L. Moodley et al., Benthic activity in sediments of the northwestern Adriatic Sea: sediment oxygen consumption, macro- and meiofauna dynamics, J SEA RES, 40(3-4), 1998, pp. 263-280
Benthic activity was examined at three stations (18 m water depth) in the n
orthwestern Adriatic Sea. Carbon mineralisation rates, as based on sediment
oxygen consumption rates, ranged from 54 to 89 g C m(-2) y(-1). The relati
vely high carbon mineralisation rates, large macrofaunal biomass (9 to 16 g
C m(-2)) and macrofaunal production (11 to 19 g C m(-2) y(-1)) provide evi
dence of high organic-matter input and intense benthic-pelagic coupling. Th
is is further supported by the high dominance of the suspension-feeding biv
alve Corbula gibba, which accounts for 52 to 63% of the total annual macrof
aunal biomass production. Although the infaunal distribution of total macro
fauna showed a sharp decline in densities and biomass with depth into the s
ediment, different patterns within the dominant taxa were observed. Whilst
the bivalve Corbula gibba and the amphipod Ampelisca sp. were restricted to
the surface layer, other species such as the dominant bivalve Mysella sp.
and the gastropod Hyala sp. were not confined to a specific depth level and
the majority of the populations occurred deeper than 5 cm into the sedimen
t. Bioturbation, based on the occurrence of macrofauna, extended to at leas
t 20 cm. Nematodes and foraminifera together formed 80 to 90% of the meiofa
unal community in the upper 5 cm of the sediment. Annual mean densities ran
ged from 3.40 to 6.07 x 10(6) ind. m(-2). Maximum abundance of meiofauna wa
s not encountered at the station where maximum macrofaunal activity was rec
orded, and this could reflect the negative effect of biological interaction
on meiofaunal densities in areas that have a high food supply. (C) 1998 El
sevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.