Abstract
Abstract Habitat selection of 3 tubificid species was investigated in experimental conditions simulating riverbedhabitats. Tubificids exposed to four types of sediment fractions in choice chambers (fine, medium and coarse sand, and fine gravel) chose fine sand and/or fine gravel in equal proportions. When exposed to gradually drying sediments, tubificids either stop moving and remain entrapped in fine sediment fractions or migrate actively through the coarse sediments (fine gravel fraction). The frequency of migrating worms is higher through unsaturared gravel than through water saturated gravel and/or sandy sediments. Tubificids reacted actively to different oxygen concentrations (8, 4, 1 and 0.4 mg O2l-1). At both high (8 mg O2l-1) and low (0.4 mg O2l-1) concentrations, the worms remained burrowed into the fine sand sediments while for intermediate values (especially 1 mg O2l-1), they migrated outside the sediment and strongly moved the posterior part of their body. Experimental data provided, by this study, were compared with a field situation where tubificids live in the hyporheic zone of temporary streams.
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