International Journal of Marine Science 2016, Vol.6, No.54, 1-8
7
outer fjords but meio fauna had significant differences in the distribution between the two fjords. Thus,
macrofauna and meiofauna provide different but complementary types of information on their occurrence and also
in relation to the prevailing environmental conditions. Meiofauna can be sensitive to environmental disturbances as
the sediment in the outer fjord area was always under commotion by the inflow and out flow of water masses hence
they were highly concentrating to the less disturbed inner fjord. In summer months the input of terrigenous material
transported by the rivers produced high particle flux which affected both the benthic food availability and substrate
conditions. Hence, seasonality was evident for both macro and meio faunal distribution in the present study.
Therefore, long term, spatio-temporal studies are further required to evolve at a detailed and comprehensive
information on benthic fauna and its variabilities in the Arctic fjords especially in the context of emerging global
climate change.
Acknowledgements
The authors are thankful to th
(NCAOR), Govt. of India and to the Head, Dept. of
Marine Biology, Microbiology and Biochemistry, School of Marine Sciences, Cochin University of Science and Technology for
providing the financial support and necessary facilities for undertaking the study.
References
American Public Health Association (APHA), 2005, Standard methods for the estimation of water and waste water 21
st
edition, Washington DC,4-127.
Austen M. C., Warwick R. M., and Rosado M. C., 1989, Meiobenthic and macrobenthic structure along a putative pollution gradient in southern Portugal. Mar
Pollut Bull., 20: 398–405.
Birgel D., Stein R., and Hefter J., 2004, Aliphatic lipids in recent sediments of the Fram Strait/Yermak Plateau (Arctic Ocean): composition, sources and
transport processes. Marine Chemistry, 88: 127– 160.
Chetelat J., Cloutier L., and Amyot M., 2010, Carbon sources for lake food webs in the Canadian High Arctic and other regions of Arctic North America. Polar
Biology, 33: 1111–1123.
Clarke K. R., and Gorley R. N., 2006, PRIMER v 6: User Manual / tutorial, PRIMER- E. Plymouth-Marine laboratory. Plymouth, UK, 192.
Fauvel P., 1953, The fauna of1ndia including Pakistan, Ceylon, Burma and Malaya. Annelida Polychaeta. Allahabad, XII, 507.
Giere O., 2009, Meiobenthology - The microscopic motile fauna of aquatic sediments. 2nd edition. Springer Verlag. Heidelberg, 161-163
Heip C., 1992, Benthic studies: summary and conclusions. Mar Ecol Prog Ser., 91: 265–281.
Higgins R. P., and Thiel H., 1988, Introduction to the study of meiofauna. Smithsonnian Inst. Press. Washington, D. C, 11-13.
Holte B., and Gulliksen B., 1998, Common macrofaunal dominant species in the sediments of some north Norwegian and Svalbard glacial fjords. Polar Biol.,
19: 375-382.
Holte B., Dahle S., Gulliksen B., and Naes K., 1996, Some macrofaunal effects of local pollution and glacier-induced sedimentation, with indicative chemical
analyses, in the sediments of two Arctic fjords. Polar Biol., 16: 549–557.
Kendall M. A., 1994, Polychaete assemblages along a depth gradients in a Spitsbergen Fjord. In: Dauvin J.C., Laubier L., and Reish D.J., (eds) Acte de la 4eme
Conference internationale des Polychaetes. Mem Mus Natl Hist Nat., 162:463–470.
Kotwicki L., Szymelfenig M., Troch M. D., and Zajaczkowski M., 2004, Distribution of meiofauna in Kongsfjorden, Spitsbergen. Polar Biol., 27: 661–669.
Malinga B. U., Drgas A., Ameryk A., and Tatarek A., 2009, Meiofaunal (re)colonization of the Arctic intertidal (Hornsund, Spitsbergen) after ice melting: role
of wrack deposition. Polar Biol., 32: 243–252.
Malinga B. U., Wiktor J., Jablonska A., and Moens T., 2005, Intertidal meiofauna of a high-latitude glacial Arctic fjord (Kongsfjorden, Svalbard) with emphasis
on the structure of free-living nematode communities. Polar Biol., 28: 940–950.
Pawlowska J., Kowalczuk M. W., Czkowski M. Z., Nygard H., and Berge J., 2011, Seasonal variability of meio- and macrobenthic standing stocks and diversity
in an Arctic fjord (Adventfjorden, Spitsbergen). Polar Biol., 34: 833–845.
Pfannkuche O., and Thiel H., 1988, Sample processing, in: R.P. Higgins, H. Thiel (Eds.), Introduction to the study of meiofauna. Smithsonian Institution Press,
Washington, D.C, 134-145.
