Freshwater and limno-terrestrial meiofauna of the Massane Forest Reserve in the Eastern French Pyrenees
Résumé
We report the results of a faunistic survey focused on freshwater and limno-terrestrial meiofauna to
improve biodiversity knowledge in a protected area in the Eastern part of the French Pyrénées: the
Massane Forest Reserve (336 ha). The survey provided 1187 occurrence records from 315 taxa (most
resolved at species level), uploaded as a shared online dataset and made freely available in the Global
Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF). The highest number of occurrences and distinguishable species
belong to Nematoda (775 occurrences, 172 taxa), followed by Rotifera (219 occurrences, 67 taxa),
Platyhelminthes (85 occurrences, 32 taxa), Tardigrada (69 occurrences, 25 taxa), and Gastrotricha (39
occurrences, 19 taxa). A diversity of meiofaunal organisms was found, in large numbers, in all the
screened samples: from stream biofilms and sediments to forest floor soils, mosses, and litter, to a broad
range of tree-related micro-habitats associated with beech epixylic mosses and lichens, tree cavities,
woodpecker breeding holes, bark pockets and fruiting bodies of saproxylic fungi. This survey makes the
Massane forest one of the few protected areas of the world with an all-taxa biodiversity inventory
including meiofaunal groups, which could serve as a standard to further consider those cryptic groups of
tiny animals in forest conservation efforts.
Domaines
Ecologie, Environnement| Origine | Fichiers éditeurs autorisés sur une archive ouverte |
|---|---|
| Licence |
