Community Structure and Spatial Variation of Meiobenthos Associated with an Artificial Structure

We investigated the spring and summer community structure of meiobenthos in a tidal-falt near Iwon, Korea, in 2002 and 2003. In total, 12 meiofaunal groups were found in the study area among which nematodes were the most dominant. Benthic foraminiferans, harpacticoid copepods, polychaetes, and crustacean nauplli were also dominant groups at all sites. The total density of meiobenthos at each station was be 246-2,177 ind./ $10cm^2$ . As the depth of sediment increased, the density of meiobenthos at each station gradually decreased. Changes in the vertical distribution of meiobenthos in the study area occurred mainly near the sediment surface (0-1 cm). Generally, between spring and summer the density of nematodes increased, and the density of other dominant meiofaunal groups (benthic harpacticoids, crustacean nauplii, benthic foraminiferans) decreased near the sediment trap the control site of sediment traps compared to that at the control site. The results of cluster and multidimensional scaling plots indicate that the meiofaunal community changed following construction of a low artificial wood groin structure.