| 1 | Structure and dynamics of the aquatic food web community with special reference to nematodes in mangrove ecosystem The meiofauna with special reference to the free living nematodes associated with and colonising various niches such as mud on subtidal regions of mangroves, epiphytes, decaying leaves and wood was studied at Pichavaram mangroves, Bay of Bengal, India. The structure and distribution of nematode population on these materials were found to be dependent on their locomotory habits and the availability of food materials such as bacteria and the degrading cellulose materials. The population density of nematodes increases with increase in the interstitial salinity. The free living nematodes mostly belong to orders Enoplida and Desmodorida, and account for about 70% of the total nematode population. The epiphytic chromodorid nematodes account for about 80% of the total number of the epiphytic nematodes. The nematodes play a dynamic role in the food web circuit in the mangroves. They can be directly consumed along with the algae and decaying materials by benthic feeders. Gut analyses of carnivorous fishes such as Dendrophysa russelli, Leignathus spp., Oxyurichthys spp., Boleophthalmus sp., and Osteomugil spp. and prawns such as Penaeus monodon and P. indicus show the presence of nematodes Source: Krishnamurthy, K.; Ali, M.A.S.; Jeyaseelan, M.J.P. Proceedings of the Asian Symposium on Mangrove Environment Research and Management. Soepadmo, E. ; Rao, A.N. Eds. 1984; 429-452. 0234.
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