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Bacterivory of a mudflat nematode community under different environmental conditions

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Abstract

The fate of the benthic bacterial biomass is a topic of major importance in understanding how soft-bottom environments function. Because of their high abundance, production and nutritional value, benthic bacteria may constitute an important food resource for benthic fauna. The trophic role of bacteria for a nematode community on the Brouage mudflat (Marennes-Oléron-France), dominated by three species: Chromadora macrolaima (64% of the abundance), Daptonema oxycerca (15%) and Ptycholaimellus jacobi (8%), was determined in grazing experiments using 15N pre-enriched bacteria. On intertidal flats, seasonal, tidal and circadian cycles induce strong variations in environmental conditions. Grazing experiments were performed in order to measure the effects of abiotic (temperature, salinity and luminosity) and biotic (bacterial and algal abundances) factors on assimilation rates of bacteria by nematodes. In order to assess simultaneously bacteria and algal assimilation rates, algal abundances were modified adding 13C pre-enriched Navicula phyllepta. Assimilation rate was significantly lower at 5°C; moreover, general trend shows a prominent temperature effect with an optimum around 30°C. Assimilation at salinity 18 was not significantly different from the assimilation at salinity 31. Assimilation was higher under light conditions than in the dark. Above 109 bacteria ml−1, assimilation of bacteria remained unaffected by bacterial abundance. However, assimilation of algae increased with the algal concentration. Nematode kept feeding under conditions of stress, which are typical of the surficial sediment habitat and they appeared to be principally dependent on the algal resource.

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Acknowledgments

We thank Prescilla Perrichon and Stéphanie Bollard for their help in sample preparation, Gaël Guillou for isotopic analyses, Utte Wollenzien from NIOO-CEMO for giving us a N. phyllepta strain and Janet Heard Carnot for English corrections. We thank anonymous reviewers for their constructive suggestions. This work was financially supported by the “Conseil Général de Charente Maritime”, the ANR-VASIREMI and ECCO and “PNEC Chantier Littoral Atlantique”.

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  1. Littoral, Environnement et Sociétés (LIENSS) UMR 6250 CNRS-Université de La Rochelle, 2 Rue Olympe de Gouges, 17042, La Rochelle Cedex, France

    Pierre-Yves Pascal, Christine Dupuy, Pierre Richard & Nathalie Niquil

  2. Biologie des organismes marins et écosystèmes (BOME) UMR-CNRS 5178–USM 0401–MNHN, 61 Rue Buffon, 75231, Paris, France

    Jadwiga Rzeznik-Orignac

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  1. Pierre-Yves Pascal
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  2. Christine Dupuy
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Correspondence to Pierre-Yves Pascal.

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Communicated by M. Kühl.

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Pascal, PY., Dupuy, C., Richard, P. et al. Bacterivory of a mudflat nematode community under different environmental conditions. Mar Biol 154, 671–682 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00227-008-0960-9

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