Introduction to Meiofauna Part 2

 There are millions of extremely small animals that live in the ocean that you probably don't consider as you swim, kayak, fish, etc. The animals that I focus on in the lab, nematodes, are just one phylum of meiofauna--animals that fit within a specific size not smaller than 32 micrometers in length. Meiofauna have face unique challenges in the ocean given their size and that many of the phyla aren't actively mobile. For the next few weeks, I thought I would dedicate the blog updates to the many phyla that make up the meiobenthos, starting today with a phyla that can easily be confused for nematodes: the nemertea, or ribbon worms.
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Nemertea, as seen in the picture below, can look like large, plump nematodes. The nematodes in the image are on the left (you can see two of them) but the nemertea individual is approximately double or triple their length and much broader in dimensions. Nemerteans can be terrestrial, fresh-water, or marine individuals, but most of the phylum occupies the ocean, where they live in sand and muddy sediments. Nemerteans, like nematodes, are rather understudied organisms, potentially because they don't confer an obvious benefit to human populations. Nemerteans are prey to many marine organisms, so the phylum may support energy exchange in benthic environments. However, as is often the case with marine conservation, if an organism does not provide a benefit to humans, it is not interesting to study. I hope to use my research and platform to shed light on the importance of understanding the roles that meiofauna serve in the ocean and to show that meiofauna are providing benefits to mankind but the benefits may not be as obvious as those of a salmonid or anchoveta.

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