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Seagrass vegetation and meiofauna enhance the bacterial abundance in the Baltic Sea sediments (Puck Bay)
Abstract
This study presents the first report on bacterial communities in the sediments of eelgrass (Zostera marina) meadows in the shallow southern Baltic Sea (Puck Bay). Total bacterial cell numbers (TBNs) and bacteria biomass (BBM) assessed with the use of epifluorescence microscope and Norland’s formula were compared between bare and vegetated sediments at two localities and in two sampling summer months. Significantly higher TBNs and BBM (PERMANOVA tests, P < 0.05) were recorded at bottom covered by the seagrass meadows in both localities and in both sampling months. The relationships between bacteria characteristics and environmental factors (grain size, organic matter, photopigments in sediments), meiofauna and macrofauna densities, as well as macrophyte vegetation characteristics (shoot density, phytobenthos biomass) were tested using PERMANOVA distance-based linear model (DISTLM) procedures and showed that the main factors explaining bacteria characteristics are bottom type (vegetated vs. unvegetated) and meiofauna density. These two factors explained together 48.3 % of variability in TBN and 40.5 % in BBM, and their impacts did not overlap (as indicated by DISTLM sequential tests) demonstrating the different natures of these relationships. The effects of seagrass were most probably related to the increase of organic matter and providing habitat while higher numbers of meiofauna organisms may have stimulated the bacterial growth by increased grazing
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Authors (3)
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Emilia Jankowska mgr
- Instutut Oceanologii PAN w Sopocie Instutut Oceanologii PAN w Sopocie
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Maria Włodarska-Kowalczuk
- Instutut Oceanologii PAN w Sopocie Instutut Oceanologii PAN w Sopocie
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Full text
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- Accepted or Published Version
- DOI:
- Digital Object Identifier (open in new tab) 10.1007/s11356-015-5049-7
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Details
- Category:
- Articles
- Type:
- artykuł w czasopiśmie wyróżnionym w JCR
- Published in:
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ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH
no. 22,
edition 18,
pages 14372 - 14378,
ISSN: 0944-1344 - Language:
- English
- Publication year:
- 2015
- Bibliographic description:
- Jankowska E., Jankowska K., Włodarska-Kowalczuk M.: Seagrass vegetation and meiofauna enhance the bacterial abundance in the Baltic Sea sediments (Puck Bay)// ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH. -Vol. 22, iss. 18 (2015), s.14372-14378
- DOI:
- Digital Object Identifier (open in new tab) 10.1007/s11356-015-5049-7
- Verified by:
- Gdańsk University of Technology
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