Density-dependent responses of the brittlestar Amphiura filiformis to moderate hypoxia and consequences for nutrient fluxes

Abstract

MEPS Marine Ecology Progress Series Contact the journal Facebook Twitter RSS Mailing List Subscribe to our mailing list via Mailchimp HomeLatest VolumeAbout the JournalEditorsTheme Sections MEPS 594:175-191 (2018) - DOI: https://doi.org/10.3354/meps12503 Density-dependent responses of the brittlestar Amphiura filiformis to moderate hypoxia and consequences for nutrient fluxes R. N. Calder-Potts1,2,*, J. I. Spicer2, P. Calosi2,3, H. S. Findlay1, A. M. Queirós1, S. Widdicombe1 1Plymouth Marine Laboratory, Prospect Place, West Hoe, Plymouth PL1 3DH, UK 2Marine Biology & Ecology Research Centre, School of Marine Science and Engineering, Plymouth University, Drake Circus, Plymouth, Devon, PL4 8AA, UK 3Département de Biologie, Chimie et Géographie, Université du Québec à Rimouski, Rimouski, Québec, G5L 3A1, Canada *Corresponding author: ruca@pml.ac.uk ABSTRACT: Within coastal marine habitats, intense nutrient cycling and near-seabed primary production rates are strongly influenced by the transport and transformation of materials within the sediment and across the sediment-water interface. Through processes such as bioturbation and bio-irrigation, benthic infauna play a significant role in mediating this transport, and modify many chemical and physical reactions. However, coastal ecosystems are experiencing growing impacts from a number of environmental stresses, one of which is reduced levels of dissolved oxygen (DO), known as hypoxia. Hypoxic events in coastal areas are predicted to increase as global warming and human-induced eutrophication intensify, with predicted consequences for infaunal community diversity and ecosystem function. Using a mesocosm experiment, we investigated the effects of short-term, sub-lethal hypoxia (14 d, 3.59 mg O2 l-1) and organism density (500, 900, 1300, 1700 and 2100 ind. m-2) on the bioturbation activity of the brittlestar Amphiura filiformis. Nutrient fluxes were measured as an important contribution to ecosystem function. Hypoxia resulted in reduced brittlestar activity (in terms of sediment surface bioturbation), increased efflux of ammonium and silicate and an increase in the ratio of NH4+:NOx when brittlestar densities were high. No significant effects of hypoxia were detected on brittlestar burrow depth. Our results illustrate that population density plays a crucial role in exacerbating the effects of hypoxia, possibly due to greater biological oxygen demands and increased waste products as organism density increases. Consequently, during moderate reductions in DO, densely populated communities may actually be more vulnerable to hypoxic stress and exhibit greater shifts in ecosystem function than sparsely populated communities. KEY WORDS: Low oxygen · Bioturbation · Invertebrate ecology · Benthic biogeochemistry ·? Population dynamics · Climate change · Eutrophication · Ecosystem processes Full text in pdf format PreviousNextCite this article as: Calder-Potts RN, Spicer JI, Calosi P, Findlay HS, Queirós AM, Widdicombe S (2018) Density-dependent responses of the brittlestar Amphiura filiformis to moderate hypoxia and consequences for nutrient fluxes. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 594:175-191. https://doi.org/10.3354/meps12503 Export citation RSS - Facebook - Tweet - linkedIn Cited by Published in MEPS Vol. 594. Online publication date: April 26, 2018 Print ISSN: 0171-8630; Online ISSN: 1616-1599 Copyright © 2018 Inter-Research.