| In a first attempt to obtain information in order to characterize the shelf break zone, the meiobenthos communities of two fine sandy stations of 190 m and 325 m depth in the Gulf of Biscay off the Spanish coast were investigated in relation to some environmental characteristics (sediment composition, chlorophyll <i>a</i> content, redox values). The nematodes, which are the dominant taxon, were studied in detail. Their communities are relatively poor in densities (840 and 779 individuals per 10cm<i>2</i> and biomass (0.137 and 0.334mg dwt/10cm<sup>2</sup>) compared to those of shallow coastal areas. The dominance of small species (mean individual biomass: 0.169 and 0.423 µg dwt) and a low total biomass can be related to... |
