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Full-Text Articles in Physical Sciences and Mathematics
Polychaete Burrowing Behavior In Sand And Mud, Kevin Terrence Du Clos
Polychaete Burrowing Behavior In Sand And Mud, Kevin Terrence Du Clos
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Marine sediments are continually reworked by resident organisms that control the ecology, chemistry, and physical structure of these vast systems. For example, the creation of a burrow brings oxygenated water into contact with anoxic sediment, facilitating aerobic respiration and supporting a distinct population of bacteria and meiofauna. Collectively, the effects of infauna on sediments and pore waters are known as bioturbation. Studying the behavior organisms that live beneath the sediment surface (infauna) is crucial to understanding the effects of bioturbation. Infauna can be difficult to study, however, because much their activity cannot be directly observed. The purpose of this thesis …
Ecology Of Injury In Marine Sedimentary Habitats: Effects Of Repeated Injury On Infaunal Condition And Sediment Bioturbation, Sara M. Lindsay
Ecology Of Injury In Marine Sedimentary Habitats: Effects Of Repeated Injury On Infaunal Condition And Sediment Bioturbation, Sara M. Lindsay
University of Maine Office of Research Administration: Grant Reports
The majority of the ocean floor is sedimentary, and marine sediments play a key role in the flux of nutrients and organic matter in the ocean. Via their feeding and other activities, organisms living in marine sediments influence benthic-pelagic coupling by processing and redistributing organic matter supplied from the water column and influencing the supply of nutrients. These activities also influence recruitment and competitive interactions. Thus, factors that impact infaunal activity can secondarily impact sediment biogeochemistry and benthic communities. Non-lethal loss of body tissue is a common event for marine infauna such as polychaetes, and numerous studies have investigated the …