Dynamics of meiobenthic fauna in a tropical sandy coast (Chennai, Bay of Bengal) with reference to the physicochemical parameters

Abstract

The term “meiobenthos” refers to a diverse community of organisms inhabiting the interstitial spaces between sand grains retained on sieve sizes ranging between 38 to 500 µm. This study investigates the diversity and density of meiobenthic communities across five locations along the Chennai coast. We examined the dominant meiobenthic groups, with nematodes exhibiting high dominance at Napier station (288.6 ± 91.07 ind.10cm²) and harpacticoids dominating at Marina station (449.88 ± 264.3 ind.10cm²). To establish the relationship between meiobenthic organisms and environmental parameters, we analyzed seven physicochemical factors throughout the study period. The results indicate a negative correlation between ammonia, nitrate, and phosphate levels in the water and a few meiobenthic groups, notably harpacticoids and ostracods. However, no significant relationship was observed between physicochemical parameters and dominant groups of this study, such as nematodes and polychaetes. These findings highlight substantial fluctuations in the diversity and density of meiobenthos and physicochemical parameters throughout the study period, emphasizing the dynamic nature of these coastal ecosystems. Moreover, the results of this study contribute to our understanding of meiobenthic dynamics and their interactions with the environment.