Macrobenthos structuring the sea floor: importance of its functional biodiversity for the benthic ecosystem = De structurerende rol van macrobenthos in de zeebodem: belang van de functionele biodiversiteit voor het benthische ecosysteem
Braeckman, U. (2011). Macrobenthos structuring the sea floor: importance of its functional biodiversity for the benthic ecosystem = De structurerende rol van macrobenthos in de zeebodem: belang van de functionele biodiversiteit voor het benthische ecosysteem. PhD Thesis. Marine Biology Research Group: Gent. ISBN 9789490695590. 239 pp.
This PhD thesis aims at providing insight in the role of macrofaunal functional diversity in the benthic ecosystem. This was achieved by means of mesocosm experiments that provided knowledge on the role of selected macrofaunal species in terms of bioturbation and biogeochemical fluxes, in structuring nematode distribution and community composition and in influencing nematode community feeding dynamics. A field study on the seasonal variation in the diet of two of the selected macrofaunal species demonstrated their role in linking the pelagic and the benthic realm. The general discussion integrates these findings in order to get a better understanding of the functioning of fine sandy subtidal sediments in the North Sea and of how this functioning is affected by anthropogenic disturbances.
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