You are here:
ENHANCED ORGANIC MATTER REMINERALIZATION AND NUTRIENT TURNOVER BY BURROWING SHRIMP POPULATIONS IN YAQUINA BAY, OR
Citation:
D'Andrea, A. F. AND T H. DeWitt. ENHANCED ORGANIC MATTER REMINERALIZATION AND NUTRIENT TURNOVER BY BURROWING SHRIMP POPULATIONS IN YAQUINA BAY, OR. Presented at 2001 Estuarine Research Federation meeting, St. Petersburg Beach, FL, November 4-8, 2001.
Description:
Burrowing thalassinid shrimp are major ecological components of Pacific Northwest (PNW) estuaries and where they structure large areas of intertidal and shallow subtidal habitat. These crustaceans occur in dense beds (>250 m-2) and dig extensive burrow systems (>1 m) controlling the benthic community composition, and the physical and chemical properties of sediments. Field studies utilized a combination of anoxic incubations, porewater peepers, and benthic chambers to quantify the role of burrowing shrimp on seasonal organic matter (OM) remineralization, and nutrient fluxes across the sediment-water interface (SWI). In Summer 2000, bioturbation and bioirrigation by Neotrypaea californiensis and Upogebia pugettensis enhanced OM remineralization 2-4 times and dissolved inorganic nitrogen fluxes across the SWI 12 times relative to sediments without burrowing shrimp. In addition, the OM turnover efficiency (the molar ratio of organic nitrogen in OM: dissolved inorganic nitrogen released) in the presence of burrowing shrimp was 3 times greater than intertidal habitat without shrimp. Preliminary results for Fall 2000 indicated a similar pattern of shrimp impacts, with a reduction in the absolute magnitude. Burrowing shrimp have a significant impact on OM and nutrient cycling in Yaquina Bay, and implicate an important role for burrowing shrimp in the biogeochemistry of Pacific Northwest estuaries.