| Nematodes from the sediments of the Swartkops estuary in Port Elizabeth, South Africa were investigated at 10 selected sites along a salinity gradient in the subtidal region at neap tide. The relation between nematode density, genera, community structure and environmental parameters including concentrations of seven heavy metals, Mn, Ti, Cr, Pb, Fe, Sn and Zn in the sediment were investigated. The nematode community structure was significantly influenced by the chlorophyll a concentration and sediment particle-size distribution. The number of genera had significant negative correlation with chlorophyll a and two heavy metals, Fe and Zn in the sediment. The habitat preferences of the genera were also assessed. A combination of the Shannon-Wiener Diversity... |
