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Spatial oxygen heterogeneity in a Hediste diversicolor irrigated burrow

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Abstract

The heterogeneity of oxygen distribution in a Hediste diversicolor burrow environment was investigated in a laboratory experiment using a 6-mm thick tank equipped with oxygen planar optodes. The two-dimensional oxygen distribution in a complete burrow was monitored every 2 min for 4 h. Oxygen concentrations fluctuated over a scale of minutes in the burrow lumen and wall (up to 2 mm) reflecting the balance between worm ventilation activity and oxygen consumption. The magnitude of the three surrounding micro-horizons (oxic, oscillating and anoxic) induced by the intermittent worm ventilation was spatially and temporally variable within the structure. Oxygen variations appeared to be controlled by distance from the sediment–water interface and the direction of water circulation. Moreover, there was an apparent ‘buffer effect’, induced by the proximity to the overlying water, which reduced the variations of lumen and wall oxygen in the upper part of the structure. These results highlight the heterogeneous distribution and dynamics of oxygen associated with H. diversicolor burrows and ventilation activity. They also highlight the necessity of integrating this complexity into the current burrow-base models in order to estimate the ecological importance of burrowing species in coastal ecosystems.

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Acknowledgments

This study is part of Laura Pischedda’s PhD research. The study was supported by the EU Commission (STREP COBO; contract number GOCE-CT-2003-505564) and the French programme ANR DHYVA (project ANR-06-SEST-09). We thank Dr. David Nerini and Dr. Matthias Gauduchon for constructive discussions and advice on the statistics and the flux calculation. Thanks are also due to the anonymous reviewers for thoughtful comments which improved the original manuscript. Nereis Park contribution number 28.

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  1. Laboratoire de Microbiologie, Géochimie et Ecologie Marines (UMR CNRS 6117), Centre d’Océanologie de Marseille, Université de la Méditerranée, Campus de Luminy, Case 901, 13288, Marseille Cedex 9, France

    Laura Pischedda, Philippe Cuny & Jean-Christophe Poggiale

  2. Centro Nacional Patagónico, Unidad de Investigación de Oceanografía y Meteorología, Laboratorio de Oceanografía Química y Contaminación de Aguas, CONICET, Bv. Brown 2825, U9120ACF, Puerto Madryn, Argentina

    José Luis Esteves

  3. EcoLab, Laboratoire d’Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Environnement, UPS, INP, Université de Toulouse, 118 route de Narbonne, 31062, Toulouse Cedex 9, France

    Franck Gilbert

  4. EcoLab,CNRS, 31055, Toulouse, France

    Franck Gilbert

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  1. Laura Pischedda
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  2. Philippe Cuny
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  4. Jean-Christophe Poggiale
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  5. Franck Gilbert
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Correspondence to Franck Gilbert.

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Pischedda, L., Cuny, P., Esteves, J.L. et al. Spatial oxygen heterogeneity in a Hediste diversicolor irrigated burrow. Hydrobiologia 680, 109–124 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-011-0907-x

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