scholarly journals The impact of deep-tier burrow systems in sediment mixing and ecosystem engineering in early Cambrian carbonate settings

2017 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Li-Jun Zhang ◽  
Yong-An Qi ◽  
Luis A. Buatois ◽  
M. Gabriela Mángano ◽  
Yao Meng ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Ecosystem Engineering ◽  
Early Cambrian ◽  
Sediment Mixing ◽  
The Impact

scholarly journals A lattice-automaton bioturbation simulator with coupled physics, chemistry, and biology in marine sediments (eLABS v0.2)

2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (10) ◽  
pp. 4469-4496
Author(s):  
Yoshiki Kanzaki ◽  
Bernard P. Boudreau ◽  
Sandra Kirtland Turner ◽  
Andy Ridgwell
Keyword(s):  
Marine Sediments ◽  
Environmental Changes ◽  
Benthic Fauna ◽  
Benthic Organism ◽  
Numerical Representation ◽  
Biological Engineering ◽  
Spatial And Temporal Scales ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Sediment Mixing ◽  
The Impact

Abstract. Seawater–sediment interaction is a crucial factor in carbon and nutrient cycling on a wide range of spatial and temporal scales. This interaction is mediated not just through geochemistry but also via biology. Infauna vigorously mix sediment particles, enhance porewater–seawater exchange, and consequently, facilitate chemical reactions. In turn, the ecology and activity of benthic fauna are impacted by their environment, amplifying the sensitivity of seawater–sediment interaction to environmental change. However, numerical representation of the bioturbation of sediment has often been treated simply as an enhanced diffusion of solutes and solids. Whilst reasonably successful in representing the mixing of bulk and predominantly oxic marine sediments, the diffusional approach to bioturbation is limited by a lack of environmental sensitivity. To better capture the mechanics and effects of sediment bioturbation, we extend a published bioturbation model (Lattice-Automaton Bioturbation Simulator; LABS) by adopting a novel method to simulate realistic infaunal behavior that drives sediment mixing. In this new model (extended LABS – eLABS), simulated benthic organism action is combined with a deterministic calculation of water flow and oxygen and organic matter concentration fields to better reflect the physicochemical evolution of sediment in response to bioturbation. The predicted burrow geometry and mixing intensity thus attain a dependence on physicochemical sedimentary conditions. This interplay between biology, chemistry, and physics is important to mechanistically explain empirical observations of bioturbation and to account for the impact of environmental changes. As an illustrative example, we show how higher organic rain can drive more intense sediment mixing by “luring” benthic organisms deeper into sediments, while lower ambient dissolved oxygen restricts the oxic habitat depth and hence tends to reduce bulk mixing rates. Our model, with its oxygen and food availability controls, is a new tool to interpret the trace fossil record, e.g., burrows, as well as to explore biological engineering of past marine environments.

scholarly journals A lattice-automaton bioturbation simulator for the coupled physics, chemistry, and biology of marine sediments (eLABS v0.1)

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yoshiki Kanzaki ◽  
Bernard P. Boudreau ◽  
Sandra Kirtland Turner ◽  
Andy Ridgwell
Keyword(s):  
Marine Sediments ◽  
Environmental Changes ◽  
Benthic Fauna ◽  
Benthic Organism ◽  
Numerical Representation ◽  
Biological Engineering ◽  
Spatial And Temporal Scales ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Sediment Mixing ◽  
The Impact

Abstract. Seawater-sediment interaction is a crucial factor in the dynamics of carbon and nutrient cycling on a wide range of spatial and temporal scales. This interaction is mediated not just through geochemistry, but also via biology. Infauna vigorously mix sediment particles, enhance porewater-seawater exchange and consequently facilitate chemical reactions. In turn, the ecology and activity of benthic fauna are impacted by their environment, amplifying the sensitivity of seawater-sediment interaction to environmental change. However, numerical representation of the bioturbation of sediment has often been treated simply as an enhanced diffusion of solutes and solids. Whilst reasonably successful in representing the mixing of bulk and predominantly oxic marine sediments, the diffusional approach to bioturbation is limited by lacking an environmental sensitivity. To better capture the mechanics and effects of sediment bioturbation, we summarize and extend a published bioturbation model (acronym: LABS) that adopts a novel lattice automaton method to simulate the behaviors of infauna that drive sediment mixing. In this new model (eLABS), simulated benthic organism behavior is combined with a deterministic calculation of water flow and oxygen and organic matter concentration fields to better reflect the physicochemical evolution of sediment. The predicted burrow geometry and mixing intensity thus attain a dependence on physicochemical sedimentary conditions. Such an interplay between biology, chemistry and physics can be important to mechanistically explain empirical observations of bioturbation and to account for the impact of environmental changes. As an illustrative example, we show how higher organic rain can drive more intense sediment mixing by luring benthic organisms deeper into sediments, while lower ambient dissolved oxygen restricts the oxic habitat depth and hence tends to reduce bulk mixing rates. Finally, our model, with its oxygen and food availability controls, represents a new tool to interpret the geological record of trace fossils, e.g., burrows, as well as to mechanistically explore biological engineering of early marine environments.

scholarly journals MENGENAL PEREKAYASA EKOSISTEM

OSEANA ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 44 (2) ◽  
pp. 49-53
Author(s):  
Allsay Kitsash Addifisyukha Cintra
Keyword(s):  
Structural Changes ◽  
Ecosystem Engineer ◽  
Ecosystem Engineering ◽  
Ecosystem Engineers ◽  
Habitat Conditions ◽  
Habitat Condition ◽  
The Impact

UNDERSTANDING THE ECOSYSTEM ENGINEERS. Ecosystem engineers are organisms that can create, destroy or even maintain the sustainability of a particular habitat. The process of ecosystem engineering begins with structural changes in the environment and subsequently change the abiotic the biotic term or the existence of other organisms. Ecosystem engineers are divided into two, namely autogenic and allogenic engineers. Autogenic engineers change the habitat condition by shifting their body conditions, whereas allogenic engineers that can directly change habitat conditions. The impact of ecosystem engineers on the environment is determined by the magnitude and duration of structural changes made or abandoned by the ecosystem engineer. Understanding the concept of ecosystem engineering is useful as one of the efforts to restore habitat and conservation acts.

scholarly journals Quantifying ecospace utilization and ecosystem engineering during the early Phanerozoic—The role of bioturbation and bioerosion

2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (33) ◽  
pp. eabb0618
Author(s):  
Luis A. Buatois ◽  
M. Gabriela Mángano ◽  
Nicholas J. Minter ◽  
Kai Zhou ◽  
Max Wisshak ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Ecosystem Engineering ◽  
Cambrian Explosion ◽  
Early Cambrian ◽  
Oxygen Minimum Zones ◽  
Late Cambrian ◽  
Stratified Ocean ◽  
Marine Nearshore ◽  
Oxygen Minimum ◽  
Diversity Metrics

The Cambrian explosion (CE) and the great Ordovician biodiversification event (GOBE) are the two most important radiations in Paleozoic oceans. We quantify the role of bioturbation and bioerosion in ecospace utilization and ecosystem engineering using information from 1367 stratigraphic units. An increase in all diversity metrics is demonstrated for the Ediacaran-Cambrian transition, followed by a decrease in most values during the middle to late Cambrian, and by a more modest increase during the Ordovician. A marked increase in ichnodiversity and ichnodisparity of bioturbation is shown during the CE and of bioerosion during the GOBE. Innovations took place first in offshore settings and later expanded into marginal-marine, nearshore, deep-water, and carbonate environments. This study highlights the importance of the CE, despite its Ediacaran roots. Differences in infaunalization in offshore and shelf paleoenvironments favor the hypothesis of early Cambrian wedge-shaped oxygen minimum zones instead of a horizontally stratified ocean.

scholarly journals Foxes facilitate other wildlife through ecosystem engineering activities on the Arctic tundra

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shu-Ting Zhao ◽  
Sean M Johnson-Bice ◽  
James D Roth
Keyword(s):  
Trophic Interactions ◽  
Rangifer Tarandus ◽  
Nutrient Dynamics ◽  
Ecosystem Engineering ◽  
Ecosystem Engineers ◽  
Camera Traps ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Arctic Fox ◽  
Red Foxes ◽  
The Impact

Top predators largely affect ecosystems through trophic interactions, but they also can have indirect effects by altering nutrient dynamics and acting as ecosystem engineers. Arctic foxes (Vulpes lagopus) are ecosystem engineers that concentrate nutrients around their dens, creating biogeochemical hotspots with lush vegetation on the nutrient-limited tundra. Red foxes (V. vulpes) similarly engineer subarctic environments through their denning behavior, and have recently expanded onto the tundra where they now often occupy historically Arctic fox dens. We evaluated the impact of Arctic and red fox denning behavior on other tundra wildlife by comparing predator and herbivore visits to dens and adjacent control areas using camera traps in northeastern Manitoba, where both fox species are sympatric. Both the capture rates and species richness of wildlife were significantly greater at fox dens relative to control sites. Predators were detected almost exclusively on dens occupied by foxes, suggesting carcass or fox presence attracts predators to den sites. This is supported by observations of predators investigating and scavenging prey remains (carrion, feathers) from the dens. Caribou (Rangifer tarandus) visited dens more often than control areas, and we hypothesize they are attracted to the enhanced vegetation typically found on dens. Our results suggest Arctic fox ecosystem engineering has a prolonged, indirect effect on caribou by enriching vegetation at dens, whereas both Arctic and red foxes directly facilitate predators by provisioning resources. Understanding how predators affect other organisms via non-trophic interactions provides an enriched view of their functional roles within ecosystems.

The oldest Zoophycos and implications for Early Cambrian deposit feeding

2012 ◽  
Vol 149 (6) ◽  
pp. 1118-1123 ◽  
Author(s):  
AARON SAPPENFIELD ◽  
MARY DROSER ◽  
MARTIN KENNEDY ◽  
RYAN MCKENZIE
Keyword(s):  
Fossil Record ◽  
Lower Cambrian ◽  
Trace Fossil ◽  
Early Cambrian ◽  
Feeding Style ◽  
Lower Member ◽  
Sediment Mixing ◽  
Deposit Feeding

AbstractZoophycos-group burrows are prevalent elements of the post-Cambrian trace fossil record. Here we report the oldest specimens of Zoophycos from Lower Cambrian strata of the Lower Member Wood Canyon Formation in southeastern California. In addition to these being the oldest examples of this well-known trace fossil, the discovery of these specimens also reveals the presence of deposit feeding considerably earlier than has been suggested for the advent of this feeding style. This type of activity may have had a significant impact on sediment mixing during the Precambrian–Cambrian transition, though the rarity and shallow tier position of these specimens suggests otherwise.

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