Annual Changes in Meiobenthos Community Structure in Alekseev Bight, Sea of Japan

We performed a comparative analysis of the taxonomical composition and population density of the meiobenthos and substrate types of Alekseev Bight, Sea of Japan, throughout the period when a plantation for mariculture of Japanese scallop was exploited in the bight and for a decade after the plantation had been removed. We found that silting of substrates in the bight decreased and the number of taxonomical groups that constituted the meiobenthos increased. The nematodes that, earlier, dominated the meiobenthos in terms of population density were later exceeded by foraminiferans, the species diversity of which increased. Changes are revealed in the composition of the dominant species of these groups.