Abstract
The selectivity of Perinereis aibuhitensis larvae on different sediment types was studied using an experimental behavioral device in the lab. There were six types of sediment with different organic matter content: 2.19, 2.30, 2.86, 3.25, 3.51, and 5.52%. The results indicated significant differences in the six treatments’ organic matter content (p < 0.05). When the P. aibuhitensis larvae initially attached to the sediment, the larvae’s density showed no significant difference among the six treatments. The density of larvae decreased gradually during the experimental period. It increased with the increasing organic matter content in sediment at every sampling time, but there was no significant difference (p > 0.05). The larvae’s specific growth rate in the first month was significantly higher than those in the second and third months (p < 0.05). The mortality showed no significance at different sediments in equal sampling times, but the mortality was lower in high organic matter content sediments. This study showed that the P. aibuhitensis larvae did not make an active selection; random selection happened when initially attached to the sediment with different organic matter contents. Higher organic matter content in the sediment was more conducive to larvae survival, and the organic matter content is the limitation factor on the mortality and the density. The different densities in the natural habitat of P. aibuhitensis might occur due to the passive selection by the environment.
Highlights
Polychaeta, one of the most typical taxon of benthic communities, is a common infauna of the coastal intertidal zone involved in the reworking of sediment and ecological recovery in natural waters (Heilskov and Holmer, 2001; Koo and Seo, 2017; Chouikh et al, 2020; Gopal et al, 2020)
Two-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) showed that the sampling time, the sediment type, and the interaction of the two factors have a significant impact on the specific growth rate (SGR) of the polychaete
The density of the P. aibuhitensis larvae had no significant difference among different sediment treatments with different organic matter contents at the initial attachment (p > 0.05)
Summary
Polychaeta, one of the most typical taxon of benthic communities, is a common infauna of the coastal intertidal zone involved in the reworking of sediment and ecological recovery in natural waters (Heilskov and Holmer, 2001; Koo and Seo, 2017; Chouikh et al, 2020; Gopal et al, 2020). The density and biomass of polychaetes influence environmental recovery efficiency induced by bioturbation (Duport et al, 2006; Hu et al, 2020). Polychaetes biomass distribution differs by habitat location and tidal zones. Sediment Selectivity of Polychaete Larvae prefer sediment with higher organic content. This tendency probably gives rise to the difference in biomass distribution. Meng et al (2020) found that Perinereis aibuhitensis exhibited a slight (not significant) selectivity for different natural sediment types, probably due to their hydrogen sulfide content. A specific sediment preference possibly caused the distributions of adult polychaetes during the larval stage. In the polychaetes natural habitat, how the different distributions happened in a similar environment? Whether the larvae preferred sediment when they are attached (initiative) or if they could be selected by the environmental conditions after attachment (passive) is examined
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