Abstract
The hydraulic properties of aquifers are critical to the storage and transmission of water to meet the needs of an increasingly groundwater-dependent global community. The hydraulic properties of aquifers can also influence the biota present, but inversely, invertebrate burrowing (bioturbation) may also influence the hydraulic properties and the flow of water through sediments. The aim of this study was to test whether groundwater invertebrates were capable of influencing the hydraulic properties of aquifer sediments in an experimental setting. Groundwater amphipods were added to sediment-filled laboratory columns, and the effective porosity (neff) and longitudinal dispersivity (αL) of the sediments were compared before and after 2 months of amphipod activity. The neff of columns without amphipods decreased significantly over time whereas in columns containing eight amphipods it remained relatively constant, and in columns with four amphipods it was highly variable. There was no difference in αL between columns with amphipod density or over time. These findings suggest that the amphipods were maintaining the amount of pore space that was actively contributing to transport but their activity was not influencing the distribution of flow paths, and amphipod density is critical to causing or maintaining changes in hydraulic properties.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Bork J, Bork S, Berkhoff SE, Hahn HJ (2008) Testing unbaited stygofauna traps for sampling performance. Limnologica 38:105–115. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.limno.2007.10.001
Boulton AJ, Fenwick GD, Hancock PJ, Harvey MS (2008) Biodiversity, functional roles and ecosystem services of groundwater invertebrates. Invertebr Syst 22:103–116. https://doi.org/10.1071/is07024
Cooney TJ, Simon KS (2009) Influence of dissolved organic matter and invertebrates on the function of microbial films in groundwater. Microb Ecol 58:599–610. https://doi.org/10.2307/40343504
Dole-Olivier MJ, Galassi DMP, Marmonier P, Creuzé Des Châtelliers M (2000) The biology and ecology of lotic microcrustaceans. Freshw Biol 44:63–91. https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1365-2427.2000.00590.x
Dorgan KM (2015) The biomechanics of burrowing and boring. J Exp Biol 218:176–183. https://doi.org/10.1242/jeb.086983
Dorgan KM, Jumars PA, Johnson BD, Boudreau BP (2006) Macrofaunal burrowing: the medium is the message. In: Gibson RN, Atkinson RJA, Gordon JDM (eds) Oceanography and marine biology—an annual review, oceanography and marine biology, vol 44, pp 85–121
Edler C, Dodds WK (1996) The ecology of a subterranean isopod. Caecidotea tridentata. Freshw Biol 35:249–259. https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1365-2427.1996.00497.x
Fetter CW (2001) Applied hydrogeology, 4 edn. edn. Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River
Freeze RA, Cherry JA (1979) Groundwater. Prentice-Hall, Englewood Cliffs
Griebler C, Avramov M (2015) Groundwater ecosystem services: a review. Freshw Sci 34:355–367. https://doi.org/10.1086/679903
Griebler C, Lueders T (2009) Microbial biodiversity in groundwater ecosystems. Freshw Biol 54:649–677. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2427.2008.02013.x
Griebler C, Avramov M, Hose G (2019) Groundwater ecosystems and their services—current status and potential risks. In: Schröter M, Bonn A, Klotz S, Seppelt R, Baessler C (eds) Atlas of ecosystem services—drivers, risks, and societal responses. Springer, Heidelberg (in press)
Hahn HR (2005) Unbaited phreatic traps: a new method of sampling stygofauna. Limnologica 35:248–261
Hahn HJ, Fuchs A (2009) Distribution patterns of groundwater communities across aquifer types in south-western Germany. Freshw Biol 54:848–860
Hahn HJ, Matzke D (2005) A comparison of stygofauna communities inside and outside groundwater bores. Limnol Ecol Manag Inland Waters 35:31–44
Hancock PJ, Boulton AJ, Humphreys WF (2005) Aquifers and hyporheic zones: towards an ecological understanding of groundwater. Hydrogeol J 13:98–111
Hölker F, Vanni MJ, Kuiper JJ, Meile C, Grossart H-P, Stief P, Adrian R, Lorke A, Dellwig O, Brand A, Hupfer M, Mooij WM, Nützmann G, Lewandowski J (2015) Tube-dwelling invertebrates: tiny ecosystem engineers have large effects in lake ecosystems. Ecol Monogr 85:333–351. https://doi.org/10.1890/14-1160.1
Holm S (1979) A simple sequentially rejective multiple test procedure Scandinavian. J Stat 6:65–70
Hose GC, Asmyhr MG, Cooper SJB, Humphreys WF (2015) Down under down under: Austral groundwater life. In: Austral Ark: the state of wildlife in Australia and New Zealand. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK, pp 512–536
Hose GC, Fryirs KA, Bailey J, Ashby N, White T, Stumpp C (2017) Different depths, different fauna: habitat influences on the distribution of groundwater invertebrates. Hydrobiologia 797:145–157. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-017-3166-7
Humphreys WF (2006) Aquifers: the ultimate groundwater-dependent ecosystems. Aust J Bot 54:115–132
Humphreys WF (2009) Hydrogeology and groundwater ecology: Does each inform the other? Hydrogeol J 17:5–21. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10040-008-0349-3
Johns T, Jones JI, Knight L, Maurice L, Wood P, Robertson A (2015) Regional-scale drivers of groundwater faunal distributions. Freshw Sci 34:316–328. https://doi.org/10.1086/678460
Korbel KL, Hose GC (2011) A tiered framework for assessing groundwater ecosystem health. Hydrobiologia 661:329–349. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-010-0541-z
Korbel KL, Hose GC (2015) Habitat, water quality, seasonality, or site? Identifying environmental correlates of the distribution of groundwater biota. Freshw Sci 34:329–343. https://doi.org/10.1086/680038
Korbel KL, Lim RP, Hose GC (2013) An inter-catchment comparison of groundwater biota in the cotton-growing region of north-western. New South Wales. Crop Pasture Sci 64:1195–1208. https://doi.org/10.1071/cp13176
Korbel K, Chariton A, Stephenson S, Greenfield P, Hose GC (2017) Wells provide a distorted view of life in the aquifer: implications for sampling monitoring assessment of groundwater ecosystems. Sci Rep 7:40702. https://doi.org/10.1038/srep40702
Leibundgut C, Maloszewski P, Kulls C (2009) Tracers in hydrology. Wiley, West Sussex. https://doi.org/10.1002/9780470747148.ch4
Maurice L, Bloomfield J (2012) Stygobitic invertebrates in groundwater—a review from a hydrogeological perspective. Freshw Rev 5:51–71. https://doi.org/10.1608/FRJ-5.1.443
Morris BL, Lawrence ARL, Chilton PJC, Adams B, Calow RC, Klinck BA (2003) Groundwater and its susceptibility to degradation: a global assessment of the problem and options for management. Eary warning and assessment report series. United Nations Environment Programme, Nairobi, pp 03–03
Murray BR, Hose GC, Lacari D, Eamus D (2006) Ecosystem services and the valuation of groundwater dependent ecosystems. Aust J Bot 54:221–229
Nash JE, Sutcliffe JV (1970) River flow forecasting through conceptual models part I—a discussion of principles. J Hydrol 10:282–290. https://doi.org/10.1016/0022-1694(70)90255-6
Rühle FA, Klier C, Stumpp C (2013) Changes in water flow and solute transport pathways during long-term column experiments. Vadose Zone J. https://doi.org/10.2136/vzj2013.01.0032
Schmidt SI, Cuthbert MO, Schwientek M (2017) Towards an integrated understanding of how micro scale processes shape groundwater ecosystem functions. Sci Total Environ 592:215–227. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2017.03.047
Schulze-Makuch D (2005) Longitudinal dispersivity data and implications for scaling behavior. Ground Water 43:443–456. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1745-6584.2005.0051.x
Seifert D, Engesgaard P (2007) Use of tracer tests to investigate changes in flow and transport properties due to bioclogging of porous media. J Contam Hydrol 93:58–71. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jconhyd.2007.01.014
Sket B (2008) Can we agree on an ecological classification of subterranean animals? J Nat Hist 42:1549–1563. https://doi.org/10.1080/00222930801995762
Sorensen JPR, Maurice L, Edwards FK, Lapworth DJ, Read DS, Allen D, Butcher AS, Newbold LK, Townsend BR, Williams PJ (2013) Using boreholes as windows into groundwater ecosystems. Plos One 8:e70264. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0070264
Stumpp C, Hose GC (2017) Groundwater amphipods alter aquifer sediment structure. Hydrol Process 31:3452–3454. https://doi.org/10.1002/hyp.11252
Underwood AJ (1997) Experiments in ecology and management: Their logical design and interpretation using analysis of variance. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge
van Schaik L, Palm J, Klaus J, Zehe E, Schröder B (2014) Linking spatial earthworm distribution to macropore numbers and hydrological effectiveness. Ecohydrology 7:401–408 doi. https://doi.org/10.1002/eco.1358
Vander Vorste R, Mermillod-Blondin F, Hervant F, Mons R, Forcellini M, Datry T (2015) Increased depth to the water table during river drying decreases the resilience of Gammarus pulex and alters ecosystem function. Ecohydrology 9:1177–1186. https://doi.org/10.1002/eco.1716
Wada Y, van Beek LPH, van Kempen CM, Reckman J, Vasak S, Bierkens MFP (2010) Global depletion of groundwater resources. Geophys Res Lett 37:L20402. https://doi.org/10.1029/2010gl044571
Weitowitz DC, Maurice L, Lewis M, Bloomfield JP, Reiss J, Robertson AL (2017) Defining geo-habitats for groundwater ecosystem assessments: an example from England and Wales (UK). Hydrogeol J:1–14 https://doi.org/10.1007/s10040-017-1629-6
Acknowledgements
This research was supported by DFG Grant (STU 539/2-1) to C.S. and Australian Research Council Grant (DP1095200) to G.H. We appreciate the assistance of Maria Avramov with taxonomy and Petra Seibel with analysis of isotopes. We appreciate the comments provided by the editor and two anonymous reviewers, which improved this manuscript.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Additional information
Publisher’s Note
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Electronic supplementary material
Below is the link to the electronic supplementary material.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Hose, G.C., Stumpp, C. Architects of the underworld: bioturbation by groundwater invertebrates influences aquifer hydraulic properties. Aquat Sci 81, 20 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00027-018-0613-0
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00027-018-0613-0