Quantification of sediment reworking rates in bioturbation research: a review

Abstract

This review lists and discusses the different methods currently available to assess sediment reworking by benthic infauna. Direct methods are used to estimate the amount of sediment transported by infauna at the sediment-water interface during a given period of time. Particle-tracer methods are used to quantify the vertical distribution of particle tracers within the sediment column. Tracers are classified based on their mode of introduction at the sediment -water interface (i.e. whether they occur naturally or are deliberately introduced at the onset of the experiment). The main characteristics of each method, including modelling aspects, are presented, and their respective advantages and drawbacks are outlined with a particular emphasis on their accuracy, spatial (i.e. both horizontal and vertical) and temporal resolutions. Direct and particle-tracer methods assess different components of sediment reworking. Selection of the most appropriate approach depends on the specific question(s) to be answered, as well as other factors, including the behaviour of the organisms studied, the spatial and temporal scales considered, and whether the experiments are carried out in situ or under controlled laboratory conditions.

Experimental exclusion of the burrowing crab Macrophthalmus japonicus from an intertidal mud flat: effects on macro-infauna abundance

“…Since importance of bioturbation in terrestrial soil ecosystems was first recognized by Charles Darwin, bioturbation has been studied in many different fields (Meysman et al 2006a, Kristensen et al 2012. In aquatic sediments, bioturbators transport not only sediment particles by reworking (Maire et al 2008) but also pore water and associated solutes (e.g. O 2 , HCO 3 , NH 4 ) by burrow ventilation (Meysman et al 2006b).…”

Are similar worms different? A comparative tracer study on bioturbation in the three sibling species Marenzelleria arctia, M. viridis, and M. neglecta from the Baltic Sea

“…Sediment reworking is often examined by determining the vertical distribution of inert particle tracers (e.g., luminophores) (Mahaut and Graf 1987;Maire et al 2008) and reactive tracers (Gérino et al 1998) within the sediment. Subsequently, the sediment reworking is studied in terms of a diffusion analogue and a nonlocal, advective mode of particle translocation.…”

The effects of temperature on oxygen uptake and nutrient flux in sediment inhabited by molluscs

“…Most of these invertebrates actively rework the sediment, a process that may disturb the natural deposited stratification, facilitate the horizontal movement of particles, and restyle the microtopography of the sediment (Gerino et al, 2003;Gingras et al, 2008;Maire et al, 2008). Indeed, to respire, feed, and excrete metabolites, benthic invertebrates must renew their burrow water through bioirrigation (Kristensen and Kostka, 2005).…”