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1.
The past decade has seen the application of DNA sequence data to phylogenetic investigations of Rotifera, both expanding and challenging our understanding of the evolution of the phylum. Evidence that Acanthocephala, long regarded as a separate but closely related phylum, is a highly derived class of Rotifera demonstrates the potential of molecular analyses to suggest relationships not obvious from morphological analysis. Phylogenies based on the sequence of the gene for the small ribosomal RNA suggest that rotifers and acanthocephalans are associated with Platyhelminthes and Gastrotricha, perhaps in a clade with Gnathostomula and Cycliophora; at present, this group lacks a clear morphological synapomorphy. A more complete resolution of the molecular phylogeny of Rotifera will require surveying multiple genes and several species from each clade under investigation. 相似文献
2.
We investigated evolutionary relationships among orders in phylum Rotifera and among species in genus Notholca (Rotifera) by computing parsimonious cladograms. All of the most-parsimonious cladograms generated for the ordinal level confirm the view that class Monogononta, superclass Eurotatoria, and phylum Rotifera are monophyletic. Species within the genus Notholca were separated into six groups (clades), but some species have been defined based on highly variable characters not reliably studied using cladistics. Therefore, phenetic studies are warranted, especially for species possessing caudal processes. 相似文献
3.
N. B. Petrov A. N. Pegova O. G. Manylov N. S. Vladychenskaya N. S. Mugue V. V. Aleshin 《Molecular Biology》2007,41(3):445-452
Gastrotricha are the small meiobenthic acoelomate worms whose phylogenetic relationships between themselves and other invertebrates remain unclear, despite all attempts to clarify them on the basis of both morphological and molecular analyses. The complete sequences of the 18S rRNA genes (8 new and 7 known) were analyzed in 15 Gastrotricha species to test different hypotheses on the phylogeny of this taxon and to determine the reasons for the contradictions in earlier results. The data were analyzed using both maximum likelihood and Bayesian methods. Based on the results, it was assumed that gastrotrichs form a monophyletic group within the Spiralia clade, which also includes Gnathostomulida, Plathelminthes, Syndermata (Rotifera + Acanthocephala), Nemertea, and Lophotrochozoa. Statistical tests rejected a phylogenetic hypotheses considering Gastrotricha to be closely related to Nematoda and other Ecdysozoa or placing them at the base of the Bilateria tree, close to Acoela or Nemertodermatida. Among gastrotrichs, species belonging to the orders Chaetonotida and Macrodasyida form two well-supported clades. The analysis confirmed monophyly of the families Chaetonotidae and Xenotrichulidae from the order Chaetonida, as well as the families Turbanellidae and Thaumastodermatidae from the order Macrodasyida. Lepidodasyidae is a polyphyletic family, because the genus Mesodasys forms a sister group for Turbanellidae; genus Cephalodasys forms a separate branch at the base of Macrodasyida; and Lepidodasys groups with Neodasys between Thaumastodermatidae and Turbanellidae. To confirm these conclusions and to get an authentic view of the phylogeny of Gastrotricha, it is necessary to study more Gastrotricha species and to analyze some other genes. 相似文献
4.
Phylogenetic Relationships of Acanthocephala Based on Analysis of 18S Ribosomal RNA Gene Sequences 总被引:3,自引:0,他引:3
García-Varela M Pérez-Ponce de León G de la Torre P Cummings MP Sarma SS Laclette JP 《Journal of molecular evolution》2000,50(6):532-540
Acanthocephala (thorny-headed worms) is a phylum of endoparasites of vertebrates and arthropods, included among the most
phylogenetically basal tripoblastic pseudocoelomates. The phylum is divided into three classes: Archiacanthocephala, Palaeacanthocephala,
and Eoacanthocephala. These classes are distinguished by morphological characters such as location of lacunar canals, persistence
of ligament sacs in females, number and type of cement glands in males, number and size of proboscis hooks, host taxonomy,
and ecology. To understand better the phylogenetic relationships within Acanthocephala, and between Acanthocephala and Rotifera,
we sequenced the nearly complete 18S rRNA genes of nine species from the three classes of Acanthocephala and four species
of Rotifera from the classes Bdelloidea and Monogononta. Phylogenetic relationships were inferred by maximum-likelihood analyses
of these new sequences and others previously determined. The analyses showed that Acanthocephala is the sister group to a
clade including Eoacanthocephala and Palaeacanthocephala. Archiacanthocephala exhibited a slower rate of evolution at the
nucleotide level, as evidenced by shorter branch lengths for the group. We found statistically significant support for the
monophyly of Rotifera, represented in our analysis by species from the clade Eurotatoria, which includes the classes Bdelloidea
and Monogononta. Eurotatoria also appears as the sister group to Acanthocephala.
Received: 12 October 1999 / Accepted: 8 February 2000 相似文献
5.
Gastrotricha is a species-rich phylum of microscopical animals that contains two main orders, Chaetonotida and Macrodasyida. Gastrotrichs are important members of the aquatic environment and significant players in the study of animal evolution. In spite of their ecological and evolutionary importance, their internal relationships are not yet well understood. We have produced new sequences for the 18S rDNA gene to improve both the quality and quantity of taxon sampling for the gastrotrichs. Our phylogeny recovers the monophyly of the two main Gastrotricha clades, in contrast to recent studies with similar sampling, but in agreement with morphology based analyses. However, our topology is not able to resolve the first branches of the macrodasyidans or settle the position of the puzzling Neodasys, a controversial genus classified as a chaetonotidan on morphological grounds but placed within macrodasyidans by molecular studies. This analysis is the most exhaustive molecular phylogeny of the phylum to date, and significantly increases our knowledge of gastrotrich evolution. 相似文献
6.
Analysis of 18S rRNA gene sequences suggests significant molecular differences between Macrodasyida and Chaetonotida (Gastrotricha) 总被引:3,自引:0,他引:3
Manylov OG Vladychenskaya NS Milyutina IA Kedrova OS Korokhov NP Dvoryanchikov GA Aleshin VV Petrov NB 《Molecular phylogenetics and evolution》2004,30(3):850-854
Partial 18S rRNA gene sequences of four macrodasyid and one chaetonotid gastrotrichs were obtained and compared with the available sequences of other gastrotrich species and representatives of various metazoan phyla. Contrary to the earlier molecular data, the gastrotrich sequences did not comprise a monophyletic group but formed two distinct clades, corresponding to the Macrodasyida and Chaetonotida, with the basal position occupied by the sequences of Tetranchyroderma sp. and Xenotrichula sp., respectively. Depending on the taxon sampling and methods of analysis, the two clades were separated by various combinations of clades Rotifera, Gnathostomulida, and Platyhelminthes, and never formed a clade with Nematoda. Thus, monophyly of the Gastrotricha is not confirmed by analysis of the presently available molecular data. 相似文献
7.
Pires-daSilva A 《Seminars in cell & developmental biology》2007,18(3):362-370
Most animals are male/female species and reproduce sexually. Variation in this pattern of reproduction has arisen many times during animal evolution, particularly in nematodes. Little is known about the evolutionary forces and constraints that influenced the origin of self-fertilization, for instance, a type of reproduction that seems to have evolved many times in the phylum Nematoda. Caenorhabditis elegans, a very well known nematode, provides the framework for comparative studies of sex determination. The relative ease with which nematodes can be studied in the laboratory and the fact that many recently developed techniques can be applied to many species make them attractive for comparative research. It is relatively poorly understood how the evolution of new types of sex determination and mode of reproduction results in changes in genome structure, ecology and population genetics. Here, I review the evolution of sex determination and mating types in the phylum Nematoda with the objective of providing a framework for future research. 相似文献
8.
Petrov NB Pegova AN Manylov OG Vladychenskaia NS Miuge NS Aleshin VV 《Molekuliarnaia biologiia》2007,41(3):499-507
Gastrotrichs are meiobenthic free-living aquatic worms whose phylogenetic and intra-group relationships remain unclear despite some attempts to resolve them on the base of morphology or molecules. In this study we analysed complete sequences of the 18S rRNA gene of 15 taxa (8 new and 7 published) to test numerous hypotheses on gastrotrich phylogeny and to verify whether controversial interrelationships from previous molecular data could be due to the short region available for analysis and the poor taxa sampling. Data were analysed using both maximum likelihood and Bayesian inference. Results obtained suggest that gastrotrichs, together with Gnathostomulida, Plathelminthes, Syndermata (Rotifera + Acanthocephala), Nemertea and Lophotrochozoa, comprise a clade Spiralia. Statistical tests reject phylogenetic hypotheses regarding Gastrotricha as close relatives of Nematoda and other Ecdysozoa or placing them at the base of bilaterian tree close to acoels and nemertodermatides. Within Gastrotricha, Chaetonotida and Macrodasyida comprise two well supported clades. Our analysis confirmed the monophyly of the Chaetonotidae and Xenotrichulidae within Chaetonida as well as Turbanellidae and Thaumastodermatidae within Macrodasyida. Mesodasys is a sister group of the Turbanellidae, and Lepidodasyidae appears to be a polyphyletic group as Cephalodasys forms a separate lineage at the base of macrodasyids, whereas Lepidodasys groups with Neodasys between Thaumastodermatidae and Turbanellidae. To infer a more reliable Gastrotricha phylogeny many species and additional genes should be involved in future analyses. 相似文献
9.
Interrelationships of the Gastrotricha and their place among the Metazoa inferred from 18S rRNA genes 总被引:4,自引:0,他引:4
M. Antonio Todaro Maximilian J. Telford Anne E. Lockyer & D. Timothy J. Littlewood 《Zoologica scripta》2006,35(3):251-259
The phylum Gastrotricha includes about 700 species. They are small worm‐like organisms abundant among marine and freshwater meiobenthos. In spite of their ubiquity, diversity and relative abundance, phylogenetic relationships of these animals remain enigmatic due to the conflicting results of morphological and molecular cladistic analyses. Also unclear are the alliances within the phylum. In order to best estimate the position of Gastrotricha among the Metazoa and to shed some light on the ingroup phylogenetic relationships, small subunit (SSU) ribosomal DNA (rDNA) from 15 species of Chaetonotida (eight genera) and 28 species of Macrodasyida (26 genera) were included in an alignment of 50 metazoan taxa representing 26 phyla. Of the gastrotrich SSU rDNA sequences, eight are new and, along with published sequences represent eight families, including the five marine most speciose. Gastrotricha were resolved within a monophyletic Lophotrochozoa as part of a clade including Micrognathozoa, Rotifera and Cycliophora. The Gnathostomulida were sister to this clade. Nodal support was low for all of these relationships except the grouping of the Micrognathozoa, Rotifera and Cycliophora. Bayesian inference resolved the Gastrotricha as monophyletic with weak nodal support; the Macrodasyida were resolved as paraphyletic with many basal nodes poorly supported. Within the Chaetonotida, the monotypic Multitubulatina Neodasys was found in alliance with the macrodasyidan Urodasys while all the Paucitubulatina were found to form a single, well‐supported clade, with Musellifer as the most basal member. Among the more densely sampled Macrodasyida the Lepidodasyidae and Macrodasyidae were each found to be polyphyletic while monophyly was well supported for the Turbanellidae and Thaumastodermatidae. The congruence of our results with those of the cladistic analysis based on morphological traits provides confidence about the value of each dataset, and calls for widening of the research to include additional taxa of particular phylogenetic significance such as the Dactylopodolidae, Diuronotus, Heteroxenotrichula and Draculiciteria. The study highlights the problems in working with small species, the need for voucher specimens and the confused taxonomic status and membership of various gastrotrich families. 相似文献
10.
Jan Zrzavý Stanislav Mihulka Pavel Kepka Ale Bezdk David Tietz 《Cladistics : the international journal of the Willi Hennig Society》1998,14(3):249-285
Cladistic analysis of traditional (i.e. morphological, developmental, ultrastructural) and molecular (18S rDNA) data sets (276+501 informative characters) provides a hypothesis about relationships of all meta-zoan higher taxa. Monophyly of Metazoa, Epith-eliozoa (= -03non-Porifera), Triploblastica, Mesozoa, Eutriploblastica (=Rhabditophora+Catenulida+“higher triploblasts”=Neotriploblastica, including Xeno- turbellida and Gnathostomulida), Rhabditophora, Syndermata (=“Rotifera”+Acanthocephala), Neotrichozoa (=Gastrotricha+Gnathostomulida), Nematozoa (=Nematoda+Nematomorpha), Panarthropoda (=Onychophora+Tardigrada+ Arthropoda), Cephalorhyncha, Deuterostomia, Ambulacralia (=Hemichordata+Echinodermata), Chordata, Phoronozoa (=Phoronida+“Brachiopoda”), Bryozoa, Trochozoa (=Eutrochozoa+Entoprocta+ Cycliophora), Eutrochozoa, and Chaetifera (=Annelida+ Pogonophora+Echiura) is strongly supported. Cnidaria (including Myxozoa), Ecdysozoa (=Cepha- lorhyncha + Nematozoa + Chaetognatha + Panarthropoda), Eucoelomata (=Bryozoa+Phoronozoa+Deuterostomia+Trochozoa, possibly including also Xenoturbellida), and Deuterostomia+Phoronozoa probably are monophyletic. Most traditional “phyla” are monophyletic, except for Porifera, Cnidaria (excluding Myxozoa), Platyhelminthes, Brachiopoda, and Rotifera. Three “hot” regions of the tree remain quite unresolved: basal Epitheliozoa, basal Triploblastica, and basal Neotriploblastica. A new phylogenetic classification of the Metazoa including 35 formally recognized phyla (Silicispongea, Calcispongea, Placozoa, Cnidaria, Ctenophora, Acoela, Nemertodermatida, Orthonecta, Rhombozoa, Rhabditophora, Catenulida, Syndermata, Gnathostomulida, Gastrotricha, Cephalorhyncha, Chaetognatha, Nematoda, Nematomorpha, Onychophora, Tardigrada, Arthropoda, Echinodermata, Hemichordata, Chordata, Phoronozoa, Bryozoa s. str., Xenoturbellida, Entoprocta, Cycliophora, Nemertea, Mollusca, Sipuncula, Echiura, Pogonophora, and Annelida) and few i ncertae sedis g roups (e.g. Myzostomida and Lobatocerebromorpha) is proposed. 相似文献
11.
Comparative ultrastructure of the gastrotrich pharynx and the evolution of myoepithelial foreguts in aschelminthes 总被引:3,自引:0,他引:3
Edward E. Ruppert 《Zoomorphology》1982,99(3):181-220
Summary Structural and ultrastructural data are presented for the myoepithelial pharynges of 20 species of Gastrotricha representing the marine Macrodasyida and marine and freshwater Chaetonotida. A comparative analysis reveals that pharynges with several plesiomorphic characters occur in Chordodasys among the Macrodasyida and Neodasys among the Chaetonotida. The Gastrotricha are systematized based on pharyngeal characters and the system is shown to be concordant with all recent classifications of the group. The plesiomorphic design of the Gastrotrich pharynx is given as: a cylindrical pharyngeal pump composed of monociliated myoglanduloepithelial cells surrounding a circular or oval lumen; radial myofibrils organized into several cross-striated sarcomeres with Z-discs composed of planar aggregations of dense bodies; excitation-contraction coupling is achieved by peripheral couplings of SR with the sarcolemma; apical cell surface with microvilli protruding through the two-layered cuticle; pharynx with at least 3 longitudinal tracts of monociliated sensory cells; nerves as at least 4 basal intraepithelial, longitudinal tracts of neurites. As a model for muscle cell evolution, the investigation postulates a monociliated, cross-striated myoglanduloepithelial cell as the original muscle cell design within the Gastrotricha. Triradiate myoepithelial foreguts occur only in Bryozoa (Ectoprocta), Gastrotricha, Nematoda and Tardigrada. The potential homology of pharyngeal organization of the latter three phyla is discussed. Based on pharyngeal structure, it is concluded that Gastrotricha (Chaetonotida-Paucitubulatina) and Nematoda share several apomorphic characters and share, therefore, a most recent common ancestor. Affinities of Tardigrada with Aschelminthes are considered feasible but currently inconclusive for lack of sufficient comparative ultrastructural data for the Tardigrada. 相似文献
12.
Molecular evidence for Acanthocephala as a subtaxon of Rotifera 总被引:7,自引:0,他引:7
James R. Garey Thomas J. Near Michael R. Nonnemacher Steven A. Nadler 《Journal of molecular evolution》1996,43(3):287-292
Rotifers are free-living animals usually smaller than 1 mm that possess a characteristic wheel organ. Acanthocephalans (thorny-headed
worms) are larger endoparasitic animals that use vertebrates and arthropods to complete their life cycle. The taxa Acanthocephala
and Rotifera are considered separate phyla, often within the taxon Aschelminthes. We have reexamined the relationship between
Rotifera and Acanthocephala using 18S rRNA gene sequences. Our results conclusively show that Acanthocephala is the sister
group of the rotifer class Bdelloidea. Rotifera was nonmonophyletic in all molecular analyses, which supports the hypothesis
that the Acanthocephala represent a taxon within the phylum Rotifera and not a separate phylum. These results agree with a
previous cladistic study of morphological characters.
Correspondence to: J.R. Garey 相似文献
13.
Transposable elements can be categorised into DNA and RNA elements based on their mechanism of transposition. Tyrosine recombinase elements (YREs) are relatively rare and poorly understood, despite sharing characteristics with both DNA and RNA elements. Previously, the Nematoda have been reported to have a substantially different diversity of YREs compared to other animal phyla: the Dirs1-like YRE retrotransposon was encountered in most animal phyla but not in Nematoda, and a unique Pat1-like YRE retrotransposon has only been recorded from Nematoda. We explored the diversity of YREs in Nematoda by sampling broadly across the phylum and including 34 genomes representing the three classes within Nematoda. We developed a method to isolate and classify YREs based on both feature organization and phylogenetic relationships in an open and reproducible workflow. We also ensured that our phylogenetic approach to YRE classification identified truncated and degenerate elements, informatively increasing the number of elements sampled. We identified Dirs1-like elements (thought to be absent from Nematoda) in the nematode classes Enoplia and Dorylaimia indicating that nematode model species do not adequately represent the diversity of transposable elements in the phylum. Nematode Pat1-like elements were found to be a derived form of another Pat1-like element that is present more widely in animals. Several sequence features used widely for the classification of YREs were found to be homoplasious, highlighting the need for a phylogenetically-based classification scheme. Nematode model species do not represent the diversity of transposable elements in the phylum. 相似文献
14.
A modern approach to rotiferan phylogeny: combining morphological and molecular data 总被引:5,自引:0,他引:5
The phylogeny of selected members of the phylum Rotifera is examined based on analyses under parsimony direct optimization and Bayesian inference of phylogeny. Species of the higher metazoan lineages Acanthocephala, Micrognathozoa, Cycliophora, and potential outgroups are included to test rotiferan monophyly. The data include 74 morphological characters combined with DNA sequence data from four molecular loci, including the nuclear 18S rRNA, 28S rRNA, histone H3, and the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I. The combined molecular and total evidence analyses support the inclusion of Acanthocephala as a rotiferan ingroup, but do not support the inclusion of Micrognathozoa and Cycliophora. Within Rotifera, the monophyletic Monogononta is sister group to a clade consisting of Acanthocephala, Seisonidea, and Bdelloidea-for which we propose the name Hemirotifera. We also formally propose the inclusion of Acanthocephala within Rotifera, but maintaining the name Rotifera for the new expanded phylum. Within Monogononta, Gnesiotrocha and Ploima are also supported by the data. The relationships within Ploima remain unstable to parameter variation or to the method of phylogeny reconstruction and poorly supported, and the analyses showed that monophyly was questionable for the families Dicranophoridae, Notommatidae, and Brachionidae, and for the genus Proales. Otherwise, monophyly was generally supported for the represented ploimid families and genera. 相似文献
15.
The increasing number of humans who travel to and within Antarctic regions each year not only increases the risk of introducing non-native species but also of translocating native species within and between Antarctic biogeoregions and poses the potential for artificial, human-mediated introduction of native freshwater invertebrate species to newly ice-free areas of Antarctica. This study was designed to test the potential for transfer of native Antarctic freshwater invertebrates and their cysts on footwear. An average of 1.86 Anostraca cysts, 29.47 Copepoda cysts, 4.29 Nematoda, 0.40 Rotifera and 0.966 Tardigrada individuals per gram of sediment were found in samples taken from footwear after contact with freshwater sediment. The invertebrate cysts isolated from the samples that underwent drying at 27 °C were able to hatch in tap water, and representatives of the other systematic groups (Nematoda, Rotifera, and Tardigrada) also remained viable. 相似文献
16.
Gazi M Sultana T Min GS Park YC García-Varela M Nadler SA Park JK 《Parasitology international》2012,61(2):307-316
In the present study, we determined the complete mitochondrial genome sequence of Oncicola luehei (14,281bp), the first archiacanthocephalan representative and the second complete sequence from the phylum Acanthocephala. The complete genome contains 36 genes including 12 protein coding genes, 22 transfer RNA (tRNA) genes and 2 ribosomal RNA genes (rrnL and rrnS) as reported for other syndermatan species. All genes are encoded on the same strand. The overall nucleotide composition of O. luehei mtDNA is 37.7% T, 29.6% G, 22.5% A, and 10.2% C. The overall A+T content (60.2%) is much lower, compared to other syndermatan species reported so far, due to the high frequency (18.3%) of valine encoded by GTN in its protein-coding genes. Results from phylogenetic analyses of amino acid sequences for 10 protein-coding genes from 41 representatives of major metazoan groups including O. luehei supported monophyly of the phylum Acanthocephala and of the clade Syndermata (Acanthocephala+Rotifera), and the paraphyly of the clade Eurotatoria (classes Bdelloidea+Monogononta from phylum Rotifera). Considering the position of the acanthocephalan species within Syndermata, it is inferred that obligatory parasitism characteristic of acanthocephalans was acquired after the common ancestor of acanthocephalans diverged from its sister group, Bdelloidea. Additional comparison of complete mtDNA sequences from unsampled acanthocephalan lineages, especially classes Polyacanthocephala and Eoacanthocephala, is required to test if mtDNA provides reliable information for the evolutionary relationships and pattern of life history diversification found in the syndermatan groups. 相似文献
17.
The Phylum Nematoda has long been known to contain a great diversity of species that vary in reproductive mode, though our understanding of the evolutionary origins, causes and consequences of nematode reproductive mode change have only recently started to mature. Here we bring together and analyze recent progress on reproductive mode evolution throughout the phylum, resulting from the application of molecular phylogenetic approaches and newly discovered nematode species. Reproductive mode variation is reviewed in multiple free-living, animal-parasitic and plant-parasitic nematode groups. Discussion ranges from the model nematode Caenorhabditis elegans and its close relatives, to the plant-parasitic nematodes of the Meloidogyne genus where there is extreme variation in reproductive mode between and even within species, to the vertebrate-parasitic genus Strongyloides and related genera where reproductive mode varies across generations (heterogony). Multiple evolutionary transitions from dioecous (obligately outcrossing) to hermaphroditism and parthenogenesis in the phylum are discussed, along with one case of an evolutionary transition from hermaphroditism to doioecy in the Oscheius genus. We consider the roles of underlying genetic mechanisms in promoting reproductive plasticity in this phylum, as well as the potential evolutionary forces promoting transitions in reproductive mode. 相似文献
18.
Kanzok SM Hoa NT Bonizzoni M Luna C Huang Y Malacrida AR Zheng L 《Journal of molecular evolution》2004,58(4):442-448
Toll-related receptors (TLR) have been found in four animal phyla: Nematoda, Arthropoda, Echinodermata, and Chordata. No TLR has been identified thus far in acoelomates. TLR genes play a pivotal role in the innate immunity in both fruit fly and mammals. The prevailing view is that TLR-mediated immunity is ancient. The two pseudocoelomate TLRs, one each from Caenorhabditis elegans and Strongyloides stercoralis, were distinct from the coelomate ones. Further, the only TLR gene (Tol-1) in Ca. elegans did not appear to play a role in innate immunity. We argue that TLR-mediated innate immunity developed only in the coelomates, after they split from pseudocoelomates and acoelomates. We hypothesize that the function of TLR-mediated immunity is to prevent microbial infection in the body cavity present only in the coelomates. Phylogenetic analysis showed that almost all arthropod TLRs form a separate cluster from the mammalian counterparts. We further hypothesize that TLR-mediated immunity developed independently in the protostomia and deuterostomia coelomates. 相似文献
19.
20.
Permanent meiofauna taxa and portions of the population of other invertebrates that are temporarily in the meiofauna size
class are often precluded from stream studies and assessments. This study was designed to determine the identity, density,
and distribution of major meiofauna taxa relative to substrate size in a set of similar headwater streams. Using a coring
technique, meiofauna (80 μm–1 mm) and substrate samples were collected from 11 Ozark headwater streams in the Boston Mountain
ecoregion of Arkansas, USA. Mean meiofauna density among streams was 1739 ± 436 organisms per l. Permanent meiofauna taxa
(Copepoda, Cladocera, Ostracoda, Rotifera, Nematoda, Hydrachnida, and Tardigrada) comprised 22.5% of the organisms collected
with a mean density of 394 ± 233 organisms per l; temporary meiofauna taxa (Oligochaeta, Turbellaria, Hydroidea, Chironomidae,
Ephemeroptera, and other insects) comprised the remainder with a density of 1346 ± 308 organisms per l. Chironomidae was the
most numerous temporary meiofauna taxon, and Hydrachnida was the most numerous permanent taxon. Streams were found to differ
significantly in substrate composition and densities of major taxonomic categories. Substrate size was found to predict densities
for most of these taxonomic categories. Meiofauna patchiness was reflected in high variability within streams. Canonical correspondence
analysis revealed positive associations between Copepoda and Nematoda and silt, and between Copepoda, Nematoda, and Rotifera
and fine sand. Hydrachnida and Rotifera were negatively associated with silt and coarse sand, respectively. The potential
value of inclusion of meiofauna in stream environmental assessments is discussed. 相似文献