Abstract:
                                      To study the effect of bivalve on meiofauna in shrimp ponds, physical and chemical characteristics of sediment, abundance and biomass of meiofauna were analyzed both in monoculture and polyculture of shrimp (
Litopenaeus vannamei) with bivalve (
Tegillarca granosa). Four treatments with different stocking density of bivalve 0 ind/m
2 (S), 60 ind/m
2 (SC1), 120 ind/m
2 (SC2), 180 ind/m
2 (SC3) were designed, and each treatment was stocked with 17×10
4 ind/hm
2 of shrimp. The results showed that, with the increase of culture time, ①organic matter content showed an upward trend. pH value and ORP were gradually decreased; increase of bivalve stocking density is beneficial to slowing the progression of the deterioration of sediment environment. ② The abundance and biomass of meiofauna showed a downward trend; community structure of meiofauna was more stable with the increase of bivalve stocking density. ③ Regression analysis showed that the ratio of ostracoda to nematodes had obviously positive correlation with the shrimp yield. A certain density of polyculture with bivalve was conducive to increasing the ratio of ostracoda to nematodes. A preliminary result showed that, to have a good yield, the average ratio was better to reach 6 during shrimp culture, and a single value was not less than 3.5. Therefore, shrimp polyculture with bivalve was conducive to sediment quality improvement and can increase growth of meiofauna, and higher density (80–140 ind/m
2) of bivalve had a clear function of purification of the sediment.