De Meester, N.

Derycke, S.

Guden, R.M.

Moens, T.

Rigaux, A.

Vafeiadou, A.-M.

Guden, Rodgee Mae

Vafeiadou, Anna-Maria

De Meester, Nele

Rigaux, Annelien

Derycke, Sofie

Moens, Tom

Ghent University Academic Bibliography

Microhabitat choice of cryptic species: do closely related nematode species really occur together?

Guden, R.M.E.

Open Marine Archive

Rodgee Mae E. Guden1, Anna-Maria Vafeiadou1,2, Nele De Meester1, Annelien Rigaux1, Sofie Derycke3,1, Tom Moens1  
 
1Ghent University, Marine Biology Section, Krijgslaan 281/S8, 9000 Ghent, Belgium 
2Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Biology Department, 54124 Thessaloniki, Greece 
3Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences (RBINS), OD Taxonomy and Phylogeny, Vautierstraat 29, 1000 Brussels, Belgium 
free- living marine nematodes 
Microhabitat choice of cryptic species:  
Do closely related nematode species really 
occur together? 
 
 morphologically ’identical’ but 
genetically distinct species 
 
 call into question most estimates of the 
existing number of species 
 
 have strong implications on biodiversity-
ecosystem functioning relations 
 
prominent in marine environments CRYPTIC SPECIES 
Litoditis marina: model organism 
PMI, PMII, PMIII, and PMIV 
Ulva sp. Different 
species of 
algae 
Clean vs. 
with 
sediment 
Fucus spp. 
Different 
structures 
of Fucus 
spp. 
Fresh vs. 
Decomposing 
Ulva sp. thalli 
Do they have different 
microhabitat preferences? 
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
Receptacula Thallus Bladders
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
Receptacula Thallus Bladders
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
Receptacula Thallus Bladders
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
Receptacula Thallus Bladders
Fucus spiralis 
Fucus vesiculosus 
Relative abundances of the cryptic 
species at different parts of algae 
15% 
38% 
47% 
97% 
3% 
100% 
98% 
2% 
Fucus spiralis Fucus vesiculosus 
with microbiofilm clean clean with microbiofilm 
adults 
88% 
12% 
juveniles 
96% 
4% 
82% 
1% 
17% 
76% 
24% 
2% 
98% 
4% 
96% 100% 100% 
Fresh Ulva Decomposing Ulva 
adults juveniles juveniles adults 
Real- time 
PCR 
PMI 
Legend 
PMII 
PMIII 
PMIV 
Conclusion Contact Information 
Acknowledgements 
Rodgee Mae  E. Guden 
Master of Science in Nematology 
rodgeemae.guden@ugent.be 
R. Guden is funded by Vlaamse Interuniversitaire Raad - 
Universitaire Ontwikkelingssamenwerking (VLIR-UOS) for her 
master study. A. Vafeiadou acknowledges a joint PhD grant from 
the research council of Ghent University (BOF).  
 The cryptic species composition of the Litoditis marina 
complex differs: 
 at different species of algae 
 between clean and covered with microalgal biofilm Fucus spp. 
for adults but not for juveniles 
 at different parts of Fucus spp. 
 PMII prefers Ulva sp. compared to Fucus spp. 
 PMI and PMIII co- occur  
Relative abundances of the cryptic  
species at different microhabitats 
with microbiofilm clean 
with microbiofilm clean 


Microhabitat choice of cryptic species: Do closely related nematode species really occur together?

- 57 - 
 
Microhabitat choice of cryptic species: do closely related nematode 
species really occur together? 
Guden Rodgee Mae1, Anna-Maria Vafeiadou1,2, Nele De Meester1, Annelien Rigaux1, Sofie Derycke1,3 and 
Tom Moens6  
1 Ghent University, Marine Biology Section, 1. Krijgslaan 281/S8, 9000 Ghent, Belgium 
 E-mail: rodgeemae.guden@ugent.be  
2 Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Biology Department, 54124 Thessaloniki, Greece 
3 Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences (RBINS), OD Taxonomy and Phylogeny, Vautierstraat 29,  
 1000 Brussels, Belgium 
The prevalence of morphologically ‘identical’ but genetically distinct species, referred as cryptic 
species, call into question estimates of the existing number of species and may have implications for 
our understanding of biodiversity-ecosystem functioning relations, but also challenge ecological theory 
about species interactions. Cryptic species are particularly prominent in marine environments.  
 
Extensive cryptic diversity exists, for instance, in marine free-living nematodes. In Litoditis marina, a 
common bacterivore nematode associated with decomposing macro-algae in the littoral zone of 
coastal and estuarine environments, at least 10 cryptic lineages have already been demonstrated. At 
least three of the four most abundant cryptic species were found to co-occur in the field, but the 
underlying samplings did not allow assessing whether these species truly co-occur or whether they 
perhaps exhibit differential microhabitat preferences. The lack of easily distinguishable morphological 
characters prohibits the classical identification approaches. Here, we use qPCR for a rapid detection 
and quantification of four cryptic species of L. marina on macroalgae in the Westerschelde Estuary to 
investigate whether these four species truly co-occur or show temporal and/or spatial niche 
differentiation in their natural environment. 
 
Keywords: cryptic diversity; microhabitat preference; coexistence; spatial; temporal 
 
 
  


Microhabitat choice of cryptic species: do closely related nematode species really occur together?

Abstract

Similar works

Full text

Available Versions

Ghent University Academic Bibliography

Open Marine Archive

Open Marine Archive