Disturbances of nematodes

Nematode disturbances

Sediment movement, erosion and deposition are natural processes, and benthic organisms have adapted to such disturbances. Man-made physical disturbances (e.g., beam trawling, dredged material disposal, coastal development) occur at a much larger scale, rate and magnitude and may exceed the adaptive capacity of sediment-inhabiting organisms.

Disturbance and nematode biodiversity

MarBEF researchers on the MANUELA project compiled and analysed an extensive database of experimental and observational studies to investigate the effects of physical disturbances in sediments on nematodes. Some measures of diversity decreased with increasing level of disturbance regardless of the disturbance type. Others, however, were more variable and depended on the nature and origin of the disturbance. Hence, there is no consistent effect of physical disturbances on nematode assemblages. In addition, it was shown that man-induced changes are intrinsically different from those of natural origin. Nematode assemblages were more similar after being subjected to high-intensity disturbances, even if they originated from geographically distinct areas.