Meiofauna can be found in most animal phyla, but the project will focus on species of Gastrotricha, Gnathostomulida, Platyhelminthes and Annelida. Despite their importance, the knowledge about their taxonomy, distribution and ecology is poor and needs improvement. In Norway, in particular, meiofauna records are sparse and often only down to the phylum level. Globally, these taxa comprise about 3,700 species, with only 31 species documented in Norwegian databases. Additionally, many have unresolved taxonomic issues including cryptic species.
Given the challenges and time-consuming processes of studying these tiny worms, we are targeting only the Norwegian coastline of the Skagerrak, from the foot of the dunes to a depth of 50 meters. With morphological and molecular methods, we aim to determine species and learn more about their distribution and association with Norwegian nature types and different sediment types.
We will perform molecular analyses, including genome-skimming and CO1 barcoding, develop keys, determine abiotic parameters of the sediment, and review existing literature. We also plan to promote this poorly studied group to the public by integrating meiofauna into a planned museum exhibition.
