TY - BOOK ID - 133973184 TI - Meiofauna Biodiversity and Ecology AU - Semprucci, Federica AU - Sandulli, Roberto PY - 2020 PB - Basel, Switzerland MDPI - Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute DB - UniCat KW - Research & information: general KW - Biology, life sciences KW - Ecological science, the Biosphere KW - benthos KW - biodiversity KW - key KW - meiofauna KW - taxonomy KW - species richness KW - β-diversity KW - biological traits KW - tropical KW - marine KW - freshwater KW - Caribbean KW - huntermaniidae KW - cletodidae KW - rhizotrichidae KW - Nannopus KW - Monstrillidae KW - Monstrillopsis paradoxa sp. nov. KW - Monstrillopsis planifrons KW - morphological taxonomy KW - tagmosis KW - male genitalia KW - pore pattern KW - male/female matching KW - marine invertebrate host KW - semi-parasitic KW - Korea KW - free-living marine nematodes KW - pictorial key KW - macrofauna KW - associated fauna KW - biological substrate KW - species diversity KW - community ecology KW - benthic ecology KW - gastrotricha KW - South America KW - South Hemisphere KW - nuclear genes KW - ABGD KW - BINs KW - DNA barcoding KW - mPTP KW - dam impact KW - estuary KW - heavy metals KW - free-living nematodes KW - density KW - diversity KW - benthic foraminifera KW - checklist KW - Kuwait KW - Arabian Gulf KW - North Adriatic Sea KW - trophic status KW - prokaryotes KW - ecosystem functioning KW - sea turtles KW - loggerheads KW - marine biodiversity KW - epibionts KW - Florida KW - Gulf of Mexico KW - meiofauna paradox KW - nematodes KW - Nematoda KW - hotspots KW - phoresis KW - epibiosis KW - ciliophora KW - suctorea KW - nematoda KW - ecology KW - new species KW - bioindicators UR - https://www.unicat.be/uniCat?func=search&query=sysid:133973184 AB - Sedimentary habitats cover the vast majority of the ocean floor and constitute the largest ecosystem on Earth. These systems supply fundamental services to human beings, such as food production and nutrient recycling. It is well known that meiofauna are an abundant and ubiquitous component of sediments, even though their biodiversity and importance in marine ecosystem functioning remain to be fully investigated. In this book, the meiofaunal biodiversity trends in marine habitats worldwide are documented, along with the collection of empirical evidence on their role in ecosystem services, such as the production, consumption, and decomposition of organic matter, and energy transfer to higher and lower trophic levels. Meiofaunal activities, like feeding and bioturbation, induce changes in several physico-chemical and biological properties of sediments, and might increase the resilience of the benthic ecosystem processes that are essential for the supply of ecosystem goods and services required by humans. As a key component of marine habitats, the taxonomical and functional aspects of the meiofaunal community are also used for the ecological assessment of the sediments’ quality status, providing important information on the anthropogenic impact of benthos. ER -