(Table 2) Metazoan meiofauna abundance in sediments obtained during POLARSTERN cruise ANT-XIX/3 (ANDEEP-1) ...

• Main Authors: Gutzmann, Erik, Martínez Arbizu, Pedro, Rose, Armin, Veit-Köhler, Gritta
• Format: Dataset
• Language: English
• Published: PANGAEA 2004
• Subjects: AWI; Event label; Date/Time of event; Latitude of event; Longitude of event; Elevation of event; Nematoda; Gastrotricha; Rotifera; Loricifera; Priapulida; Kinorhyncha; Copepoda; Nauplii; Tantulocarida; Ostracoda; Amphipoda; Isopoda; Cumacea; Tardigrada; Gastropoda; Bivalvia; Tanaidacea; Ophiuridae; Halacaroidea; Meiofauna, abundance; MultiCorer; Counting >40 µm fraction; ANT-XIX/3; Polarstern; Priority Programme 1158 Antarctic Research with Comparable Investigations in Arctic Sea Ice Areas SPP1158; Antarc*; Antarctic; Sea ice; Copepods
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.1594/pangaea.848014; https://doi.pangaea.de/10.1594/PANGAEA.848014

Meiofauna standing stocks and community structure are reported for the first time for abyssal soft-sediment samples in Antarctic waters. At seven stations within a depth range of 2274-5194 m a total of 128 sediment cores were retrieved with a multiple corer (MUC) on board of the R.V. Polarstern during the ANDEEP-1 cruise (ANT XIX/3). The metazoan meiofauna (defined by a lower size limit of 40 µm) was identified and counted, and one core per station was preserved for CPE, C/N, TOM and grain size analyses. Meiofauna densities are in the range of 2731 Ind./10 cm² at 2290 m depth and 75 Ind./10 cm² at 3597 m depth, with nematodes being the dominant group at all stations. Nematodes account for 84-94% followed by copepods with 2-8% of the total meiofauna. Other frequent taxa found at each station are kinorhynchs, loriciferans, tantulocarids, ostracods and tardigrades.There is a general tendency of decreasing abundances of metazoan meiofauna with increasing depth, but not all higher level taxa displayed this ... : Metazoan meiofauna ist defined by a lower size limit of 40 µm. Number were originally given as #/10 cm² and were recalculated to #/m² by multiplying by 1000. ...