Tube-dwelling nematodes: tube construction and possible ecological effects on sediment-water interfaces

Abstract

Free-liv~ng marine nematodes of the genus Ptycl~olaimellus build membranous tubes from detritus bound by released mucus. The mucus is produced by a ventral gland cell opening close to the lips and probably also from hypodermal gland cells along the body wall. The tubes are about 50 ,um in diameter, sinuous, and situated vertically down to l cm depth; they open at the sediment-water interface. These findings suggest that the nematodes may play a significant role at the interfaces by increasing pore water exchange and stabilizing newly sedimented detritus with excreted mucus.