17th International Meiofauna Conference 7-12th July 2019 | University of Évora | Portugal Book of Abstracts seventimco.uevora.pt 1 Organizers by: Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre (MARE) MARE- University of Évora, School of Sciences and Technology, Apartado 94, 7002-554 Évora | Portugal http://www.mare-centre.pt/ | https://www.uevora.pt/ Co-organizers: Instituto de Ciências Agrárias e Ambientais Mediterrânicas, University of Évora, Portugal (ICAAM) School of Sciences and Technology, University of Évora (ECTUÉ) International Association of Meiobenthologists (IAM) Sponsors DEPARTAMENTO DE BIOLOGIA This work is funded by National Funds through FCT - Foundation for Science and Technology under the Project UID/MAR/04292/2019. 2 MARE - Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre University of Évora, School of Sciences and Technology Apartado 94, 7002-554 Évora Portugal http://www.mare-centre.pt/ https://www.uevora.pt/ Publication date: July 7th, 2019 This publication should be quoted as follows: Helena Adão, Claúdia Vicente, Katarzyna Sroczyńska, Margarida Espada, Paula Alvim, Mélanie Costa and Soraia Vieira (eds), 2019. Book of Abstracts, SeventIMCO - Seventeenth International Meiofauna Conference, Grand Auditorium, University of Évora, Portugal, 7-12 July, 2019, University of Évora, Special Publication. Reproduction is authorized, provided that appropriate mention is made of the source. ISBN: 978-989-8550-97-2 3 Committees Local Organizing Committees Helena Adão, MARE - Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre, University of Évora Cláudia Vicente, ICAAM - Instituto de Ciências Agrárias e Ambientais Mediterrânicas, University of Évora Margarida Espada, ICAAM - Instituto de Ciências Agrárias e Ambientais Mediterrânicas, University of Évora Mourad Bezzeghoud, School of Sciences and Technology, University of Évora Luiz Carlos Gazarini, Biology Department, University of Évora Jorge Araújo, Biology Department, University of Évora Soraia Vieira, MARE - Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre, University of Évora Mélanie Costa, MARE - Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre, University of Évora Hortense dos Santos, School of Sciences and Technology, University of Évora Scientific Committee Ann Vanreusel, Ghent University, Belgium Cláudia Vicente, ICAAM - Instituto de Ciências Agrárias e Ambientais Mediterrânicas, University of Évora, Portugal Daniela Zeppilli, IFREMER- Institut Français de Recherche pour l’Exploitation de la MER, Laboratoire Environnement Profond, France Fabiane Galluci, UNIFESP - Federal University of São Paulo, Brazil Federica Semprucci, UNIURB - Università degli Studi di Urbino “Carlo Bo”, Italy Helena Adão, MARE- Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre, University of Évora, Portugal Jeroen Ingels, Research Faculty at Florida State University, Coastal and Marine Lab, USA Katarzyna Sroczynska, MARE - Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre, University of Évora, Portugal Margarida Espada, ICAAM - Instituto de Ciências Agrárias e Ambientais Mediterrânicas, University of Évora, Portugal Michaela Schratzberger, CEFAS - Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science, United Kingdom Nikolaos Lampadariou, HCMR - Hellenic Center for Marine Research, Greece Sofie Deryche, ILVO - Institute for agriculture and fisheries, Belgium Tom Moens, Ghent University, Belgium Vadim Mokievsky, P.P. Shirshov Institute of Oceanology, Russia Walter Traunspurger, Bielefeld University, Germany Wonchoel Lee, Hanyang University, Korea 4 Preface MARE-Marine Environmental Sciences Centre, University of Évora together with International Association of Meiobenthologists are proud to welcome the 17th International Meiofauna Conference (SeventIMCO). The SeventIMCO is the major assembly to present and share advances in meiofaunal research and this year-2019 it became a historical meiofauna conference celebrating 50 years (1969-2019) anniversary. Previous conferences have been held in Tunis, Tunisia (1969), York, England (1973), Hamburg, Germany (1977), Columbia, USA (1980), Ghent, Belgium (1983), Tampa, USA (1986), Vienna, Austria (1989), Maryland, USA (1992), Perpignan, France (1995), Plymouth, England (1998), Boston, USA (2001), Ravenna, Italy (2004), Recife, Brazil (2007), Ghent, Belgium (2010), Seoul, South Korea (2013) and Heraklion, Crete, Greece (2016). The 2019 edition of SeventIMCO, is hosted by MARE - Marine Environmental Sciences Centre - University of Évora, in beautiful cultural heritage town of Évora, Portugal. This year, 7 keynote presentations, 74 oral presentations and 78 poster presentations are included in the program, which are distributed over 34 countries and 125 corresponding authors. Their contributions are dis- tributed by the following themes, representing emerging topics that meiofauna research: • Advances in taxonomy, phylogeny and biogeography. • Meiofauna biodiversity patterns and ecosystem interactions (including Freshwater, Estuarine Coastal and Ocean, Deep sea and Frontiers ecosystems) • Meiofauna in a changing world: meiofauna response to natural and anthro pogenic pressures. • Methodologic advances in meiofaunal studies: New tools and analytical and experimental approaches. • Meiofauna and Science communication to Society We have also organized an initiative: a roundtable meeting. This is a dynamic encounter aimed at connecting early-career scientists with senior scientists to exchange ideas, collaborate and even identify research priorities for the next decade of meiofauna sciences. SeventIMCO addresses various challenges that meiofauna research is facing nowadays providing new frontiers and innovative advances in meiobenthology science, to support management decisions of the sustainable use of the oceans, seas and freshwater ecosystems. Helena Adão Chair of SeventIMCO 5 Contents I Keynote presentations ............................................................................................ 7 Invited lectures .................................................................................................................... 8 II Oral presentations ...................................................................................................15 T1. Advances in taxonomy, phylogeny and biogeography. .......................................................................16 T2 Meiofauna biodiversity patterns and ecosystem interactions (including Freshwater, Estuarine Coastal and Ocean, Deep sea and Frontiers ecosystems) .........................................................................................24 T3 Meiofauna in a changing world: meiofauna response to natural and anthropogenic pressures ..........................46 T4 Methodologic advances in meiofaunal studies: new tools and analytical and experimental approaches ...............62 T5 Meiofauna and Science communication to Society .............................................................................72 III Poster presentations .............................................................................................75 T1 Advances in taxonomy, phylogeny and biogeography. ........................................................................76 T2 Meiofauna biodiversity patterns and ecosystem interactions (including Freshwater, Estuarine Coastal and Ocean, Deep sea and Frontiers ecosystems) .........................................................................................................98 T3 Meiofauna in a changing world: meiofauna response to natural and anthropogenic pressures .........................115 T4 Methodologic advances in meiofaunal studies: new tools and analytical and experimental approaches ...............128 List of participants ............................................................................................................135 6 Part I Keynote presentations 7 keynote presentations Invited lectures ID: 6023 An overview of the ecology of meiofauna in freshwater ecosystems Nabil Majdi1,* and Walter Traunspurger1 1 University of Bielefeld, Department of Animal Ecology, 33615, Bielefeld, Germany *[email protected] Meiobenthic organisms are widespread in habitats like muddy lake bottoms, sandy streambeds, or phototrophic biofilms coating cobbles in rivers, and they also colonize massively ephemeral or disconnected freshwater habitats (like temporary streams). They achieve an important production of biomass throughout the year and there is growing evidence that the meiofauna play a central role in ecosystems by stimulating the mineraliza- tion of organic matter by microbial decomposers, or by stimulating photosynthesis through grazing biofilms. Furthermore, the meiofauna seem a significant prey pool for macro-invertebrates and benthivorous fishes. However, our knowledge of the distribution and ecological role of meiobenthic organisms is still minimal in freshwater ecosystems. To some extent, this lack of knowledge might be the result of the difficulty of using the meiofauna in manipulative experiments that have been a stronghold of aquatic ecology. Yet, many meiobenthic organisms possess recognizable functional traits that should make them ideal models for fundamental ecological studies on the interactions between biodiversity and ecosystem functioning. This overview draws a portrait of recent advances in our understanding of the functional diversity of meiofauna in freshwater ecosystems, as well as in our understanding of the diversity of interactions they have with other biota. Given their contribution to secondary production and to the level of connectance in food webs, we argue