The effect of freshwater inflow on meiofaunal consumption of sediment bacteria and microphytobenthos in San Antonio Bay, Texas, U.S.A.

If meiofauna are food-limited then they should respond with increased feeding rates when microbial production is stimulated. River inflow into estuaries is a source of organic matter that can be limiting to bacterial production, and nutrients that might limit primary production. Therefore, inflow should stimulate microbial primary and secondary production, and eventually meiofauna grazing rates should increase as a functional response to increased food availability and quality. To determine if meiofauna grazing rates were affected by inflow, two replicate stations were sampled in the upper, river-dominated end, of San Antonio Bay and contrasted with two replicate stations at the lower end of the estuary. The experiments were performed three times. Water column nutrients and sediment organic matter were higher in the upper end of the estuary than in the lower end. Benthic primary production was 2·5 times higher in the upper end than in the lower end. Benthic metabolism (measured by oxygen consumption) was also higher in the upper end, but bacterial production (measured by thymidine uptake) was not significantly different between the two ends. Grazing rates were 3·5 times higher on bacteria, and 2·5 times higher on microalgae in the upper end of the estuary than in the lower end, confirming our hypothesis that inflow would stimulate grazing rates. Grazing rates were dominated by juvenile molluscs (temporary meiofauna) which accounted for 39% of the microalgae and 68% of the bacteria ingested by the community. Juvenile molluscs were most prevalent in the upper, fresh-water zone. Harpacticoid copepods and nematodes had higher grazing rates in the lower end of the estuary. Grazing rates were higher on microalgae than on bacteria: 4% of the microalgae were removed per hour, compared to only 1% of the bacteria. Grazing rates on microalgae were 2·6 times higher than productivity, indicating meiofauna might be food-limited. Grazing on bacteria was low, and production (based on oxygen metabolism) exceeded grazing; thus bacterial food is not apparently limiting. Freshwater inflow can affect meiobenthic community structure, stimulate microbial production, and stimulate feeding rates by small invertebrates that can benefit by the increase in microbial production.