Importance of benthic macrofauna and coastal biotopes for ecosystem functioning – Oxygen and nutrient fluxes in the coastal zone

Janas, Urszula; Burska, Dorota; Kendzierska, Halina; Pryputniewicz-Flis, Dorota; Łukawska‐Matuszewska, Katarzyna

doi:10.1016/j.ecss.2019.05.020

Cited by 22 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 55 publications

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“…For instance, vascular plants such as seagrasses influence primary production and nutrient fluxes (Gustafsson and Norkko 2016;Staehr et al 2018) as well as resuspension dynamics and sediment trapping in seascapes (Joensuu et al 2018), while the sediment burial of macroalgae significantly contributes to the carbon sequestration in coastal environments (Krause-Jensen and Duarte 2016; Röhr et al 2018). Secondary producers, such as benthic invertebrates, affect the cycling of carbon and nutrients directly through feeding on organic matter, production and excretion, and indirectly through bioturbation and bioirrigation (Benelli et al 2018(Benelli et al , 2019Kauppi et al 2018;Thoms et al 2018;Janas et al 2019). Benthic invertebrates can have a strong influence on sediment resuspension (Joensuu et al 2018) and the retention and removal of carbon and nutrients by improving conditions for P-binding in the sediment and by facilitating N removal through nitrification-coupled denitrification (Moraes et al 2008;Benelli et al 2018).…”

Section: Biological Effects On Biogeochemistrymentioning

confidence: 99%

Factors regulating the coastal nutrient filter in the Baltic Sea

Carstensen

Conley

Almroth‐Rosell³

et al. 2019

Ambio

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The coastal zone of the Baltic Sea is diverse with strong regional differences in the physico-chemical setting. This diversity is also reflected in the importance of different biogeochemical processes altering nutrient and organic matter fluxes on the passage from land to sea. This review investigates the most important processes for removal of nutrients and organic matter, and the factors that regulate the efficiency of the coastal filter. Nitrogen removal through denitrification is high in lagoons receiving large inputs of nitrate and organic matter. Phosphorus burial is high in archipelagos with substantial sedimentation, but the stability of different burial forms varies across the Baltic Sea. Organic matter processes are tightly linked to the nitrogen and phosphorus cycles. Moreover, these processes are strongly modulated depending on composition of vegetation and fauna. Managing coastal ecosystems to improve the effectiveness of the coastal filter can reduce eutrophication in the open Baltic Sea.

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Section: Biological Effects On Biogeochemistrymentioning

confidence: 99%

Factors regulating the coastal nutrient filter in the Baltic Sea

Carstensen

Conley

Almroth‐Rosell³

et al. 2019

Ambio

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“…As excreted nutrients (often in the form of NH4 + and PO4 3-) are readily taken up by microbes and primary producers, these species constitute an important step in the recycling chain (Allgeier et al 2017) within the coastal filter. Especially the presence of epibenthic surface modifiers, mostly grazers, at shallow, illuminated inner sites might have an important role for regulating microphytobenthic primary production (Miller et al 1996, Norkko et al 2010, Janas et al 2019, while their contribution to sediment bioturbation is known to be marginal (Orvain et al 2004). In contrast, the high abundance of tube dwellers at inner sites suggests efficient bioirrigation and an active incorporation of organic matter into the sediment.…”

Section: (18)mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, it is clear that the contribution of benthic invertebrates to sediment nutrient recycling and retention cannot be quantified based on trait classifications, and that the net effect of the animals will be contextdependent. Indeed, the impact of benthic macrofauna on sediment nutrient fluxes has been shown to (20) vary across habitats (Gammal et al 2019, Janas et al 2019, due to disturbances (Villnäs et al 2013), with season (Kauppi et al 2017) and to have contrasting short versus long-term effects (Norkko & Reed et al 2012). In addition, trait modalities and groupings cannot be assumed to describe the exact performance of species.…”

Section: (19)mentioning

confidence: 99%

Changes in macrofaunal biological traits across estuarine gradients: implications for the coastal nutrient filter

Villnäs¹,

Janas²,

Josefson³

et al. 2019

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

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Benthic macrofaunal communities have a profound impact on organic matter turnover and nutrient cycling in marine sediments. Their activities are of particular importance in the coastal filter, where nutrients and organic matter from land are transformed and/or retained before reaching the open sea. The benthic fauna modify the coastal filter directly (through consumption, respiration, excretion and biomass production) and indirectly (through bioturbation). It is hard to experimentally quantify faunal contribution to the coastal filter over large spatial and temporal scales that encompass significant environmental and biological heterogeneity. However, estimates can be obtained with biological trait analyses. By using benthic biological traits, we explore how the potential contribution of macrofaunal communities to the coastal filter differ between inner and outer sites in an extensive archipelago area, and examine the generality of the observed pattern across contrasting coastal areas of the entire Baltic Sea. Estimates of benthic bioturbation, longevity and size (i.e. "stability") and total energy-and nutrient contents differed between coastal areas and inner versus outer sites. Benthic traits indicative of an enhanced nutrient turnover but a decreased capacity for temporal nutrient retention dominated inner sites, while outer sites were often dominated by larger individuals, exhibiting traits that are likely to enhance nutrient uptake and retention. The overarching similarities in benthic trait expression between more eutrophied inner vs less affected outer coastal sites across the Baltic Sea suggest that benthic communities might contribute in a similar manner to nutrient recycling and retention in the coastal filter over large geographical scales.

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“…Burrowing of macrobenthos has a significant effect on the content and spatial distribution of organic matter, as well as on the concentration of nutrients in sediments (Meysman et al 2006;Janas et al 2019). The burrowing activity and feeding behavior of benthic organisms produce a large number of tunnels, which can increase sediment porosity by changing the particle size and distribution of sediment material (Lohrer et al 2004;Nicholaus et al 2019).…”

Section: Relationship Between Bioturbation and Nutrient Regeneration mentioning

confidence: 99%

Bioturbation of Thalassinoides from the Lower Cambrian Zhushadong Formation of Dengfeng area, Henan Province, North China

et al. 2021

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Bioturbation plays a critical role in sediment mixing and biogeochemical cycling between sediment and seawater. An abundance of bioturbation structures, dominated by Thalassinoides, occurs in carbonate rocks of the Cambrian Series 2 Zhushadong Formation in the Dengfeng area of western Henan Province, North China. Determination of elemental geochemistry can help to establish the influence of burrowing activities on sediment biogeochemical cycling, especially on changes in oxygen concentration and nutrient regeneration. Results show that there is a dramatic difference in the bioturbation intensity between the bioturbated limestone and laminated dolostone of the Zhushadong Formation in terms of productivity proxies (Baex, Cu, Ni, Sr/Ca) and redox proxies (V/Cr, V/Sc, Ni/Co). These changes may be related to the presence of Thalassinoides bioturbators, which alter the particle size and permeability of sediments, while also increase the oxygen concentration and capacity for nutrient regeneration. Comparison with modern studies shows that the sediment mixing and reworking induced by Thalassinoides bioturbators significantly changed the primary physical and chemical characteristics of the Cambrian sediment, triggering the substrate revolution and promoting biogeochemical cycling between sediment and seawater.

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Importance of benthic macrofauna and coastal biotopes for ecosystem functioning – Oxygen and nutrient fluxes in the coastal zone

Cited by 22 publications

References 55 publications

Factors regulating the coastal nutrient filter in the Baltic Sea

Factors regulating the coastal nutrient filter in the Baltic Sea

Changes in macrofaunal biological traits across estuarine gradients: implications for the coastal nutrient filter

Bioturbation of Thalassinoides from the Lower Cambrian Zhushadong Formation of Dengfeng area, Henan Province, North China

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