A comparison of sediment reworking rates by the surface deposit-feeding bivalve Abra ovata during summertime and wintertime, with a comparison between two models of sediment reworking

Influence of temperature on surface sediment disturbance by freshwater fish: a microcosm experiment

“…Ouellette et al (2004) documented a higher sediment transport by a marine polychaete species at warm (13 and 18 xC) than at cold (1 and 6 xC) temperatures. Similar trends were found for the bioturbation activity by a heart urchin (Hollertz and Ducheˆne, 2001) or the reworking rate by a surface deposit-feeding bivalve (Maire et al, 2007). In another study, Berkenbusch and Rowden (1999) have followed the rate of sediment expulsion by the burrowing shrimp Callianassa filholi at an intertidal sandflat in New Zealand over a 12-month period.…”

“…So far, the only studies dealing with the effect of temperature on sediment disturbance were conducted for marine invertebrates (e.g., Hollertz and Ducheˆne, 2001;Ouellette et al, 2004;Maire et al, 2007). They all reported an increase in sediment reworking with rising temperature.…”

“…Such thermal thresholds in sediment reworking have been reported in White et al (1987) for oligochaetes experiencing cycles of fall and rise temperatures between 4 and 20 xC, and in Berkenbusch and Rowden (1999) who followed the rate of sediment expulsion by a burrowing shrimp over a 12-month period. Nevertheless, most other previous studies that have focused on the relationship between temperature and sediment reworking have been limited to two or three temperature treatments (Ouellette et al, 2004;Maire et al, 2007), probably for practical and technical constraints. Further experimental work conducted in a controlled temperature room where a continuous warming would be simulated would make it possible to precisely measure the fine relationship between temperature and SSD and to identify a potential peak activity in fish sediment disturbance activity.…”

Quantifying particle dispersal in aquatic sediments at short time scales: model selection

“…The observational time scale is proportional to the half-life of the tracer, because the characteristic period over which radiotracer-coated particles still can be followed is about 5 times the half-life. Constraining the time scale of the mixing is more difficult, because at present we do not have accurate estimates of the time interval between displacements in natural environments (this is one of the major challenges in bioturbation research -see Maire et al 2007). But let us assume that particles are moved once every day on average.…”

Linking feeding activity and sediment reworking in the deposit-feeding bivalve Abra ovata with image analysis, laser telemetry, and luminophore tracers

“…A single value of Db can correspond to very different combinations of L and t, and Db is only an imperfect description of sediment mixing. Using a non-local transport model on another data set, Maire et al (2007) showed that: (1) in Abra ovata feeding on natural sediment, L and t are close to 0.2 cm and 7.6 h, respectively, and (2) temporal changes in organic matter availability had little effect on L but did significantly affect t (which was also postulated for the positive effect of temperature on sediment mixing by Wheatcroft et al 1990). The goal of the present study was not to further refine the computation of L and t in A. ovata but to link short-term temporal changes in feeding activity and vertical sediment mixing rates.…”