Nematode species distribution patterns at the Ha°kon Mosby Mud Volcano (Norwegian Sea)

The Ha°kon Mosby Mud Volcano (HMMV) is a methane seep that is densely populated by the bacteria Beggiatoa spp. as well as by tubeworms of the Family Siboglinidae. Analyses of samples from seven stations located in five different habitats (bare sediments, bacterial mats, siboglinid fields, sediments with small patches of siboglinids and areas of ‘normal’ sea floor) revealed differences in the density and species-level diversity of nematode communities. Total densities increased from stations inside the mud volcano and on its rim towards the ‘normal’ areas outside the volcano. Nematode species diversity was similar in samples from the siboglinid fields and the bare HMMV sediments. However, the sediment with patches of siboglinids collected outside the volcano was characterised by a diverse nematode community comprising 47 species, whereas the control sediments without siboglinids yielded only 27 species. The nematode assemblage at the bacterial mat site included only two identified species, Halomonhystera disjuncta and Sabatieria ornata, with H. disjuncta being strongly dominant. Terschellingia distlamphida, S. ornata and Aponema ninae dominated nematode communities at the siboglinid fields and in bare HMMV sediments. Species dominating at stations inside the caldera were found in comparable low densities in the sediment with siboglinid patches collected outside the volcano, but were missing in the background samples, where species of Endeolophos, Acantholaimus and Desmoscolex were dominant. Species diversity generally decreased with sediment depth. A subsurface-dwelling nematode community was observed in the siboglinid fields and the bare sediments. Background sediments showed a sharp decline with 18–20 species at 0–2 cm versus three species at 3–5 cm sediment depth. The trophic composition of the nematode fauna at the HMMV showed a prevalence of deposit feeders at almost all stations, whereas background sediments exhibited a uniform distribution of non-selective and selective deposit feeders and epistrate feeders. The high percentage of deposit feeders inside the mud volcano could be related to the grain-size distribution and the significantly higher bacterial biomass compared to the control sediments.