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Marine and Estuarine Nematodes in South Africa

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Nematology in South Africa: A View from the 21st Century

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Abstract

Free-living nematodes are present in all marine and estuarine environments around South Africa. They are most common in sediments, comprising up to 92 % of the living carbon community. Nematodes are grouped with other marine and estuarine organisms that are less than 1 mm in size but greater than 50 μm and are collectively referred to as meiofauna. A total of 338 marine and estuarine nematode species have been recorded from South Africa of which 30 are endemic. A number of factors affect meiofaunal community structure including particle size of the sediment, organic matter content, salinity, temperature, redox potential, oxygen concentration and, on exposed sandy beaches, desiccation and wave action. The proportion of nematodes within the meiofauna component increased from 20 % on the east coast to 60 % on the south coast in the Port Elizabeth area on sandy shores. A similar study at Robben Island, off the west coast of South Africa, showed nematodes to represent more than 86 % of the meiofauna. Most of the local research on nematodes has been conducted in estuaries that are permanently open. As on sea shores, nematodes dominated the meiofauna in these estuaries, and their abundance was affected by particle size, oxygen and desiccation. Research at Saldanha Bay in South Africa is also referred to and shows that estuarine nematodes can be used as biomonitors. High concentrations of heavy metals below the rafts existed, and nematode fauna was dominated by a Sabatieria sp. Away from the raft, Microlaimus sp. was the dominant genus, and the substrate had significantly lower concentrations of heavy metals.

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to graciously thank Professor Mark Gibbons at the University of the Western Cape (UWC) for reviewing this manuscript and providing valuable guidance on its structure and content.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Zitholele Consulting, 6002, Halfway House, Midrand, 1685, South Africa

    Mathys C. Vosloo

  2. Department of Biodiversity and Conservation Biology, University of the Western Cape, Private Bag X17, Bellville, 7535, South Africa

    Martin G. J. Hendricks

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  1. Mathys C. Vosloo
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Correspondence to Mathys C. Vosloo .

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  1. North-West University Unit for Environmental Sciences and Management, Potchefstroom, South Africa

    Hendrika Fourie

  2. Durban, South Africa

    Vaughan W. Spaull

  3. Robin Jones Nematological Services, Murrayfield, Pretoria, South Africa

    Robin K. Jones

  4. Agricultural Research Council-Institute for Tropical and Subtropical Crops, Mbombela, South Africa

    Mieke S. Daneel

  5. Laboratory of Tropical Crop Improvement Department of Biosystems, University of Leuven, Heverlee, Belgium

    Dirk De Waele

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Vosloo, M.C., Hendricks, M.G.J. (2017). Marine and Estuarine Nematodes in South Africa. In: Fourie, H., Spaull, V., Jones, R., Daneel, M., De Waele, D. (eds) Nematology in South Africa: A View from the 21st Century. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-44210-5_24

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