The lugwormArenicola marina: A model of physiological adaptation to life in intertidal sediments

Zebe, E.; Schiedek, Doris

doi:10.1007/bf02367136

Cited by 24 publications

(20 citation statements)

References 85 publications

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“…Oxygenated seawater (salinity ~16 ‰, temperature 15°C) was pumped from a reservoir and into the artificial burrow through a Pasteur pipette. The rate of irrigation was maintained at 2 ml min -1 , which equals the ventilation rate of a 3 g lugworm (Zebe & Schiedek 1996). The artificial burrows were constructed 5 d before irrigation started, which lasted for 4 d. During the pre-irrigation period no changes in sediment color were observed, while a distinct oxidized zone, similar to that of natural burrows, was established within 1 d of irrigation.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Impact of Arenicola marina (Polychaeta) on sediment sulfur dynamics

Nielsen

Kristensen²,

Holmer³

2003

Aquat. Microb. Ecol.

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Sulfate reduction rates and various parameters related to the sulfur cycling were investigated in situ and experimentally by a mm approach in sediment surrounding burrows of the polychaete Arenicola marina. Sulfate reduction rates were immediately affected in a 5 to 15 mmthick zone surrounding the tail shaft. Rates were depressed by 52% in the burrow wall and increased with distance towards ambient rates. Experimental use of artificially ventilated burrows showed that the reduction was mediated by introduction of oxygenated surface water by irrigation, which suppressed possible stimulating effect of increase in organic carbon availability from mucus secretion by the worm. Furthermore, irrigation and sediment reworking by A. marina increased the content of biological reactive Fe(III) in the feeding funnel and in a narrow zone around the tail shaft, creating environments suitable for dissimilative Fe(III) reduction. Total reduced sulfide pools showed that reoxidation of reduced sulfide species occurred along the burrow and in the feeding funnel of A. marina. Reoxidation in the tail shaft region was mediated by irrigation, while the reduction in the feeding funnel probably occurred due to the combined effect of irrigation and sediment reworking. In general, A. marina has a great impact on sediment sulfur biogeochemistry, suggesting that bioturbation depresses sulfate reduction and increases the importance of Fe(III) as an electron acceptor in carbon oxidation. It is also indicated that A. marina reduces permanent burial of reduced sulfide and lowers the steady-state level of total reduced sulfide in the sediment.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Impact of Arenicola marina (Polychaeta) on sediment sulfur dynamics

Nielsen

Kristensen²,

Holmer³

2003

Aquat. Microb. Ecol.

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“…The feeding behaviour and physiology of Arenicola marina are well studied and were recently reviewed by Zebe & Schiedek (1996). It is a head-down deposit feeder ingesting sediment at a depth of 10 to 30 cm and defecating at the surface.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Impact of bioturbation by Arenicola marina on the fate of particle-bound fluoranthene

Kure¹,

Forbes²

1997

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

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The fate of particle-bound '"Cluoranthene deposited at the sediment-water interface in microcosms with different densities (0 to 300 m-2) of Arenicola marina was followed for 28 d. Worms had a pronounced effect on the degradation rate of fluoranthene. Defecated material quickly buried the surface layer of I4C-fluoranthene into deeper layers of the sediment, where degradation of fluoranthene was much slower than at the more reactive surface sediment in microcosms without A. manna. Only 0.3 and 2.9% of '4C-fluoranthene was mineralised to "CO2 after 28 d i n treatments with and without A. marina, respectively. There was no significant difference between degradation rates among different densities of A. marina, although the mixing of fluoranthene into deeper sediment layers was enhanced at higher worm densities. The D0I4C and PO1'C (particulate and dissolved organic '"C) in the overlying water were negatively related with worm density. The ventilating currents of A. marina may have repositioned 14C-activity from the water into deeper sediment layers, which then acted to filter both dissolved and bound fluoranthene. I4C-activity was high in worms after 28 d, approximately an order of magnitude higher than that mmeralised to 14C02 during this penod. The removal of deposited organic contaminants on sediment surfaces through degradation at the highly reactive sediment-water interface or through local transport by currents or wave action can b e reduced as a result of burial of contaminants by bioturbating organisms. Contaminants may thus persist longer in the sediment environment and will be released from the sediment over a prolonged period of time. Enhanced biological transport of contaminants to depth can lead to increased exposure of infauna.

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“…The lugworm is not a selective feeder (Rijken 1979, Zebe & Schiedek 1996, but analyses of its foregut content have revealed a high proportion of diatoms in its diet (Retraubun et al 1996). The residence time of sediment in the lugworm gut is comparatively short (~15 min, Kermack 1955) and only labile organic matter is digested.…”

Section: Trophic Interactionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The direct trophic impact is expected based on the feeding behavior of lugworms. Lugworms are relatively unselective deposit feeders that ingest large volumes of sediment including the associated protists (Zebe & Schiedek 1996). Specifically, diatoms are a dominant component of the lugworm diet (Grossmann & Reichardt 1991, Retraubun et al 1996.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of the bioturbating lugworm Arenicola marina on the structure of benthic protistan communities

Engel¹,

Behnke²,

Klier³

et al. 2012

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

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Sedimentary coastal ecosystems like the European Wadden Sea in the northeasternAtlantic harbor large populations of burrowing infauna, such as arenicolide polychaetes. These 'ecosystem engineering' macrofaunal organisms destabilize sediments by reworking and irrigating them, leading to a reorganization of sediment physicochemical state and bacterial communities. Here, we tested the effects of the lugworm Arenicola marina on intertidal psammophilic protistan community diversity and structure in a field experiment. We applied pyrosequencing and community structure analyses to samples in which we manipulated lugworm densities. Irrespective of the presence or absence of the lugworm, protistan abundance and diversity (mostly diatoms and ciliates) was higher in oxic surface sediments compared to anoxic subsurface sediments. In the presence of A. marina, protistan abundances and diversity decreased decisively in surface as well as in subsurface bulk sediment. Also, the protistan community composition differed remarkably, with only 28% of all phylotypes (n total = 855) shared between habitats with and without lugworms. Twenty-seven percent of all taxa were detected exclusively in the presence of lugworms, and 62% of the taxa found in the oxic subsurface sediment surrounding the lugworm burrow were limited to this distinct microenvironment. This suggests that lugworm burrows provide an ecological niche potentially hosting protist taxa that are adapted to fluctuating oxygen supply. We conclude that though the activities of A. marina reduce the overall abundance of protists, they select for very specific and well-adapted taxa. This adds to the overall protistan diversity in intertidal sandflats on larger spatial scales. Most likely, the observed effects of lugworms on protistan community structure and composition are due to a combination of direct trophic and indirect sediment-mediated effects, such as disturbance by reworking the sediment, oxygen supply by burrow ventilation and increased pore water exchange due to bioadvection.

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The lugwormArenicola marina: A model of physiological adaptation to life in intertidal sediments

Cited by 24 publications

References 85 publications

Impact of Arenicola marina (Polychaeta) on sediment sulfur dynamics

Impact of Arenicola marina (Polychaeta) on sediment sulfur dynamics

Impact of bioturbation by Arenicola marina on the fate of particle-bound fluoranthene

Effects of the bioturbating lugworm Arenicola marina on the structure of benthic protistan communities

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