Meiobenthic community underneath the carcass of a stingray: a snapshot after natural death

Author(s)

Fonseca, Gustavo ^{[1, 2]} ; Hutchings, Pat ^[2] ; Vieira, Danilo Candido ^[1] ; Gallucci, Fabiane ^{[1, 2]}

Affiliation

^[1] Univ Sao Paulo, Ctr Biol Marinha, BR-11600000 Sao Sebastiao - Brazil

^[2] Australian Museum, Sydney, NSW 2010 - Australia

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: AQUATIC BIOLOGY; v. 13, n. 1, p. 27-33, 2011.
• Web of Science Citations: 6

Abstract

The impact of large food falls and carrion on meiobenthic communities remains little understood. The objective of the present study was to investigate whether the carcass of a stingray, encountered fortuitously in an Australian estuary, affects the underlying meiobenthic community, in particular nematode assemblages. The integrity of the skeleton and the low redox values observed under the carcass suggest that the cadaver had been slowly and chiefly decomposed by microbes. The abundance and number of meiofaunal taxa, as well as nematode abundance and nematode-species richness, were significantly lower under the carcass when compared to samples outside the carcass. Nonetheless, a few nematode species, typical of hypoxic/anoxic sediments, were more abundant under the carcass. Interestingly, all these species were absent or rare in samples near, but not under, the carcass, suggesting that they may take advantage of the reduced environment created by the carcass and the consequent lack of competition to prosper. As observed for other marine environments, carcasses in estuaries create a microhabitat that supports a characteristic meiobenthic fauna, distinct from those inhabiting the surrounding sediments, but similar to those of reduced habitats. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 10/05472-0 - Free-living marine nematodes: taxonomy, systematics and phylogeny
• Grantee: Gustavo Fernandes Camargo Fonseca
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Young Researchers
• FAPESP's process: 10/12232-5 - Marine meiofauna in the state of São Paulo: hidden and threatened diversity
• Grantee: Fabiane Gallucci
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Young Researchers
• FAPESP's process: 09/14019-0 - Free living marine nematodes: taxonomy, systematics and phylogeny
• Grantee: Gustavo Fernandes Camargo Fonseca
• Support Opportunities: Research Grants - Young Investigators Grants