title: Recovery of meiofauna communities following mudflat disturbance by trampling associated with crab-tiling.
abstract: The provision of artificial shelters for the collection of crabs, known as crab-tiling, and the subsequent harvesting of the soft "peeler" crabs for angling bait, are associated with trampling disturbance of intertidal mudflats in the United Kingdom. Recovery of meiofauna communities following crab-tiling activity was investigated on an intertidal mudflat in SW England. Harvesting of experimental plots was reproduced six times over a 2-week period. Meiofauna was collected at low tides 12h, 36 h and 144 h after treatment. Meiofaunal and nematode abundance, and nematode species number, was significantly greater in controls compared to crab-tile stations at 12h. At 36 h and 144 h there were no significant differences between treatments, indicating recovery had occurred in 12-36 h. Multivariate analysis showed nematode assemblage composition from control plots to be significantly different from crab-tile plots at 12h. No significant differences were observed between sediment physical parameters with treatment. Results suggest that the predominant effect of disturbance may be vibration-induced burial, which causes nematodes to bury deeper into the sediment, beyond the depth sampled, and explains the rapid recovery.
authors.affiliation: Marine Biology and Ecology Research Centre, Marine Institute, University of Plymouth, Drake Circus, Plymouth PL4 8AA, UK. osp401@bangor.ac.uk
authors.forename: Gareth E L
authors.initials: GE
authors.lastname: Johnson
authors.forename: Martin J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Attrill
authors.forename: Emma V
authors.initials: EV
authors.lastname: Sheehan
authors.forename: Paul J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Somerfield
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D044822:Biodiversity; D003247:Conservation of Natural Resources; D019015:Geologic Sediments; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D009348:Nematoda / Q000502:physiology*; D009792:Oceans and Seas; D012623:Seawater; D006113:United Kingdom