INTERPRETATION OF DISTURBANCE-INDUCED MATURITY DECREASE IN MARINE NEMATODE ASSEMBLAGES BY MEANS OF THE MATURITY INDEX

Nematode assemblages offer possibilities for the development of a system to assess the 'quality' of aquatic habitats. Assessment of disturbances in brackish and marine habitats is currently based on abundance patterns or the ratio between Wieser's feeding types 1B and 2A. The Maturity Index, based on nematode life strategies, has been shown to offer good potential to detect disturbances in terrestrial and freshwater habitats. In this study marine nematode genera from the Dutch coast are classified from colonisers to persisters and the versatility of this c-p scale is demonstrated using published data (organic pollution, oil spill, heavy metals and recolonisation). These examples suggest that the nematode Maturity Index may also be useful in assessing disturbance of marine and brackish water sediments.