Abstract
Work on the ecology of intertidal nematodes (largely of particulate shores) is reviewed with reference to: basic field data (abundance, diversity, distribution); energy flow through nematode populations (metabolism, production, consumption); nematodes as food for secondary consumers (consumption by other meiofauna, by macrobenthos, by vertebrates); other roles played by nematodes (decomposition, sediment stability); use of nematodes as an indicator group of environmental conditions. The authors believe that any general assessment of intertidal habitats is incomplete if the nematode fauna is not taken into consideration.