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Distribution of meiofauna in the sublittoral sediments of the tropical island ecosystem, off Port Blair, Andaman Sea

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Title Distribution of meiofauna in the sublittoral sediments of the tropical island ecosystem, off Port Blair, Andaman Sea
 
Creator Arunima, T K A
Afnan, N M
Swathi, V
Heera, N S
Shah, K
Mohan, P M
 
Subject Benthos
Diversity
Meiofauna
Offshore sediments
South Andaman
 
Description 130-144
Meiofaunal studies from offshore sediments of the Andaman Sea were conducted during the South-West Monsoon
Season (SWMS), North-East Monsoon Season (NEMS) and Non-Rainy Season (NRS) of the year 2019. The study focused
on identifying the meiofauna and its distribution from the sub-littoral sediments of South Andaman Islands. Altogether ten
meiofaunal groups viz., foraminifera, nematodes, copepods, pteropods, diatoms, polychaetes, kinorhyncha, ostracods,
halacarids and gastrotricha were reported in the present study. Foraminifera dominated throughout the study period (24 %),
followed by nematodes (22 %), while gastrotrichs (0.94 %) were found to be the least abundant group. NEMS was observed
to have the highest meiofaunal density among all three seasons. Cluster analysis represented foraminifera and nematodes as
a single cluster with the highest similarity percentage (97 %). Shannon-Weiner diversity index was highest in North Bay
during Non-Rainy Season (NBNRS) and lowest in Corbyn’s Cove during South-West Monsoon Season (CCSWMS).
Principal Component Analysis (PCA) results indicated that sediment composition, Dissolved Oxygen (DO) and Organic
Carbon (OC) content were the most important factors influencing the meiofaunal distribution in these areas. The study
revealed marked differences in the meiofaunal population dynamics compared to the mainland India and have also reported
additional meiofaunal groups from the studied regions.
 
Date 2024-02-27T07:07:03Z
2024-02-27T07:07:03Z
2023-03
 
Type Article
 
Identifier 2582-6727 (Online); 2582-6506 (Print)
http://nopr.niscpr.res.in/handle/123456789/63469
https://doi.org/10.56042/ijms.v52i03.7457
 
Language en
 
Publisher NIScPR-CSIR, India
 
Source IJMS Vol.52(02) [March 2023]