Macrobenthic fauna associated with Diopatra cuprea (Onuphidae: Polychaeta) tubes on a macrotidal sandy beach of the Brazilian Amazon Coast

Abstract

Tube-building polychaetes are an important group of marine bioengineers in soft-bottom habitats, where they provide structures that potentially influence the composition of the benthic community. The present study investigated the effects of Diopatra cuprea tubes on the structure of the macrobenthic fauna found on a sandy beach of the Amazon coast. Samples were collected in June (rainy season) and September (dry season) 2012 in two different areas: (1) an area in which D. cuprea tubes were present, and (2) a control area, in which worm tubes were absent. A total of 53 taxa were found, of which 30 were associated exclusively with D. cuprea tubes. While large aggregations of D. cuprea were not found in the study area, the presence of even a single tube may have a significant influence on the environmental conditions available for other organisms, especially those adapted to consolidated or muddy substrates. The two areas presented different seasonal patterns. A significant increase in the abundance and richness of the macrofauna was observed in area 1 in the rainy season, when the density of worm tubes increased and the hydrodynamic conditions were less intense. The results of the study highlight the importance of this organism as an ecosystem engineer on the sandy beaches of the Amazon coast.

Effects of a fish weir on the structure of the macrobenthic community of a tropical sandy beach on the Amazon coast

“…The macrobenthic fauna in the present study area was dominated by polychaete worms and the typically marine and estuarine taxa found on Caixa d’Água beach and other intertidal habitats of the Amazon coast (Rosa-Filho et al ., 2006, 2009; Beasley et al ., 2010; Braga et al ., 2011; 2013; Rosa-Filho et al ., 2011; Morais & Lee, 2013; Santos & Aviz, 2018). The presence of fish weirs on the beach nevertheless permits the establishment of a more diverse and abundant macrobenthic community.…”

Compositional and Functional Microbiome Variation Between Tubes of an Intertidal Polychaete and Surrounding Marine Sediment

“…Many marine benthic organisms are ecosystem engineers, creating, maintaining, and modifying the physical and biological structure and heterogeneity of habitats (Gutiérrez et al, 2003;Callaway, 2006;Commito et al, 2008;Santos and Aviz, 2019). Mollusk beds, tubeworms, and reef-building organisms illustrate this role by providing substrata for epibiont attachment (Gutiérrez et al, 2003), solute transport (Hedman et al, 2011), and shelter for other organisms (O'Beirn et al, 2000;Gutiérrez et al, 2003;Kerry and Bellwood, 2012).…”

“…Mollusk beds, tubeworms, and reef-building organisms illustrate this role by providing substrata for epibiont attachment (Gutiérrez et al, 2003), solute transport (Hedman et al, 2011), and shelter for other organisms (O'Beirn et al, 2000;Gutiérrez et al, 2003;Kerry and Bellwood, 2012). Tube-building polychaetes create micro-reef structures that enhance the physical dynamics of benthic ecosystems and increase local biodiversity (Bailey-Brock, 1984; Thomsen et al, 2011;Berke, 2012;Santos and Aviz, 2019). They construct tubes by binding particles with biological glues, with some species adding bits of shell, algae, and other debris to build ornamented or decorated tubes (Berke et al, 2006;Santos and Aviz, 2019).…”

“…Tube-building polychaetes create micro-reef structures that enhance the physical dynamics of benthic ecosystems and increase local biodiversity (Bailey-Brock, 1984; Thomsen et al, 2011;Berke, 2012;Santos and Aviz, 2019). They construct tubes by binding particles with biological glues, with some species adding bits of shell, algae, and other debris to build ornamented or decorated tubes (Berke et al, 2006;Santos and Aviz, 2019). Tubes are thought to constitute distinct microenvironments from the surrounding sediments, and they support microbiomes that contribute to microbial processes contributing to functions critical to the host and the marine benthic ecosystem (Medina-Silva et al, 2018;Rincón-Tomás et al, 2020).…”

“…The tubes contain a hook-shaped "tube cap" at the top of the microreef that begins at the sediment surface (Magnum et al, 1968;Myers, 1972). Similar to other tube-forming polychaetes, D. cuprea tubes can influence the biological and physical aspects of benthic habitats and microhabitats by stabilizing sediments (Bailey-Brock, 1984) and promoting bacterial (Phillips and Lovell, 1999;Matsui et al, 2004), meiofaunal (Bell, 1985;Thomsen et al, 2011), and macrofaunal growth (Berke, 2012;Santos and Aviz, 2019). While limited in scope, previous studies found that D. cuprea worm tubes have sulfate reduction (Matsui et al, 2004) and nitrification potential (Mayer et al, 1995).…”