BIOLOGICAL INDICATORS OF MARINE ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH: MEIOFAUNA - A NEGLECTED BENTHIC COMPONENT?

摘要

This paper considers teh use of meiofauna (benthic metazoa 45 to 500μm in size) as biologicla indicators for monitoring marine enviornmental health. To date, this abundant and ubiquitous group of invertebrates has been larely neglected in applied sampling programmes; instead, ephasis has been placed upon more conspicuous biological components such as seagrass, macrofauna and epiphytes. In an atempt to reduress this paper sets out three objectives: (1)to explain the reasons for selecting biological response indicators from across the whole spectrum of phylogenetic organisation, (2) to summarise those aspects of meiofaunal life-history and demogrpahy that render this group suitable for monitoring anthropogenic pollution and disturbance, (3) to suggest how to optimise the inclusion of meiofauna in monitoring programmes so that they provide maximum information for management purposes.