Author:
Ford Phillip W.,Bird Fiona L.,Hancock Gary J.
Abstract
The effect of burrowing activities of ghost shrimp
(Neocallichirus limosus and
Biffarius arenosus) and heart urchin
(Echinocardium cordatum) on the flux of dissolved
substances across the water–sediment interface was examined by comparing
the transport of the tracer deuterium oxide (D2O)
between sediments and overlying water in experimental laboratory tanks with
and without fauna. This experiment was complemented by measurements of the
diffusive flux of naturally occurring isotopes of radium
(224Ra and 223Ra) from the
sediments into the water column. Despite different burrowing habits, all three
species enhanced flux of D2O and the Ra isotopes by
similar amounts. In sandy sediments, both shrimps and urchins enhanced flux of
D2O across the water–sediment interface 2.5 fold.
In muddy sediments, however, results were inconclusive. There was little
difference in flux of 224Ra and
223Ra between muddy and sandy sediments; flux was
2.3–3.9 times higher in the presence of the burrowing species than in
their absence. These findings emphasize (i) the
important role of burrowing macrofauna in the transport of dissolved
substances between the sediment and water bodies and
(ii) the dependence of various biogeochemical processes,
including nutrient release, on the benthic macrofauna of Port Phillip Bay.
Subject
Ecology,Aquatic Science,Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics,Oceanography
Cited by
48 articles.
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