Study on the Community Structure of Sublittoral Meiofauna in the Barents Sea in Summer 2002, Arctic Ocean

Abstract

Meiofauna community was surveyed in the Arctic Ocean. Sediment samplees were collected from six stations in the east Barents Sea and from five stations in Kongsfjorden,Svalbard during summer 2002. Eight taxa of meiofauna were identified in the Barents Sea.Meiofauna abundance ranged from 245 to 906 indiv.10 cm-2 (mean 580 indiv.10 cm-2) and totalbiomass varied from 23 and 404gC10cm-2 (mean 184gC10cm-2) in the Barent Sea. Nematodepredominated in meiofauna comprising 95.2% of total abundance and 66.4% of biomass.Copepods, polycheats and sarcomastigophonans were also dominant in the study area. Nine taxaof meiofauna were identified in Kongsfjorden. Meiofauna abundance ranged from 103 to 513indiv.10 cm-2 (mean 292 indiv.10 cm-2) and biomass varied from 13 and 196gC10 cm-2 (mean94 gC10 cm-2) in the Kongsfjorden. Nematodes predominated in meiofauna, comprising 64.1%the study area. The meiofauna abundances from both the study areas well match with theprevious reports from the various regions including the temperate areas. However the occurredtaxa in the present study are only a half comparing with the reports from temperate zone.Meiofauna abundance, biomass, diversity index and species richness were much higher than inthe coastal which were strongly affected by fresh water run off in the Barents Sea. The stationsrichness in Kongsfjorden