Structure and composition of the consolidated mud tube of Maldane sarsi (Polychaeta: Maldanidae) |
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Authors: | Suzanne C. Dufour Caroline White Gaston Desrosiers S. Kim Juniper |
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Affiliation: | 1. Institut des Sciences de la Mer de Rimouski, Université du Québec à Rimouski, 310 allée des Ursulines, CP 3300, Rimouski (QC), G5L 3A1, Canada;2. Centre GEOTOP and Département des sciences biologiques, Université du Québec à Montréal, CP 8888, Succursale Centre-ville, Montréal (QC), H3C 3P8, Canada |
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Abstract: | Maldanid polychaetes can be important components of marine benthic communities, playing significant roles in particle subduction or sediment irrigation. Many maldanids are known to inhabit tubes consisting of sediments consolidated by mucus; the structure and composition of these tubes, and their potential impact on benthic environments, are poorly known. We examined the three-dimensional organization of Maldane sarsi tubes, using CT scanning together with analyses of sediment grain size and concentrations of Fe, Mn, organic carbon and bacteria in tube material. M. sarsi tubes consist of stacks of individual consolidated mud disks, surrounding a dense, continuous, inner tube. The tubes of M. sarsi contained fewer fine particles than surrounding sediments, and greater concentrations of Fe, Mn, organic carbon and bacteria, especially in the inner zone. These distributions suggest that tube irrigation affects Fe and Mn oxidation and precipitation in a narrow zone surrounding M. sarsi, and that mucous secretion and potential feeding activities (the hoeing of surface sediments) lead to increases in organic carbon and bacteria in the inner, and deepest parts of the tube. The finding of relict tubes, buried at up to 15 cm depth, indicates a relatively high longevity for these structures and suggests a potential importance in biogeochemical cycling. |
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Keywords: | Maldane sarsi CT scan tube dwellers bioturbation burrowing organisms metals |
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