Estuarine nematodes as indicators of organic pollution; An example from the Ems estuary (The Netherlands)

A comparison is made of the structure and abundance of the nematode community of an intertidal, brackish-water mudflat in the Ems estuary under conditions of high (1980) and reduced (1987) organic waste input. Three stations, at different distances from the waste water inlet, were sampled monthly; nematodes were identified and counted in the upper 1 cm of the sediment. In 1987, numerical density of nematodes was lower, and species diversity was higher than in 1980. Diatom eating nematode species dominated in 1980, to decrease by 1987.Eudiplogaster pararmatus, an indicator of organic enrichment, also decreased strongly. The response of the nematode community to reduced organic waste input could be adequately described with the BONGERS' Maturity Index.