BIO

I am a sophomore at Florida State University. I'm interested in environmental science, ecology, and biology. I enjoy hiking, volunteering, and spending time with my friends.

Meiofauna abundance and biomass in mangrove and marsh ecosystems along the Apalachicola Bay

Abstract

Meiofauna are microscopic animals (63-500 µm) that are abundant and incredibly diverse in coastal and marine sediments worldwide. Their community composition, density, and biomass are acknowledged as ecological indicators of the environment they reside in; and they play pivotal roles in key environmental processes such as nutrient exchange and food-web flows. In this study we focused on free-living nematodes and copepods from mangrove and salt marsh systems in Apalachicola Bay. A total of twelve samples were taken with 60mL cut-off syringes in October 2022; three samples (1-2 feet apart) from the center of a Mangrove hammock and three samples on the fringe; the center and fringe samples were separated by a few meters. The same sampling design was followed for a nearby salt marsh. Samples were washed over stacked 500 and 63 µm sieves and meiofauna extracted using density separation. Nematodes and copepods were enumerated, picked out, and mounted on glass slides so that they could be measured under a compound microscope to calculate biomass. Nematode:copepod ratios, density, and biomass were analyzed to distinguish spatial patterns and differences between mangrove and marsh habitats, and the fringe sediments around these habitats. This information will provide a glimpse into the miniature life of coastal habitats in the Apalachicola Bay ecosystem, their ecology and their functional roles.

Keywords: marine science, ecology, meiofauna, environmental science, ecosystems