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The World of Protozoa, Rotifera, Nematoda and Oligochaeta

Ref ID : 7848

Walter Traunspurger; Autecology of Monhystera paludicola De Man, 1880 - Seasonal, Bathymetric and Vertical Distribution of a Free-living Nematode in an Oligotrophic Lake. Int.Revue ges.Hydrobiol. 81(2):199-211, 1996

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The autecology of Monhystera paludicola (n=3766 individuals), a dominant nematode of Lake Konigssee, was studied throughout the year 1986. The species comprised 23-41% of all nematodes in the littoriprofundal and profundal. Mean yearly biomass was highest at 10 m depth (149 µg/100 cm2, fresh weight). Abundance peaked twice a year in the littoral (winter and summer) and once in deeper regions (winter). The main reproductive period is the winter. Morphometric data (n=658) revealed sexual dimorphism in size, body shape and weight. There was considerable water depth and time dependent variation in sex ratios. The proportion of individuals in the top sediment layer increased with water depth. Juveniles and adults were partially segregated in the sediment column. M. paludicola appears to undergo vertical migrations.