The University of Southampton
University of Southampton Institutional Repository

Effects of algal enrichment and salinity on sediment particle reworking activity and associated nutrient generation mediated by the intertidal polychaete Hediste diversicolor

Effects of algal enrichment and salinity on sediment particle reworking activity and associated nutrient generation mediated by the intertidal polychaete Hediste diversicolor
Effects of algal enrichment and salinity on sediment particle reworking activity and associated nutrient generation mediated by the intertidal polychaete Hediste diversicolor
The activities of marine benthic invertebrates link to many ecosystem properties and are often used as an alternative to the direct measurement of ecosystem functioning, such as nutrient cycling. However, links between bioturbation metrics and functional classifications of organisms based on bioturbation mode are rarely tested under a range of circumstances and are commonly assumed to be universally applicable. In this study we examine the effects of particle reworking by the polychaete Hediste diversicolor on the mediation of nutrient concentrations for a range of salinity and sediment algal enrichment levels. Sediment particle reworking increased in the presence of moderate algal enrichment but was reduced at higher levels of algal enrichment and was not affected by salinity. Nutrient concentrations in the water column, however, responded to the independent effects of salinity and algal enrichment. This study demonstrates that variation in particle reworking and mixing activity of H. diversicolor that relate to changes in environmental condition can be sufficient to alter species contributions to ecosystem functioning without altering the mechanistic basis of mediation. Our findings indicate that faunal processes that lead to changes in ecosystem functioning can be differentially expressed in a dynamic environment, and call for more careful consideration in the design and analysis of experiments that attempt to link the functional role of species to ecosystem properties.
0022-0981
75-82
Murray, Fiona
9dbcb54c-a3c0-4683-a95f-31b234035f29
Solan, Martin
c28b294a-1db6-4677-8eab-bd8d6221fecf
Douglas, Alex
e807e7a9-8a68-4c2d-b355-3adf6d7219b2
Murray, Fiona
9dbcb54c-a3c0-4683-a95f-31b234035f29
Solan, Martin
c28b294a-1db6-4677-8eab-bd8d6221fecf
Douglas, Alex
e807e7a9-8a68-4c2d-b355-3adf6d7219b2

Murray, Fiona, Solan, Martin and Douglas, Alex (2017) Effects of algal enrichment and salinity on sediment particle reworking activity and associated nutrient generation mediated by the intertidal polychaete Hediste diversicolor. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology, 495, 75-82. (doi:10.1016/j.jembe.2017.06.002).

Record type: Article

Abstract

The activities of marine benthic invertebrates link to many ecosystem properties and are often used as an alternative to the direct measurement of ecosystem functioning, such as nutrient cycling. However, links between bioturbation metrics and functional classifications of organisms based on bioturbation mode are rarely tested under a range of circumstances and are commonly assumed to be universally applicable. In this study we examine the effects of particle reworking by the polychaete Hediste diversicolor on the mediation of nutrient concentrations for a range of salinity and sediment algal enrichment levels. Sediment particle reworking increased in the presence of moderate algal enrichment but was reduced at higher levels of algal enrichment and was not affected by salinity. Nutrient concentrations in the water column, however, responded to the independent effects of salinity and algal enrichment. This study demonstrates that variation in particle reworking and mixing activity of H. diversicolor that relate to changes in environmental condition can be sufficient to alter species contributions to ecosystem functioning without altering the mechanistic basis of mediation. Our findings indicate that faunal processes that lead to changes in ecosystem functioning can be differentially expressed in a dynamic environment, and call for more careful consideration in the design and analysis of experiments that attempt to link the functional role of species to ecosystem properties.

Text
Murray et al_revised_2_with_figs - Accepted Manuscript
Download (355kB)

More information

Accepted/In Press date: 10 June 2017
e-pub ahead of print date: 12 July 2017
Published date: 1 October 2017
Organisations: Ocean and Earth Science, Southampton Marine & Maritime Institute, Marine Biology & Ecology

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 412049
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/412049
ISSN: 0022-0981
PURE UUID: a3e88708-364b-4eec-8acb-be4f2c904c65
ORCID for Martin Solan: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0001-9924-5574

Catalogue record

Date deposited: 05 Jul 2017 16:31
Last modified: 16 Mar 2024 05:30

Export record

Altmetrics

Contributors

Author: Fiona Murray
Author: Martin Solan ORCID iD
Author: Alex Douglas

Download statistics

Downloads from ePrints over the past year. Other digital versions may also be available to download e.g. from the publisher's website.

View more statistics

Atom RSS 1.0 RSS 2.0

Contact ePrints Soton: eprints@soton.ac.uk

ePrints Soton supports OAI 2.0 with a base URL of http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/cgi/oai2

This repository has been built using EPrints software, developed at the University of Southampton, but available to everyone to use.

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue without changing your settings, we will assume that you are happy to receive cookies on the University of Southampton website.

×