Abstract
Small-scale biogenic depressions are known to accumulate suspended particles from the water column. Fiddler crab Uca spp. burrows are prevalent depressions in salt marsh sediments and provide habitats for numerous meiofauna. This research investigated the distribution of meiofauna in fiddler crab burrows in a North Carolina salt marsh and examined the hypothesis that patterns of meiofauna abundance in these burrows are the result of passive accumulation of meiofauna. Burrow sediments contained higher densities of total meiofauna than ambient marsh sediments. The differential collection of meiofauna in large (1.6 cm diameter) vs. small (1.1 cm diameter) burrow mimics (test tubes) placed in the field over one tidal cycle suggested that (a) meiofauna are passively trapped in burrows and (b) burrow morphology may cause differential deposition into burrows. These findings were supported by observations of water flow patterns over large and small burrow mimics in a flume in which dye was entrained 0.5–3.5 cm into tubes. Entrainment of meiofauna appeared more likely at flow speeds of 4.3 than 2.5 or 8.7cm·s −1. Adult copepods, foraminifera, and adult and larval polychaetes were equally abundant in natural Uca burrows at all depths sampled. Nematodes, ostracods, juvenile copepods, copepod and noncopepod nauplii, and turbellarians were less abundant in deep (3–16 cm) than shallow (<3 cm) burrow sediments.
Published Version
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