Sand dollar, Mellita quinquiesperforata (Leske), and sea pansy, Renilla reniformis (Cuvier) effects on meiofaunal abundance

The effect of disturbance by two macroinvertebrates, the sand dollar Mellita quinquiesperforata (Leske) and the sea pansy Renilla reniformis (Cuvier) on meiofauna was studied on a sandbar in North Inlet, Georgetown, South Carolina. Abundances of nematodes and the harpacticoid copepod Apodopsyllus unguiformis Coull & Hogue decreased significantly in the presence of sand dollars; other taxa were not affected. In two Renilla experiments, one natural and another where artificial and real Renilla were implanted, we could determine no consistent effect on any meiobenthic taxon. However, sediments disturbed by implanting living and artificial Renilla returned to ambient levels within 1 h.