |
| _version_ | 1797261920111165440 |
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| author | Diego Cepeda Diego Cepeda Nuria Sánchez Adriana Spedicato Emma Michaud Daniela Zeppilli |
| author_facet | Diego Cepeda Diego Cepeda Nuria Sánchez Adriana Spedicato Emma Michaud Daniela Zeppilli |
| author_sort | Diego Cepeda |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Meiofaunal communities are dominated by free-living nematodes and harpacticoid copepods. Most of the studies defining the environmental drivers that influence meiofauna focus on these profuse groups. The ‘rare’ meiofaunal organisms (densities <5%) are frequently overlooked, making it difficult to know which abiotic variables influence their populations, or their ecological role in the benthic ecosystems. In this study, we explore the ecological factors that characterize a low human-polluted mangrove in French Guiana (western Atlantic Ocean) along an urban-to-natural gradient, focusing on the ‘rare’ phylum Kinorhyncha. This taxon seems to be mainly influenced by sediment size, being more abundant in silty sediments. The presence of microorganisms also enhances the community, likely due to a higher food availability. Oppositely, some trace metals of both lithogenic and anthropogenic origin, as well as predominance of coarser sediment particles, seem to negatively affect their populations. The importance of including the lesser abundant groups of meiofauna in ecological studies is evident, since it allows to have a better idea of the ecological state of marine benthic environments. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-24T23:48:53Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-8ab84cf67fe14806a2ca6559f872d769 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2296-7745 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-24T23:48:53Z |
| publishDate | 2024-03-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Marine Science |
| spelling | doaj.art-8ab84cf67fe14806a2ca6559f872d7692024-03-15T04:20:29ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Marine Science2296-77452024-03-011110.3389/fmars.2024.13427631342763Environmental drivers modelling the mangrove Kinorhyncha community along an urban-to-natural gradient in French Guiana (western Atlantic Ocean)Diego Cepeda0Diego Cepeda1Nuria Sánchez2Adriana Spedicato3Emma Michaud4Daniela Zeppilli5Univ. Brest, CNRS, Ifremer, UMR6197 Biologie et Ecologie des Ecosystèmes marins Profonds, Plouzané, FranceAutonomous University of Madrid (UAM), Faculty of Sciences, Department of Biology, Centre for Research on Biodiversity and Global Change (CIBC-UAM), Madrid, SpainDepartment of Biodiversity, Ecology and Evolution (BEE), Faculty of Biological Sciences, Complutense University of Madrid (UCM), Madrid, SpainUniv. Brest, CNRS, IRD, IFREMER, LEMAR, Plouzané, FranceUniv. Brest, CNRS, IRD, IFREMER, LEMAR, Plouzané, FranceUniv. Brest, CNRS, Ifremer, UMR6197 Biologie et Ecologie des Ecosystèmes marins Profonds, Plouzané, FranceMeiofaunal communities are dominated by free-living nematodes and harpacticoid copepods. Most of the studies defining the environmental drivers that influence meiofauna focus on these profuse groups. The ‘rare’ meiofaunal organisms (densities <5%) are frequently overlooked, making it difficult to know which abiotic variables influence their populations, or their ecological role in the benthic ecosystems. In this study, we explore the ecological factors that characterize a low human-polluted mangrove in French Guiana (western Atlantic Ocean) along an urban-to-natural gradient, focusing on the ‘rare’ phylum Kinorhyncha. This taxon seems to be mainly influenced by sediment size, being more abundant in silty sediments. The presence of microorganisms also enhances the community, likely due to a higher food availability. Oppositely, some trace metals of both lithogenic and anthropogenic origin, as well as predominance of coarser sediment particles, seem to negatively affect their populations. The importance of including the lesser abundant groups of meiofauna in ecological studies is evident, since it allows to have a better idea of the ecological state of marine benthic environments.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmars.2024.1342763/fullmud dragonsmeiofaunapollutiontrace metalssediment grain sizemangrove forests |
| spellingShingle | Diego Cepeda Diego Cepeda Nuria Sánchez Adriana Spedicato Emma Michaud Daniela Zeppilli Environmental drivers modelling the mangrove Kinorhyncha community along an urban-to-natural gradient in French Guiana (western Atlantic Ocean) Frontiers in Marine Science mud dragons meiofauna pollution trace metals sediment grain size mangrove forests |
| title | Environmental drivers modelling the mangrove Kinorhyncha community along an urban-to-natural gradient in French Guiana (western Atlantic Ocean) |
| title_full | Environmental drivers modelling the mangrove Kinorhyncha community along an urban-to-natural gradient in French Guiana (western Atlantic Ocean) |
| title_fullStr | Environmental drivers modelling the mangrove Kinorhyncha community along an urban-to-natural gradient in French Guiana (western Atlantic Ocean) |
| title_full_unstemmed | Environmental drivers modelling the mangrove Kinorhyncha community along an urban-to-natural gradient in French Guiana (western Atlantic Ocean) |
| title_short | Environmental drivers modelling the mangrove Kinorhyncha community along an urban-to-natural gradient in French Guiana (western Atlantic Ocean) |
| title_sort | environmental drivers modelling the mangrove kinorhyncha community along an urban to natural gradient in french guiana western atlantic ocean |
| topic | mud dragons meiofauna pollution trace metals sediment grain size mangrove forests |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmars.2024.1342763/full |
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