Terrestrial Meiofauna and Contaminated Land Assessment

Abstract

Following the development of aquatic pollution monitoring techniques using metazoan meiofauna (microscopic interstitial invertebrates), the value of this group in the assessment of contaminated terrestrial sites has been investigated. Communities present in a former explosives burning ground were sampled at 30 sites using coring techniques and examined in the laboratory. Nematoda were numerically dominant at each of the sites and were the most diverse invertebrate group present (60 species). Structurally modified assemblages of these were identified and correlated significantly with elevated soil heavy metal concentrations. Assemblages associated with elevated metal concentrations exhibited increased dominance and reduced species richness. Using principal components analyses (PCA) and redundancy analyses (RA), the relationships between individual species, the metals, and the structures of the nematode communities were described. Tolerant and resistant species were also identified. It is concluded that the technique is a valuable method of assessing metal contamination status, and it is recommended that further studies be made of sites contaminated with organic materials.