| Meiofauna from the intertidal zone of five European estuaries (Ems, Westerschelde, Somme, Gironde, Tagus) was investigated. Samples represented a cross section of various benthic habitats from near-freshwater to marine, from pure silts to fine-sandy bottoms. The meiobenthic community comprised everywhere a fauna strongly dominated by nematodes, with meiobenthic density increasing with increasing salinity. The Ems differed from the other estuaries due to the presence of a well developed community of Copepods, Gastrotrichs, large Ciliates and/or soft-shelled Foraminiferans in some sites. The Westerschelde stood out due to the near-absence of harpacticoid copepods and, as in the Tagus, the lower meiobenthic densities in the marine part of the estuary. For... |
