IS THE DETERMINATION OF MEIOBENTHIC DIVERSITY AFFECTED BY THE SAMPLING METHOD IN SANDY BEACHES

Meiobenthic samples were collected by two different methods from the microtidal coralline sand beach at Gosier, Guadeloupe, West Indies: (1) vertical cores and (2) the KARAMAN/CHAPPUS (KC) technique of digging a hole and filtering the seepage water from the bottom. Nematode species diversity was unaffected by the sampling method, but nematode species composition differed. There was no evidence from statistical analysis to suggest differences in diversity or composition of higher taxa between sampling methods, although gastrotrichs appeared to be underrepresented by the KC technique.