Bioturbation of peanut worms Sipunculus nudus on the composition of prokaryotic communities in a tidal flat as revealed by 16S rRNA gene sequences

Abstract

To understand the impacts of peanut worms Sipunculus nudus on the prokaryotic community composition in a tidal flat, an onsite investigation was conducted in Suixi in the Beibu Gulf (109.82E, 21.35N) in the burrow sediments, non‐burrow sediments and the sediments without peanut worm disturbance (control). The16S rRNA gene Illumina MiSeq sequencing was used to investigate the microbial communities and their response to bioturbation by S. nudus in a sandy tidal flat. A total of 18 bacteria phyla were detected, and Proteobacteria and Cyanobacteria constituted the majority of the prokaryotic community in the samples. The distribution of the relative abundances of genera showed that approximately 6.99%–17% of the reads in the samples were classified into 25 known genera. Sulfate‐reducing bacteria (Desulfococcus and Desulfosarcina) were the most abundant taxa, followed by Thermodesulfovibrionaceae LCP‐6, indicating that sulfate reduction is the main process in the sandy tidal flat. The abundances of Desulfococcus, LCP‐6 and Cyanobacterium in the non‐burrow sediment were greater than in the burrow sediment, suggesting that the anoxic condition is more suitable for Desulfococcus and LCP‐6 when the activity of S. nudus is absent. The biomass of Cyanobacterium was decreased by the feeding bioturbation of S. nudus. Meanwhile, the relative abundance of the Bacteroidetes Luteimonas in the burrow sediments was significantly greater than in the non‐burrow sediment, and there was a strong relationship between S. nudus bioturbation and increased in oxygen contents and oxidation‐reduction potentials in the burrow sediment. The abundances of Desulfococcus and LCP‐6 were greater in the middle layer (20–30 cm) than in the top layer in the non‐burrow sediment. However, the middle and bottom layers (20–30, 30–40 cm) had higher abundances of these genera than did the upper layers (0–10, 10–20 cm) in the burrow sediments. The abundances of the Fusobacteria Propionigenium and the Spirochaetes Spirochaeta were greater in the middle and bottom layers (20–30 cm, 30–40 cm) than in the top layers (0–10, 10–20 cm) in the burrow sediment, but this phenomenon was not found in the non‐burrow sediment. This study demonstrates that bioturbation by S. nudus plays an important role in reshaping the bacterial community composition in intertidal regions.

Composition of Particulate Matter and Bacterial Community in Gut Contents and Surrounding Sediments of Three Sipunculan Species (Siphonosoma australe, Phascolosoma arcuatum, and Sipunculus nudus)

“…Aside from the economic values, the sipunculans also play an important role in benthic ecosystems through bioturbations [ 6 , 7 ]. Most sipunculans are deposit feeders; they consume detritus and fecal material as well as bacteria, algae, and small invertebrates [ 8 , 9 ].…”

“…Most sipunculans are deposit feeders; they consume detritus and fecal material as well as bacteria, algae, and small invertebrates [ 8 , 9 ]. The characteristics of sediments change with the processes of benthic organisms through burrowing, feeding, and excretion, which might affect the bacterial communities in sediments [ 7 , 10 ]. For example, Aller [ 11 ] showed that the bacterial population and activity increased in sediments immediately surrounding burrows inhabited by bottom-dwelling animals compared to the ambient sediments; the bioturbation of S. nudus also significantly affected the bacterial community composition of intertidal sediments from the surface to the bottom layer [ 7 ].…”

Transcriptome analysis reveals key molecular events of germinal vesicle breakdown inSipunculus nudus

“…For example, S. nudus can alleviate the accumulation of organic waste in sediments and affect the nutrient contents in pore water by bioturbation (Li et al., 2015; Völkel & Grieshaber, 1992). They can also reshape the bacterial community composition in intertidal regions by bioturbation (Li et al., 2019). In addition, S. nudus is targeted by the fishing industry in southern China for its high medical and nutritional value (Li et al., 2017).…”

Image Processing and Optical-Electricity Property of Traditional Medicine Products from Kian Sand Worm (Siphonosoma ur - pulau )

“…Worms are interesting because of its simplicity of anatomy with a simple life in different areas on earth [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14]. Recently, about 7000 sites obtained on earth land from 56 nations in which earthworms consisted of three different types in their land living geo-ecology of epigeic, anecic and endogeic were identified [2,3].…”

“…Recently, about 7000 sites obtained on earth land from 56 nations in which earthworms consisted of three different types in their land living geo-ecology of epigeic, anecic and endogeic were identified [2,3]. Sandworms and sea-worms were also discovered in another place from the former one such as beach sand of different islands and seas areas of various continents, respectively [1,[4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14]. Herbal medicines from plants and traditional medicines of different animal body parts and products are currently attractive fields in conjunction with pharmaceutical and interdisciplinary fields due to their origin of multitasking healing system [1,7,8,11,[15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28][29][30][31].…”