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Effect of the brittle star Amphiura filiformis (Amphiuridae, Echinodermata) on oxygen flux into the sediment
Author(s) -
Vopel Kay,
Thistle David,
Rosenberg Rutger
Publication year - 2003
Publication title -
limnology and oceanography
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.7
H-Index - 197
eISSN - 1939-5590
pISSN - 0024-3590
DOI - 10.4319/lo.2003.48.5.2034
Subject(s) - sediment , microcosm , diagenesis , flux (metallurgy) , bioturbation , oceanography , sedimentary rock , seabed , geology , ecology , paleontology , biology , chemistry , organic chemistry
O 2 plays a key role in early sedimentary diagenetic processes, but the effect of most macrofaunal species on the pathways and rates of supply of O 2 into the seabed are not well known. We investigated the effect of the ophiuroid Amphiura filiformis , one of the dominant macrobenthic species on soft bottoms in the northeast Atlantic, at depths of ~15–100 m, in a laboratory environment. We determined how the presence of the ophiuroid changed the total O 2 uptake of macrofauna‐free sediment by combining measurements from a microcosm approach and an approach that uses microelectrodes and a flushed aquarium. We suggest that natural populations of A. filiformis can account for 80% of the total flux of O 2 into the soft bottom. At least 67% of this portion is due to the diffusion of O 2 across additional sediment‐water interfaces excavated by the brittle star.