Bioturbation by invasive crayfish can significantly alter sediment properties and its transport in invaded water bodies; however, the indirect impacts of this on ecosystem functioning are poorly understood. In this thesis I present data from mesocosm and field manipulation experiments used to assess the effect of bioturbation by three widely distributed invasive crayfish species (Procambarus clarkii, Pacifastacus leniusculus and Astacus leptodactylus) on a variety of ecosystem properties across seasons. In the mesocosm experiments, P. clarkii caused significantly more bioturbation than the other species, although increased bioturbation by all species in the spring and/or summer was associated with: reduced dissolved oxygen concentrations in near-surface water, indicating a large increase in oxygen demand by the water column; increased methane oxidation potential within the water (MOPwat), indicating the re-suspension of methane oxidising bacteria (MOB) along with the sediment; and a shift in zooplankton community structure towards dominance by large cladoceran species. Stable isotope analysis of the zooplankton showed a strong relationship between δ13C and MOPwat, suggesting that bioturbation increases MOB consumption. Given the importance of zooplankton as a trophic link to the higher food web, crayfish bioturbation may increase the importance of methane derived (chemosynthetic) carbon in invaded ecosystems. Temperature was identified as the key driver of seasonal variations in crayfish bioturbation intensity through laboratory mesocosm experiments, enabling estimation of the full annual pattern of bioturbation intensity for each species. The optimal temperature for P. clarkii was much higher than for the other species meaning that its bioturbation impacts exhibited large seasonal fluctuations whilst P. leniusculus and A. leptodactylus maintained a lower but more consistent level. Field manipulation experiments of enclosed sections of Chalgrove Brook, Oxfordshire, found significant bioturbation activity by P. leniusculus in early autumn; however, the increase in turbidity was too small to detect other effects observed in the mesocosm experiments.

Thesis (M.Sc.)--University of Alberta, 2010. / Title from PDF file main screen (viewed on July 15, 2010). A thesis submitted to the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science, Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, University of Alberta. Includes bibliographical references.

ARAUJO JUNIOR, José Moacir de Carvalho. Nitrous oxide emissions and metal biogeochemistry in coastal wetland soils in response to bioturbation by Ucides cordatus. 2016. 96 f. Tese (Doutorado em Ecologia e Recursos Naturais)-Universidade Federal do Ceará, Fortaleza, 2016 / Submitted by Anderson Silva Pereira (anderson.pereiraaa@gmail.com) on 2017-01-18T18:50:17Z No. of bitstreams: 1 2016_tese_jmcaraújojúnior.pdf: 2643973 bytes, checksum: 686137e3708d928ac9abbba589125bb3 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Jairo Viana (jairo@ufc.br) on 2017-01-19T12:11:40Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 2016_tese_jmcaraújojúnior.pdf: 2643973 bytes, checksum: 686137e3708d928ac9abbba589125bb3 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-01-19T12:11:40Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 2016_tese_jmcaraújojúnior.pdf: 2643973 bytes, checksum: 686137e3708d928ac9abbba589125bb3 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2016 / Coastal wetlands, among them the mangroves, are ecosystems with high biodiversity. In these environments, the crabs stand out both for its large number of species as by its economic and ecological importance, mainly due to the dens formation process (bioturbation. In this work, the effects of bioturbation by Ucides cordatus crabs from the Jaguaribe River mangrove (Ceará, Brazil) were analyzed under the concentrations of the different biogeochemical forms of the iron, zinc and manganese metals in the nearby soil and in the tissues of these animals, besides the variations in the (N2O) in areas with and without these crustaceans, comparing the values found between the rainy and dry periods. Soil samples were collected at low tide period in the demarcated two collection areas, one with and one without crabs. Measurements of bioecological parameters of crabs, soil physical and chemical parameters and concentrations of the metals associated with the different soil fractions (exchangeable, carbonate, ferridrite, lepidocrocite, goethite and pyrite) and Ucides cordatus crab Determination of the N2O flow. The results clearly showed a significantly greater variation of bioturbation activity in the dry period, with consequent increase in oxidation and acidification of the soil in the areas with crab. The more oxidized forms of the metals were predominantly larger in the area with crab burrows in relation to the control area, while those of pyrite were smaller. However, the emission of nitrous oxide fluxes was higher in the control area in both climatic periods, which indicates that the bioturbation activity of the crab promotes reduction of the emissions of this gas. The results allowed us to understand the role of bioturbation in GHG emissions and dynamics of biogeochemical processes in coastal wetlands soils, and identify possible seasonal variations in these values and the determination of GHG emissions and contamination of soil and crabs in these areas by trace metals, to improve environmental monitoring. / As zonas úmidas costeiras, dentre elas os manguezais, são ecossistemas com elevada biodiversidade. Nesses ambientes, os caranguejos destacam-se tanto por seu grande número de espécies quanto por sua importância econômica e ecológica e econômica, principalmente devido ao processo de formação de tocas (bioturbação). Neste trabalho foram analisados os efeitos da bioturbação realizada por caranguejos Ucides cordatus de manguezais do Rio Jaguaribe (Ceará, Brasil) sob as concentrações das diferentes formas biogeoquímicas dos metais ferro, zinco e mangânes no solo próximo e no tecido desses animais, além das variações no fluxo de óxido nitroso (N2O) em áreas com e sem esses crustáceos, comparando os valores encontrados entre os períodos chuvoso e seco. Os solos foram coletados no período de maré baixa em duas 2 áreas de coleta, uma com caranguejos e outra sem. Foram realizadas medições de parâmetros bioecológicos dos caranguejos, de parâmetros físico-químicos do solo e as concentrações dos metais associados às diferentes frações do solo (trocável, carbonato, ferridrita, lepidocrocita, goethita e pirita) e nos tecidos do caranguejo Ucides cordatus, além da determinação do fluxo de N2O. Os resultados demonstraram claramente uma variação significativamente maior de atividade bioturbadora no período seco, com consequente aumento na oxidação e acidificção do solo nas áreas com caranguejo. As formas mais oxidadas dos metais foram predominantemente maiores na área com tocas de caranguejos em relação a área control, enquanto as de pirita foram menores. Entretanto, a emissão de fluxos de óxido nitroso foi maior na área controle em ambos os períodos climáticos estudados, o que indica que a atividade bioturbadora do caranguejo promove redução das emissçoes desse gás. Os resultados obtidos permitiram compreender o papel da bioturbação na emissão de GEE e na dinâmica dos processos biogeoquímicos nos solos de zonas úmidas costeiras, além de identificar possíveis variações sazonais nesses valores e a determinação das emissões de GEE e da contaminação dos solos e caranguejos dessas áreas por metais traços, de forma a melhorar o monitoramento ambiental.

Plants and animals have evolved unique morpho-physiological adaptions to cope with the harsh and steep environmental gradients that characterise the mangrove ecosystem. However, the capacity of these two main components of the system to thrive, and the extraordinary productivity of mangrove forests in extreme conditions, has been overlooked in terms of the role of the microbiome. By combining approaches that included molecular microbial ecology, biogeochemical analyses, microscopy, raman spectroscopy and microsensor measurements, this thesis aimed to investigate the potential role of bacterial symbiosis in the adaptation of mangrove crabs to their environment and subsequently how these different animals modify their environment. Finally, with a field-based approach monitoring microbial communities, sediment metabolism and plant performance, the thesis aimed to investigate the plant/animal/bacterial dynamics in relation to seasonal environmental changes to contribute to understand the mangrove plant productivity paradox of high productivity under conditions of limited nutrents. Crab species were associated with distinct gill-bacteria communities, that produced carotenoids, according with their level of terrestrial adaptation. These carotenoids may be involved in protecting the gills from oxidative stress during air exposure. The main groups of ecosystem engineering crabs in mangroves had significant but diverse effects on the sediment environment and microbiome predominantly related to their ecology (i.e. filter feeder vs herbivore). Burrows increase aerobic microbial activity in the immediate burrow wall with a cascade effect on sediment microbial communities and nutrient distribution observed consistently across mangroves in different locations and with diverse environmental conditions. Microorganisms play an important role in adapting crabs on their evolutionary path to land and could contribute to the success of their colonization. At high population densities, of more than 50 individuals per square meter in some mangroves, these crabs deeply impact the functioning of the mangrove ecosystem, affecting microbial networks and nutrient recycling in the sediment, which may ameliorate conditions for plant growth. The microbiome is an understudied component of mangroves that lies at the basis of the functioning of these systems, influencing the success of the animal inhabitants (ecosystem engineers) that deeply modify the sediment microbiome, therefore influencing ecosystem functioning and resilience and, potentially, the success of the plants themselves (ecosystem architects).

Mercury is a pervasive environmental contaminant which is globally distributed in freshwater ecosystems. In order to assess the risk that mercury and methylmercury pose to public health through consumption and trophic level transfer, it is first necessary to understand the interactions and uptake that occurs between benthic organisms and mercury impacted sediments. Delineation of these interactions currently rely on correlating measurements of bulk sediment concentrations with bioaccumulation of either total mercury or methylmercury. However, it has been proposed that porewater concentrations, rather than sediment concentrations, should be used to predict uptake and bioavailability. Diffusive gradient in thin films (DGTs) have been proposed as a viable technique for porewater measurements to assess the bioavailable fractions of mercury. DGTs were compared to traditional bulk solid sampling to assess their capabilities for the prediction of total and methylmercury bioaccumulation in benthic oligochaetes, T. tubifex. DGTs performed similarly to the bulk solids sampling approach in respect to their correlation with mercury bioaccumulation in the sediment matrix studied. Bioturbation was shown to impact redox profiles in the sediment which led to a decrease in porewater methylmercury concentrations in the uppermost surficial sediment depths. These results indicate that monitoring tools such as DGTs are necessary to better understand the fate of mercury at field scale contaminated sites. / text

Urbanisation in coastal catchments has significantly increased not only the input of terrestrial sediment to the marine environment but also the input of contaminants. In Tamaki Estuary, Auckland, heavy metals have accumulated in the upper estuarine muddy sediments and metal contamination has been detected on downstream intertidal sandflats. Sub-lethal levels of heavy metal contamination may affect the growth and behaviour of benthic organisms, which in turn may influence key ecosystem processes and productivity. The aim of this study was to examine whether the burial rate of an ecologically important bivalve species (Austrovenus stutchburyi) differed between a contaminated and a lesser-contaminated site and whether burial rates were affected by density. A secondary aim was to determine whether the burial of Austrovenus affected sediment transport and consequently if this was affected by density. This study demonstrated no consistent difference in burial time between source populations (sites). This was explained by a lack of measured difference in the condition index and heavy metal tissue loading of Austrovenus used throughout this study. The present range of contamination measured in Tamaki Estuary, Auckland, did not have negative biological consequences on the key ecosystem engineer, Austrovenus stutchburyi. Contamination levels in Tamaki Estuary may not be high enough to cause major physiological or behaviour changes to infaunal organisms, such as Austrovenus. Sediment erodability was not significantly correlated with any measured environmental and biotic factors. Austrovenus density was the only predictor variable that could be used to explain any variation in sediment erodability. There was no significant density effects observed between the amounts of sediment eroded for densities gt; 150 ind. m-2. There was a significant difference between sediment void of Austrovenus (0 ind. m-2; smooth, flat undisturbed sediment surface) and sediment containing Austrovenus (gt;150ind. m-2; physical structure on/in the sediment surface, increase in bed roughness). These results indicate that there is little or no effect of Austrovenus on the critical erosion threshold, suggesting that in the absence or presence of Austrovenus the current required to erode 10 g m-2 of sediment would remain somewhere between 28.5 and 30.5 cm s-1. This study found that there was considerable variation in the burial rate of individuals and the greatest variation was recorded in the lowest density treatments (150 ind. m-2), which corresponded to the same density that had the greatest variation in sediment erodability. Further investigations are needed to gain a better understanding into the important roles (the importance of the various feedbacks and limitations and interrelationships) that Austrovenus play in the soft-sediment ecosystem, as losses of this species are likely to have large-scale impacts on the wider soft-sediment communities and ecosystem functioning.

Bioturbation in supratidal carbonate substrates has only recently received attention from ichnologists, relying primarily on traditional ground-based techniques. This study is the first high-resolution geophysical investigation of three decapod species inhabiting adjacent coastal biotopes on San Salvador Island. Extensive (>2 km) 800 MHz georadar surveys captured a diverse suite of >120 burrows of ghost (Ocypode quadrata), blackback (Gecarcinus lateralis) and blue (Cardisoma guanhumi) land crabs. Site-specific post-processing protocols were used to establish characteristic attributes that distinguish unfilled burrows from other discordant anomalies based on signal polarity structure. Variably oriented 2D and quasi-3D (~0.75-1.25 wavelength line separation) images allow the diagnostic signature of G. lateralis burrows to be distinguished from those of O. quadrata based on: 1) higher density of point-source diffractions (0.9-1.9/m vs. 0.01-0.06/m) and 2) shallower inclination angle (21-46° vs. >60°). C. guanhumi burrows are differentiated by: 1) larger diameter; 2) presence of an end chamber (where the radar signal is not attenuated by saline groundwater); 3) low electromagnetic signal velocity (~9 cm/ns vs. ~11 cm/ns) in organic-rich muddy substrate and 4) rapid signal decay. The migrated inclination angle (a) and the effective range (t0; time window of strongest reflectors) offer the best combination that differentiates between the three end-member structures and matrix properties. This study establishes GPR as a viable non-invasive subsurface imaging technique, with potential implications for: 1) identification of shifting ichnocoenoses, as exemplified by intense hurricane impacts (2015/2016); 2) recognition and mapping of similar biogenic structures in buried or lithified carbonates and, 3) quantification of a near-surface ichnofabric index and the dual porosity/permeability structure of prospective hydrocarbon reservoirs. Furthermore, the basic attributes of subsurface visualization can be readily extended to other mesoscale biogenic structures in evaporite and siliciclastic media. / Geology

Le lien entre la macrofaune et les communautés bactériennes benthiques a été déterminé selon deux approches : (1) une approche expérimentale à l’échelle de l’individu ciblée sur les effets de l’activité et de la bioturbation du polychète déposivore de surface Melinna palmata sur la distribution des communautés bactériennes des premiers millimètres de l’interface eau-sédiment ; (2) une approche in situ à l’échelle de la communauté de mise en corrélation des patrons spatiaux de distribution des communautés de macrofaune et de bactéries.Melinna palmata appartient à un nouveau groupe fonctionnel de bioturbation décrit pour la première fois, convoyeur de surface. L’utilisation de ce nouveau modèle biologique a permis de mettre en évidence que les activités de prospection et d’égestions modifient significativement la distribution des communautés bactériennes de la couche oxique de l’interface eau-sédiment. Ce lien est à la fois influencé par l’apport de matière organique de différentes qualités, et impacte la consommation et la minéralisation de cette matière organique.Le lien entre les patrons spatiaux de distribution des communautés de macrofaune et de bactéries a été étudié in situ, dans la vasière Ouest-Gironde. Les deux compartiments ont évolué le long d’un gradient avéré de teneur en matière organique et de taille des particules dans cette vasière.La corrélation des matrices biologiques n’a cependant pas été statistiquement significative et nécessite d’être approfondi. / The link between benthic macrofauna and bacterial communities was assessed with two different approaches: (1) an experimental approach at the individual scale, focused on the effects of behaviour and bioturbation of the deposit feeder polychaete Melinna palmata on the bacteria lcommunity distribution on the very sediment-water interface; (2) an in situ approach at the scale of the community, focused on the correlation between spatial distribution patterns of the two biological compartments. Melinna palmata belongs to a new functional group of bioturbation described for the first time: surface conveyor. Its use allowed determining that prospection and egestion induced a significant change of bacterial communities on the sediment-water interface. This link was influenced by organic matter enrichment while influencing its fate. In a second part, the link between spatial distribution patterns of the communities was assessed in situ in the West-Gironde mud patch. Both macrofauna and bacteria changed along a gradient of organic matter quantity and quality and of particles size described in this system. However, the correlation between matrices was not statistically significant and needs to be more developed.

La capacité du sol à fournir de nombreux services écosystémiques dépend de propriétés qui évoluent en permanence sous l’effet de multiples processus. Or, malgré leur importance, les dynamiques des processus de lessivage et de bioturbation de la fraction < 2 μm sont peu connues. Nous nous sommes alors fixés pour objectifs de i) développer et valider une méthode de quantification par analyse d’images de l’intensité de ces deux processus, ii) quantifier l’effet d’un à deux siècles de mise en culture et d’une dizaine d’années d’apports répétés de fumier sur leur intensité, et iii) d’en déduire des informations sur leur dynamique. Notre procédure d’analyse d’images repose sur une approche colorimétrique et texturale permettant de prendre en compte les différents niveaux d’organisation des sols. Le volume de sol bioturbé depuis 10 000 à 15 000 ans, est compris entre 65% du volume total à 40 cm de profondeur et 20 à 30% du volume total à 150 cm de profondeur soit une masse de sol déplacée de l’ordre de 6 500 t.ha-1 ou 1 700 t.ha-1 de fraction fine. Le processus d’illuviation est, quant à lui, à l’origine d’un flux de fraction fine de 1 100 t.ha-1. Les processus étudiés se sont montrés sensibles et étonnement réactifs aux forçages anthropiques. Deux cents ans de mise en culture ont eu pour résultats : i) une évolution de la structuration des sols sur au moins un mètre de profondeur, ii) une modification de l’architecture du volume de sol remanié par les vers de terre, et iii) une intensification du processus de lessivage. Une dizaine d’années d’apports répétés de fumier ont à l’inverse été en mesure de tamponner la plupart de ces évolutions. Cette réactivité inattendue des sols représente une opportunité en ce qu’il est possible d’orienter ces évolutions en fonction d’un objectif d’atténuation des effets du changement climatique notamment. / The intensity at which soils provide ecosystem services are function of soil properties that permanently evolved according to numerous processes. Lessivage and bioturbation are of crucial importance as they imply the clay size fraction but are still poorly characterized. This study aims at i) developing a digital 2D image analysis method to quantify both processes intensity, ii) quantifying the effect of two centuries of continuous cultivation and of a decade of organic amendments spreading on their intensity, and iii) characterizing their dynamics. We succeeded in quantifying those processes by carefully considering different levels of soil organization while combining a colorimetric and a textural approach. The percentage volume of worm-worked soil since 10 000 to 15 000 years is 65% at 40 cm depth and between 20 and 30% at 150 cm depth that corresponds to a soil mass flow of 6 500 t.ha-1, i.e. 1 700 t.ha-1 of clay size fraction. Illuviation is responsible for a clay size fraction mass flow of 1 100 t.ha-1. On a time scale as short as two centuries, cultivation was found to induce i) a change of the soil poral network characteristics until 1 meter depth, ii) a modification of the structure of the worm-worked soil volume, and finally iii) an increase of the lessivage intensity. A decade of organic matter spreading tended to lower the intensity of lessivage. Finally, our study points out the fact that soils are highly reactive and that our method may be particularly helpful to predict soil evolution while facing climate change among others.

No description available.