Regenerative bioturbation by intertidal burrowing crabs modifies microphytobenthic composition and enhances primary production in SW Atlantic mudflats

Abstract

In coastal systems, benthic microalgae are important primary producers that significantly contribute to global primary production. Microphytobenthic (MPB) community structure and the ecosystem functions that it mediates are modulated by biotic and abiotic factors. Through burrowing activity, different types of bioturbators can impact MPB in different ways. Through directed sampling and field experiments performed at the Mar Chiquita coastal lagoon (Argentina), we evaluated the effect of regenerative bioturbation (continuous digging and maintenance of burrows, with sediment transfer from depth to surface) by the intertidal burrowing crab Neohelice (Chasmagnatus) granulata on MPB. We compared sediment properties and MPB attributes between natural burrowed and non-burrowed areas. Moreover, we experimentally manipulated regenerative bioturbation to evaluate if MPB composition and primary production are altered by crab burrowing activity. Field sampling showed that MPB and sediment properties differed between natural burrowed and non-burrowed areas. Experimental results indicated that regenerative bioturbation by N. granulata increased sediment oxygen concentration at each measured depth and also changed MPB composition (due to the reduced total abundance of cyanobacteria), but nearly doubled primary production in comparison with plots without bioturbation. Thus, the net effects of regenerative bioturbation were positive for MPB productivity, reinforcing the idea that this kind of bioturbation is an important biological force that enhances primary production in intertidal systems.

Where land meets sea: Intertidal areas as key‐habitats for sharks and rays

“…This may lead to changes in the habitat heterogeneity and sediment dynamics of intertidal habitats due to decreased bioturbation. This will in turn also affect biogeochemistry, and likely cause changes in benthic community composition (Giorgini et al, 2019; Thrush et al, 2006). Hence, exploitation may negatively impact the role of benthic rays as facilitators for other predatory guilds use of intertidal habitats (Giorgini et al, 2019).…”

“…The increased bioturbation by rays can potentially lead to changes in biogeochemistry as a result of bioturbation effects on grain size and sediment stability (Laverock et al, 2011; Lohrer et al, 2004; Meysman et al, 2006). Increased bioturbation can also lead to an increase in primary production in intertidal systems (Giorgini et al, 2019), and cause changes in benthic species composition (Thrush et al, 2006). In addition, newly formed excavations by benthic rays can provide new habitats for other organisms that are using the intertidal.…”

“…An increase in benthic rays, and associated bioturbation due to feeding and excavation activity, may cause changes to the biogeomorphology and biogeochemistry of soft‐bottom intertidal flats (Laverock et al, 2011; Lohrer et al, 2004; Meysman et al, 2006). In addition, increased bioturbation can increase primary and secondary production in intertidal habitats (Giorgini et al, 2019), affect the displacement of prey species (VanBlaricom, 1982), and provide newly created microhabitats to other (prey) species like brachyuran crabs (O'Shea et al, 2012). Increasing bioturbation has caused shifts in dominant species in benthic communities on soft‐bottom intertidal habitats, can impact species richness of these microbenthic communities (Berkenbusch et al, 2000; Thrush et al, 2006), and can negatively impact habitat‐building species like seagrass light may be limited in systems with a higher turbidity (Govers et al, 2014; Suykerbuyk et al, 2016).…”

Effects of Shrimp-Vegetable Rotation on Microbial Diversity and Community Structure in Pond Sediment

“…The shrimp-vegetable rotation is an eco-agricultural system that combines vegetable cultivation and shrimp farming, which brings considerable economic benefits to the grid and saves water and land resources. Compared with individual vegetable cultivation, the system composed of aquatic animal farming such as fish, shrimp, and duck had many advantages [2][3][4][5]. Pond sediment is an important part of the pond ecosystem [6].…”

Contribución al conocimiento de los cangrejos (Meiura: Decapoda) de la Colección CEBUC, con registros adicionales en Colombia

“…El grupo está compuesto principalmente por camarones, langostas y cangrejos, los cuales son considerados fundamentales en la dinámica de los ecosistemas (Ardila et al, 2002;Cumberlidge et al, 2009). Entre las funciones ecológicas que desempeñan, se destacan: la capacidad de acelerar los procesos de descomposición de la materia orgánica, a partir de los hábitos omnívoros y detritívoros de algunas especies (Arias-Pineda y Realpe, 2014; Arroyave-Rincón et al, 2017;Campos, 2014;Yang et al, 2020), su papel como reguladores poblacionales de herbívoros que favorece la producción primaria y secundaria en ambientes marinos y costeros (Giorgini et al, 2019;Gittman y Keller, 2013), a su vez son una fuente de alimento importante para diferentes especies de anfibios, aves, mamíferos y reptiles (Cognetti y Magazzú, 2001;Magalhães, 2001;Rivera-Pérez et al, 2020), son utilizados como bioindicadores de diferentes tipos de contaminación y calidad del agua (Campos y Lasso, 2015;Pinheiro et al, 2021) y también son considerados una base económica importante para las poblaciones humanas costeras (Cardona et al, 2019;Hernández-Maldonado y Campos, 2015). Además, existen especies de interés médico por ser vectores secundarios de tremátodos, como los representantes del género Paragonimus (Phillips et al, 2019) y se destaca la presencia de especies invasoras, que pueden causar importantes desequilibrios en los ecosistemas naturales (Arias-Pineda y Rodríguez, 2012;Camacho-Portocarrero et al, 2021).…”