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Burrowing through marine sediments has been considered to be much more energetically expensive than other forms of locomotion, but previous studies were based solely on external work calculations and lacked an understanding of the mechanical responses of sediments to forces applied by burrowers. Muddy sediments are elastic solids through which worms extend crack-shaped burrows by fracture. Here we present data on energetics of burrowing by Cirriformia moorei. We calculated the external energy per distance traveled from the sum of the work to extend the burrow by fracture and the elastic work done to displace sediment as a worm moves into the newly formed burrow to be 9.7 J kg(-1) m(-1) in gelatin and 64 J kg(-1) m(-1) in sediment, much higher than for running or walking. However, because burrowing worms travel at slow speeds, the increase in metabolic rate due to burrowing is predicted to be small. We tested this prediction by measuring aerobic metabolism (oxygen consumption rates) and anaerobic metabolism (concentrations of the anaerobic metabolite tauropine and the energy-storage molecule phosphocreatine) of C. moorei. None of these components was significantly different between burrowing and resting worms, and the low increases in oxygen consumption rates or tauropine concentrations predicted from external work calculations were within the variability observed across individuals. This result suggests that the energy to burrow, which could come from aerobic or anaerobic sources, is not a substantial component of the total metabolic energy of a worm. Burrowing incurs a low cost per unit of time.

Energetics of burrowing by the cirratulid polychaeteCirriformia moorei