There are animals in the sand?

This nematode measures .740 mm and was removed from a sediment sample as part of a Mobile Alabama research initiative.

Phylum Nematoda, or nematodes, is an immense classification of organisms that can be found in most, if not all, environments on the planet. Most people are familiar with C. elegans, which is the most prominent member of the phylum, but many individuals are not as familiar with the marine species of nematodes. Nematodes are rather small organisms and can range in size from micrometers to a few centimeters. There are some species that are quite robust, however, like Placentonema gigantissima, which can reach lengths of 8.4 meters.



​The nematodes that I work with, however, are on the small end of the spectrum, and live in muddy marine environments where they live between sediment grains. Nematodes are important organisms in their habitats because they maintain environments for nitrifying and denitrifying bacteria and help sustain primary product in marine ecosystems. Nematodes are bioturbators, which means that they burrow into sediment, which may help nutrient cycling, provide microcosms for other organisms, and allow for oxygen to reach further down into the sediment.

One of the reasons that I am using nematodes for my work is their role as bioindicators. Multiple studies have shown the effectiveness of using nematodes as indicators for anthropogenic impacts on marine environments, including heavy metal pollution, climate change, and hydrocarbon pollution. However, there have not been studies on changes in nematode communities due to the presence of microplastics. I hope to assess how bioindication metrics supported by the literature may be used with microplastics pollution and nematode community structure. 

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