Results of ANOVAs suggested that either different meiofaunal taxa responded to the leaf litter in different
ways or the response of the same taxon changed over decomposition time. Multivariate ordination
performed on nematodes revealed an alteration in community structure after 10, 30 and 60 days
between controls and treatments. This alteration was attributed to some deposit feeding nematodes,
particularly a bacterivorous species, Diplolaimella sp., which bloomed in all the cores treated with
leaf litter, testifying to the important role such meiofauna plays in the process of detritus
decomposition.