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Perspectives on Marine Environment Change in Hong Kong and Southern China, 1977-2001 (ed . B. Morton). Proceedings o f a n Internationa l Worksho p Reunio n Conference, Hon g Kong 21-2 6 Octobe r 2001. Hong Kong: Hong Kon g University Press , 2003. TEMPORAL CHANGE S I N A HONG KON G MANGROV E AND ADJACENT FORESHOR E SANDFLA T MEIOFAUNAL COMMUNITIE S H. Zho u The Swire Institute of Marine Science and Department of Ecology an d Biodiversity , The University o f Hong Kong, Hong Kong * ABSTRACT Temporal change s i n th e abundanc e o f majo r tax a makin g u p thre e meiofauna l communities wer e monitored ove r a two-year period fro m Jun e 199 8 to June 2000 in the Tin g Ko k mangrove , Ne w Territories , Hon g Kong . Th e thre e communitie s represented thre e habitats , i.e. , th e mangrove , th e mangrov e seawar d edg e an d th e adjacent foreshor e sandflat , eac h possessin g differen t hydrodynamic , sedimen t an d organic nutrien t characteristics . Monsoona l rain s an d high temperature s prevailin g i n the summer-autum n month s o f Hon g Kon g constitute d controllin g factor s regulatin g the seasona l change s i n th e abundanc e o f thes e subtropica l intertida l meiofauna l communities. Total meiofaunal an d nematode abundanc e peaked i n later winter-earl y spring an d wa s depresse d i n summer-autumn , a s a consequence . Th e impac t was , however, attenuated landward from the foreshore sandflat into the mangrove, suggesting a spatial-tempora l interactio n i n term s o f physica l disturbanc e t o th e underlyin g meiobenthic communities . INTRODUCTION In temperat e intertida l an d shallo w subtida l estuaries , meiofaunal seasonalit y i s mos t obviously explained by temperature and food availability (Heip et al. 1985) and densities peaked, i n mos t studies , in sprin g an d summe r (Tietje n 1969 ; Harris 1972 ; Mclntyr e and Murisio n 1973) . I n th e tropic s an d subtropics , however , intertida l benthi c Present address : Colleg e o f Lif e Science , Ocea n Universit y o f Qingdao , 5 Yusha n Road , 266003, Qingdao , China . 460 H. ZHOU communities ar e subjected t o greater physical stres s tha n their temperate counterpart s (Moore 1972 ) and monsoonal rains greatly influence the seasonality of most meiofauna l taxa (Ganapati and Rao 1962 ; Kondalarao and Ramana Murty 1988 ; Alongi 1987). This applies especially to the so-called 'we t tropics' (Alongi 1990a; Arlt 1995). Alongi (1987, 1990b) ha s made the most comprehensiv e tempora l studie s wit h respec t t o prolonge d precipitation an d drynes s i n tropica l Australia n mangroves . B y comparin g seasona l patterns between we t and dry tropica l meiofauna l communitie s alon g the northeaster n coast o f Australia , Along i conclude d tha t rai n migh t hav e a n amelioratin g effec t b y decreasing surfac e salinit y an d keeping temperatures withi n a n acceptable range. Subtropical intertidal meiobenthic communities may be also subjected t o the same kind o f physica l stresse s an d meiobenthi c seasonalit y may , t o som e extent , als o b e regulated by monsoonal rains, as in the 'we t tropics' Hon g Kong, which has an annua l rainfall o f > 2000 mm. The present study examines abundance patterns of major meiofaunal tax a over time in the Ting Kok mangrove and the adjacent foreshore sandflat in subtropical Hong Kong, based on a two-year replicated and continuous sampling protocol (1998-2000). Questions central to this study include the following : 1. Ar e there distinct seasona l patterns of changes in the meiobenthic communitie s of a subtropical mangrove ? 2. I f so , what factors ar e responsible for thi s seasonality ? 3. Ar e there any between-year difference s i n terms of temporal fluctuations ? 4. I s ther e an y spatial-tempora l interactio n i n term s o f physica l disturbanc e t o th e underlying meiobenthi c communities ? MATERIALS AND METHOD S Sampling...

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