Aspects of the ecology of meiofauna in Mngazana estuary, Transkei

Abstract

The intertidal distribution and abundance of sand and mud-flat meiofauna at the mouth and the middle reaches of Mngazana estuary were monitored over a period of 15 months from April 1977 to July 1978 and the data compared with those from other South African estuaries. The meiofauna exhibited an early winter maximum with numbers ranging ranging from 2,74 x 10⁶ to 7,27 x 10⁶m^-2 in sand and from 2,59 x 10⁵ to 4,15 x 10⁵m^-2 in mud, both to a depth of 20 cm. The fluctuations correlated with variations in Eh and temperature. Annual production in the upper 20 cm is estimated at 8,0 gCm^-2h^-1 and 0,6 gCm^-2y^-1 in sand and mud respectively.