Bioturbation of Burrowing Crabs Promotes Sediment Turnover and Carbon and Nitrogen Movements in an Estuarine Salt Marsh

Wang, Jin Qing; Zhang, Xiao Dong; Jiang, Li; Bertness, Mark D.; Fang, Chun; Chen, Jia Kuan; Hara, Toshihiko; Li, Bo

doi:10.1007/s10021-010-9342-5

Cited by 128 publications

(93 citation statements)

References 44 publications

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“…Our analyses provided a preliminary estimate of these threshold levels, though with considerable associated error (Table 3). The estimated threshold level of sediment organic matter of around 134 mg g -1 dw or 13% of dry weight, was close to the maximum of 16% of dry weight for healthy eelgrass beds reported in a literature compilation (Koch 2001 (Castro et al 2009); and 0.05 to 0.1% N in surface sediments of vegetated salt marshes (Wang et al 2010). Our study indicated negative effects of sulfide in the sediment at a threshold level as low as 13 µmol l -1 , which is significantly lower than previously reported in the literature.…”

Section: The Sea Bottom Exerts a Threshold Effect On Eelgrass Depth Lmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sea bottom characteristics affect depth limits of eelgrass Zostera marina

Krause‐Jensen¹,

Carstensen²,

Nielsen³

et al. 2011

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

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This study tested the hypothesis that sea bottom characteristics interact with light attenuation in the water column to regulate the depth limit of eelgrass Zostera marina L. A large-scale field data set on eelgrass depth limits, light climate and physico-chemical sea bottom characteristics was collected from Danish coastal waters and analyzed by statistical models. The results confirmed that light attenuation is the main predictor of eelgrass depth limits, but indicated that sediments characteristic of eutrophic conditions and physically protected environments also play a regulating role. Depth limits were moderately shallower when the sea bottom was rich in organic material, had high concentrations of nutrients and hydrogen sulfide, and had a physical structure characterized by fine particles, high porosity, high water content and low density. The effect of sediment variables was non-linear, and the sediment only affected depth limits beyond certain threshold levels characteristic of eutrophic conditions and physically protected environments. We argue that further reductions in nutrient loads can improve the state of eelgrass beds by ameliorating not only light conditions but also sediment quality and associated oxygen concentrations in the water column.

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Section: The Sea Bottom Exerts a Threshold Effect On Eelgrass Depth Lmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sea bottom characteristics affect depth limits of eelgrass Zostera marina

Krause‐Jensen¹,

Carstensen²,

Nielsen³

et al. 2011

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

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“…Burrows can also passively trap organic matter (Iribarne et al, 1997), and increase the sedimentwater interface (Wolfrath, 1992;Koo et al, 2007). These effects can mediate salt marsh plant productivity (Bertness, 1985;Bortolus and Iribarne, 1999) and play important roles in ecosystem processes associated with matter and energy flow (Lee, 1998;Gutierrez et al, 2006;Wang et al, 2010). Crab burrows also protect crabs from predators and harsh environmental conditions (Warren, 1990).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Plant effects on burrowing crab morphology in a Chinese salt marsh: Native vs. exotic plants

Wang

Bertness

et al. 2015

Ecological Engineering

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“…The burrowing and foraging activities of U. pugnax enhance soil turnover and Spartina alterniflora growth, aerate sediments, and influence drainage patterns (Bertness and Miller, 1984;Bertness, 1985Bertness, , 1988. These activities also alter sediment particle distributions and nutrient turnover (Katz, 1980;Wang et al, 2010), meiofauna populations (Hoffman et al, 1984), and contribute to changes in topography (Warren and Underwood, 1986). In a broader sense, U. pugnax are prey items for other crabs, large fish predators, birds, and mammals (Pendleton et al, 1989;Frix et al, 1991).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Does loss of salt marsh vegetation caused by a native grapsid crab improve habitat suitability for the Atlantic mud fiddler ( Uca pugnax)?

Smith

2015

Journal of Crustacean Biology

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A B S T R A C TThe abundance of Uca pugnax (Smith, 1870), the Atlantic marsh fiddler crab, has been shown to be both positively and negatively related to vegetation cover in a number of previous studies. In Cape Cod National Seashore marsh (Massachusetts, USA), it appears that the abundance of U. pugnax is high in areas where salt marsh vegetation has died back as a result of Sesarma reticulatum (Say, 1817), the purple marsh crab, activity compared with healthy, vegetated areas. However, this relationship has not been experimentally tested. In this study U. pugnax burrows were enumerated in treatments consisting of 1) vegetation and sediment removal, 2) naturally occurring dieback areas where vegetation is absent, 3) vegetation removal by cutting, and 4) intact vegetation. The results indicate that U. pugnax may prefer open, unvegetated habitats with softer substrates. The proliferation of U. pugnax in open areas could therefore be facilitated by S. reticulatum, which has consequences for a number of other ecosystem processes.

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Bioturbation of Burrowing Crabs Promotes Sediment Turnover and Carbon and Nitrogen Movements in an Estuarine Salt Marsh

Cited by 128 publications

References 44 publications

Sea bottom characteristics affect depth limits of eelgrass Zostera marina

Sea bottom characteristics affect depth limits of eelgrass Zostera marina

Plant effects on burrowing crab morphology in a Chinese salt marsh: Native vs. exotic plants

Does loss of salt marsh vegetation caused by a native grapsid crab improve habitat suitability for the Atlantic mud fiddler ( Uca pugnax)?

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