Geographical patterning nematode assemblages in Corallina officinalis in
the English Channel and in South Korea
Hyong-Gi Kim1, Lawrence E. Hawkins1, Jasmin A. Godbold1, Chul-Woong Oh2,
Hyun Soo Rho3, Katrin A. Bohn1, Moira A. Maclean1 and Stephen J. Hawkins1
1
Ocean and Earth Science, National Oceanography Centre, Southampton,
University of Southampton, Southampton, United Kingdom.
E-mail:
S.J.Hawkins@soton.ac.uk
2
Department of Marine Biology, Pukyoung National University, Busan,
Republic of Korea
3
Korea Institute of Ocean Science and Technology, Gyeongbuk, Republic of
Korea
Cosmopolitan habitat-forming species of algae such as Corallina provide an
opportunity to compare patterns of biodiversity over wide geographical scales.
Here we compared the nematode fauna inhabiting the cosmopolitan algae
Corallina officinalis in the English Channel with that of the south coast of
Korea. A fully nested design has been used with 3 regions in each country, 2
shores in each region and 3 patches on each shore. Species composition varied
at each spatial scale (patches, shores, regions and countries). Patterns of alpha,
beta and gamma diversity were compared as well as patterns of composition and
diversity along the environmental gradients in each country. There were taxa
endemic to each country, as is expected of species with limited dispersal
abilities such as nematodes. However, we also found cosmopolitan dominant
taxa in both countries. Despite of the dissimilarity of nematodes communities at
each spatial scale, the functional diversity of nematode communities was similar
at all.