| Nematode assemblages were sampled seasonally at three subtidal stations along the Belgian coast. The stations were characterized by muddy sediments (station 115), fine sand (station 702) and fine to coarse sand (station 790). The forces structuring vertical distribution were investigated by evaluating abundance, species composition, diversity and trophic composition, and relating these to sediment composition, redox state and food sources. The nematode assemblages at the two finer grained stations (115, 702) were dominated by <i>Daptonema tenuispiculum</i> and <i>Sabatieria punctata</i>. For both species, the vertical distribution in the sediment seemed not dependent on the redoxchemistry, as former believed for <i>S.... |
