The relationship between surface macrofauna and sediment nutrients in a mudflat of the Chuwei Mangrove forest, Taiwan

The importance of sediment nutrients to the surface macrofaunal abundance i n a mudflat of the Chuwei Mangrove forest, Taiwan was determined. Macrobent hic abundance fluctuated seasonally. Most benthic activities occurred withi n top 3 cm of sediment. Three dominant deposit feeders were found: the olig ochaetes, Paranais litoralis and Monopylephorus parvus, and the polychaete, Capitella sp. P. litoralis appeared only from late winter till early suirm er, and its distribution was correlated with sediment temperature. The abun dance of Capitella sp. was correlated with surface sediment organic content . M. parvus recruited mainly in the springtime. Although the detritus can p rovide most of the carbon needs for benthic animals, the availability of la bile materials, especially nitrogen-containing material, was limited. A pul se of available nitrogen in October and December 1993 might have provided a dditional nutrients and stimulated animal abundance from late falls till ea rly winter.