Impact of invasive benthic crustaceans on the resuspension of bottom sediments: an experimental study approach

• Authors: A. Zaiko , S. Olenin
• Languages of publication: EN

Abstracts

EN

The resuspension process caused by the burrowing activity of three Ponto-Caspian amphipod species (Pontogammarus robustoides, P. crassus and Chaetogammarus ischus) introduced to the Curonian Lagoon, Baltic Sea, was studied in a laboratory. The experimental set-up included aquaria with three types of bottom sediments: 1) sand; 2) sand with pebbles; 3) sand with stones up to 30 cm in diameter. The experimental aquaria contained amphipods in numbers that mimicked their density in situ, while control aquaria contained no animals. Water was sampled from three different layers (1, 5, and 9 cm above the sediment surface) from experimental and control aquaria and analyzed with a spectrophotometer at a wavelength of 660 nm in order to estimate the density of suspended material. The burrowing activity of the amphipods in all sediment types increased the amount of suspended material throughout the studied water layer (10 cm). The most visible effect was detected above the sandy bottom with large stones, the least ? above the sandy-pebble bottom. The conclusion was drawn that the invasive burrowing amphipods can increase the resuspension of bottom sediments in invaded ecosystems.

Keywords

EN

AMPHIPOD; BALTIC SEA; BIOTURBATION; BOTTOM SEDIMENT

Discipline

• AQUATIC_SCIENCES: AQUATIC SCIENCES

• Publisher: Institute of Oceanography, University of Gdansk
• Journal: Oceanological and Hydrobiological Studies
• Year: 2004
• Issue: 3
• Pages: 99-110

Contributors

author

A. Zaiko

author

S. Olenin

• Document Type: ARTICLE
• Publication order reference: A. Zaiko, Coastal Research and Planning Institute Klaipeda University, H. Manto 84 92222 Klaipeda, Lithuania