A preliminary comparative assessment of the meiofaunal communities of Maltese pocket sandy beaches

Whilst the macrofaunal communities of Maltese pocket sandy beaches have been extensively studied, the meiofaunal communities of the same beaches are virtually unknown. The main aims of the current study include the acquisition of preliminary data on the occurrence of meiofaunal higher taxa on Maltese pocket sandy beaches, the comparison between the Maltese beach meiofaunal communities with those on other Mediterranean sandy beaches and the assessment of the influence of a selected number of beach physical parameters on the same communities. Seven sandy beaches in the Maltese Islands were sampled during spring 2012, with sediment samples being collected at the Mean Sea Level (mediolittoral zone). Median grain size and sediment organic and water content were measured for each beach. A total of 13 higher meiofaunal taxa were recorded from the Maltese sandy beaches. The meiofaunal abundance ranged between 50 and 1392 individuals/10cm2, whilst the number of meiofaunal higher taxa recorded a...