Eficiencia del método de agua azucarada para evaluar la disponibilidad de la meiofauna en lodazales estuarinos utilizados por aves limícolas (Aves: Charadrii) en Cuba

Abstract

The invertebrates of the meiofauna are prey for calidridinae sandpipers. However, the assessment of meiofauna availability is tiresome due to the small size of the invertebrates. We assess the efficiency of meiofauna extraction using a high density sugared solution (1.2 kg/L). Eighteen samples were collected at estuarine areas of Río Máximo and Tunas de Zaza. In each sample the number of meioinvertebrates (in the supernatant and the silt) was quantified and the extraction efficiency was calculated (100 * *number of organisms in the supernatant / total number of organisms (supernatant + sediment)+). Seven taxonomic groups were identified. Copepoda, Foraminifera and Nematoda were the most abundant. The two-way analysis of variance didn't show influence of study area, extraction volume and its interaction on the extraction efficiency for meiofauna. The extraction efficiency was high for organisms without calcareous shell (eg., Copepoda: 95 ± 5 %, Nematoda: 93 ± 10 %), and low for organisms with calcareous shell (eg., Foraminifera: 11 ± 16 %). Although the method underestimates the abundance of overall meiofauna, it is efficient for the assessment of copepods, which is the main meiofauna resource used by shorebirds