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Experimental studies of changes produced by deposit feeders on pore water, sediment, and overlying water chemistry

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Robert Curwood Aller at Stony Brook University
Robert Curwood Aller
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Aller_Experimental studies deposit feeders sed chem_AmJSci19
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Aller_Experimental studies deposit feeders sed chem_AmJSci19
78.pdf
Content uploaded by Robert Curwood Aller
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All content in this area was uploaded by Robert Curwood Aller on Nov 30, 2016
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... However, in sandy permeable sediments advective solute transport typically dominates over diffusive exchange (see Huettel et al., 2014, for review), and these deposits act as open systems governed by rapid oscillations in flow direction and rate (e.g., Volkenborn et al., 2010;Wethey et al., 2008). Concomitantly, reactive Fe oxides and pore-water Fed are often distributed heterogeneously in the sediment as a result of the complex three-dimensional geochemical zonation that is created 260 by physical processes, e.g., associated with pressure gradients created by ripples and mounds (Huettel et al., 1998(Huettel et al., , 2014 or bioirrigation by benthic macrofauna (Aller, 1978). In our case study, average Fed fluxes from the irrigated compared to the non-irrigated cores during each sampling interval were 6-9 fold higher in summer and 5-50 fold higher in the winter experiments (in the cases where fluxes from the non-irrigated cores were detected). ...
... conditions are the result of the additional advective transport of Fed across the sediment-water interface (Aller, 1978;Banta et 265 al., 1999;Meysman et al., 2006). This Fe is produced during DIR throughout the anoxic zone of the sediment. ...
Ideas and perspectives: The benthic iron flux from sandy advective bioturbated sediments
Preprint
Full-text available
  • Jan 2023
Multiple investigators have suggested that the benthic flux of dissolved iron (Fed) from continental shelf sediments represents an important source of this micronutrient to ocean waters. The magnitude, biogeochemical controls, and seasonal dynamics of Fed fluxes to date, however, have mostly been studied for muddy cohesive sediments dominated by molecular diffusion. Data from these studies have been included in global biogeochemical models to determine the contribution of this Fe source to the ocean. Fed fluxes from sandy advective sediments have received little consideration, although these sediments cover 50–60 % of the continental shelves. Sandy permeable deposits function as dynamic catalytic filters characterized by the rapid exchange of solutes and infiltration of particles —including labile Corg and reactive metal oxides— and high biogeochemical reaction rates. In this article, we discuss how the fundamentally different modes of solute and particle transport in sands affect the sedimentary Fe cycle and Fed flux. We present a case study in which we simulate bioirrigation in sands in summer and winter. In our experiments, Fed fluxes from non-irrigated sediments under diffusive conditions did not exceed 6 and 13 μmol Fe m-2 d-1 in winter and summer, respectively. Fluxes from irrigated cores reached values of 150 μmol Fe m-2 d-1 (winter) and 115 μmol Fe m-2 d-1 (summer). The results indicate that the pumping activity of the benthic macrofauna plays a key role in controlling the extent of the benthic Fed flux from permeable sediments, and that both biogenic and physical advection enhance fluxes. We argue that bioturbated sandy advective sediments constitute an important benthic Fe source to coastal waters and advocate for a more differentiated treatment of sediment type (muddy diffusive vs. sandy advective) and macrofaunal activity -reflecting different functional groups of the macrobenthos- in global biogeochemical Fe models. A better understanding of the benthic Fe cycle in sandy advective sediments is particularly important to help predict how anthropogenic effects such as changes in the deposition patterns of Corg and metals, the expansion of oxygen minimum zones, and changes in benthic biodiversity will affect the tightly coupled benthic-pelagic ecosystem along continental shelves.
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... Both fluid and particle transport affect the physical properties of sediment; however, Aller [1] suggested that, in terms of weight, water pumping is about 100 times greater compared to bioturbation-driven particle transport. Biogeochemistry and microbial community structures of sediments in the coastal seas are influenced by the irrigation activity of large populations of burrowing macroinfauna [2]. ...
... In particular, the linear relationship of BIPc with bioirrigation constants was at its weakest for surface sediment layer (0-5 cm) and steepest for the bioirrigation values derived for 10-15 cm sediment interval (see Supplementary Figure S2a for more details). The NaBr tracer indicates the spatial proximity of introduced overlying water with irregularities in nutrient distribution, a fact described in many core sectioning studies on an overall averaged scale (e.g., [1]). However, quantifying the exact effect of faunal solute (or particle) transport on specific locally observed interface fluxes remains difficult. ...
Benthic Macrofauna Community Bioirrigation Potential (BIPc): Regional Map and Utility Validation for the South-Western Baltic Sea
Article
Full-text available
  • Jul 2022
Benthic community bioirrigation potential (BIPc), an index developed to quantify the anticipated capacity of macrofauna to influence the solute exchange at the sediment–water interface, was calculated for the south-western Baltic Sea. This index can be regarded as an effect trait that is useful for predicting ecosystem processes impacted by animal burrow ventilation. The special feature, and presumably an advantage, of BIPc, compared to alternative recently developed benthic macrofauna-based bioirrigation indices, lies in its ability to distinguish the taxa-specific score values between diffusion- and advection-dominated sediment systems. The usefulness of the BIPc index was compared against the estimates of the well-established community bioturbation potential index (BPc). The BIPc index displayed a moderately but significantly stronger correlation with estimates of irrigation rates derived from tracer experiments. Using a random forest machine learning approach and a number of available relevant environmental predictor layers, we have modelled and mapped the spatial differences in this ecosystem functioning expression. The key species contributing to bioirrigation potential in the study area were identified. The interannual variation in BIPc was assessed on a small exemplary dataset. The scores required to calculate the index, that were assigned to 120 taxa dominating abundance and biomass in the region, are provided for reuse. The utility, temporal variability and uncertainty of the distribution estimate are discussed
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... Thereby, seasonal patterns in abundance of benthic foraminifera in coastal waters exert a strong infl uence on Ca 2+ concentration and calcite saturation state in porewaters ( Green et al. 1993 ). Macrofauna bioturbation plays a critical role in driving dissolution of CaCO 3 shells by maintaining the exchange of solutes, preventing the build-up of total alkalinity and thereby sustaining redox processes that lead to H + formation ( Aller 1978( Aller , 1982Green et al. 1993 ). Further examples of biological control of the pH buffering capacity of sediments can be found in the literature. ...
Ocean Acidification
Article
  • Sep 2011
The ocean helps moderate climate change thanks to its considerable capacity to store CO2, through the combined actions of ocean physics, chemistry, and biology. This storage capacity limits the amount of human-released CO2 remaining in the atmosphere. As CO2 reacts with seawater, it generates dramatic changes in carbonate chemistry, including decreases in pH and carbonate ions and an increase in bicarbonate ions. The consequences of this overall process, known as "ocean acidification", are raising concerns for the biological, ecological, and biogeochemical health of the world's oceans, as well as for the potential societal implications. This research level text is the first to synthesize the very latest understanding of the consequences of ocean acidification, with the intention of informing both future research agendas and marine management policy. A prestigious list of authors has been assembled, among them the coordinators of major national and international projects on ocean acidification.
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... The manifold functions of bioturbation in aquatic systems have been considered a potential engineered process to modify and sustain the environmental quality. Earlier reviews on bioturbation have highlighted the functional aspects, namely, nutrient cycling, solute transport and their influence on water and sediment properties (Petr 1977;Aller 1978;Matisoff et al. 1985;Krantzberg 1985;Andersson et al. 1988;Johnson 2002;Moore 2006;Dey and Sen 2017), kinds and natures of bioturbation activities (Kristensen et al. 2012), effects on physical properties of sediment and fluctuation in redox potential (McCall and Tevesz 1982;Maire et al. 2008;Sarker et al. 2021), and remobilization of settled heavy metals and contaminants (Bryan and Langston 1992;Zoumis et al. 2001;Eggleton and Thomas 2004;Schaller et al. 2011). Extending the role of the macroinvertebrates as bioturbators, the present compilation provides an overview of the process and comparative account of the bioturbators of freshwater ecosystem (Tables 1 and 2; Appendix). ...
Macroinvertebrates as engineers for bioturbation in freshwater ecosystem
Article
Full-text available
  • Jul 2022
  • ENVIRON SCI POLLUT R
Bioturbation is recognized as a deterministic process that sustains the physicochemical properties of the freshwater ecosystem. Irrigation, ventilation, and particle reworking activities made by biotic components on sediment beds influence the flow of nutrients and transport of particles in the sediment–water interface. Thus, the biogenic disturbances in sediment are acknowledged as pivotal mechanism nutrient cycling in the aquatic system. The macroinvertebrates of diverse taxonomic identity qualify as potent bioturbators due to their abundance and activities in the freshwater. Of particular relevance are the bioturbation activities by the sediment-dwelling biota, which introduce changes in both sediment and water profile. Multiple outcomes of the macroinvertebrate-mediated bioturbation are recognized in the form of modified sediment architecture, changed redox potential in the sediment–water interface, and elicited nutrient fluxes. The physical movement and physiological activities of benthic macroinvertebrates influence organic deposition in sediment and remobilize sediment-bound pollutants and heavy metals, as well as community composition of microbes. As ecosystem engineers, the benthic macroinvertebrates execute multiple functional roles through bioturbation that facilitate maintaining the freshwater as self-sustaining and self-stabilizing system. Graphical abstract The likely consequences of bioturbation on the freshwater ecosystems facilitated by various macroinvertebrates — the ecosystem engineers. Among the macroinvertebrates, varied species of molluscs, insects, and annelids are the key facilitators for the movement of the nutrients and shaping of the sediment of the freshwater ecosystem.
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... It is most likely in these simple organisms that there was a mixture of symbiosis and phagocytosis on the lower surface of the organism, in the microbial productivity hotspot generated by the localized enhanced near-organism oxic zone [50] ( Figure 1C). Due to the low rate of diffusion of oxygen into the sediment porewater systems that underlay the ubiquitous Ediacaran seafloor matgrounds, the redox profile of Ediacaran sediments is likely to have been significantly condensed [2,[63][64][65][66]. As a result, very little of the particulate and dissolved organic matter in such sub-mat settings will have been subject to aerobic respiration (the greatest energy yield per unit of organic carbon metabolized [67,68]), leading to a predominance of sulfate reduction and methanogenesis. ...
Were the First Trace Fossils Really Burrows or Could They Have Been Made by Sediment-Displacive Chemosymbiotic Organisms?
Article
Full-text available
  • Jan 2022
This review asks some hard questions about what the enigmatic graphoglyptid trace fossils are, documents some of their early fossil record from the Ediacaran–Cambrian transition and explores the idea that they may not have been fossils at all. Most researchers have considered the Graphoglyptida to have had a microbial-farming mode of life similar to that proposed for the fractal Ediacaran Rangeomorpha. This begs the question “What are the Graphoglyptida if not the Rangeomorpha persevering” and if so then “What if . . . ?”. This provocative idea has at its roots some fundamental questions about how to distinguish burrows sensu-stricto from the external molds of endobenthic sediment displacive organisms.
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... Due to the low rate of diffusion of oxygen into the sediment porewater systems that underlay the ubiquitous Ediacaran seafloor matgrounds, the redox profile of Ediacaran sediments is likely to have been significantly condensed (Aller 1978(Aller , 1982(Aller , 1984(Aller , 1994 McIlroy & Logan 1999). As a result, very little of the particulate and dissolved organic matter in such sub-mat settings will have been subject to aerobic respiration (the greatest energy yield per unit of organic carbon metabolized, e.g. ...
Were the First Trace Fossils Really Burrows or Could They Have Been Made by Sediment-Displacive Chemosymbiotic Organisms?
Preprint
Full-text available
  • Jan 2022
This review asks some hard questions about what the enigmatic graphoglyptid trace fossils are, documents some of their early fossil record from the Ediacaran-Cambrian transition and explores the idea that they may not have been fossils at all. Most researchers have considered the Graphoglyptida to have had a microbial-farming mode of life similar to that proposed for the fractal Ediacaran Rangeomorpha. This begs the question “What are the Graphoglyptida if not the Rangeomorpha persevering” and if so then “What if…?”. This provocative idea has at its roots some fundamental questions about how to distinguish burrows sensu-stricto from the external molds of endobenthic sediment displacive organisms.
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... Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) in marine sediments represents an important by-product during the mineralization of particulate organic matter (POC; Aller, 1978;Berner, 1980;Komada et al., 2013;Burdige et al., 2016). Although the majority of POC is ultimately degraded to dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC), a varying fraction of POC is converted to DOC and accumulates in marine sediments (Burdige, 2002;Komada et al., 2013). ...
Production of Labile Protein-Like Dissolved Organic Carbon Associated With Anaerobic Methane Oxidization in the Haima Cold Seeps, South China Sea
Article
Full-text available
  • Dec 2021
Cold seeps where methane-rich fluids escape from the seafloor generally support enormous biomass of chemosynthetic organisms and associated fauna. In addition to transporting a great amount of methane toward the seafloor, cold seeps also contribute to the aged, dissolved organic carbon (DOC) pool in the deep ocean. Here, two sediment cores from the “Haima cold seeps,” northern South China Sea and a nearby reference core were analyzed for pore-water sulfate and DOC concentrations, δ¹³C of DOC, and optical properties of dissolved organic matter (DOM). High DOC concentrations (0.9–3.7 mM) accompanied by extremely low δ¹³C values (−43.9 to −76.2‰) suggest the conversion of methane into sedimentary DOC pool in the seep sediments. Parallel factor analysis (PARAFAC) of the fluorescence excitation-emission matrices shows higher fluorescent intensities of labile protein-like components (C2 and C4) and lower fluorescent intensities of refractory humic-like components (C1 and C3) in the seep cores compared to the reference core. The intensity of C2 is positively correlated with DOC concentrations and δ¹³C-DOC in the seep sediments, suggesting that the labile protein-like DOM was produced by the anaerobic oxidation of methane (AOM). Moreover, low humification index (HIX) and high biological index (BIX) values also indicate intensified production of relatively labile DOM with lower degradation degree in the seep cores compared to the reference core. Hence, we highlight that methane-derived DOC may serve as important carbon and energy sources for heterotrophic microbial communities due to its relatively labile nature.
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... The feeding, burrowing and locomotory activities of sediment dwelling animals cause significant mixing of lake, river and ocean sediments. The influence of any given species on sediment properties will depend on size, mobility, depth and rate of feeding and particle size selectivity as well as the population density at which the species occurs (Aller, 1978). Tubificid worms ingest sediment at 5-8cm depth and then expel at the sediment/water interface (Fisher et al.. 1980). ...
Fly-ash particles in lake sediments: Extraction, characterisation and distribution
Thesis
  • Jan 1991
Fly-ash particles produced from the high temperature combustion of fossil-fuels are found in high concentrations in the lake sediments of regions of high acid deposition. The sediment record of these particles showing the onset of industrialisation correlates well with the record of acidification as indicated by diatom analysis. There are two types of fly-ash particle; spheroidal carbonaceous particles produced from the incomplete combustion of the fossil-fuel and inorganic ash spheres formed by the fusing of mineral inclusions present within the fuel. Procedures were developed to extract both types of particle from lake sediments. These involved selective chemical attack to remove unwanted sediment fractions thus enabling quick and accurate particle enumeration. A reference data-set of carbonaceous particle surface chemistries was produced using EDS measurements and a fuel-type characterisation developed using multivariate statistics. This characterisation allocated over 97% of the particles to the correct fuel-type. These methods were then applied to a series of sediment cores to study temporal changes in particle deposition and spatial trends over Scotland. The concentrations of both particle types in sediment cores correlate well to fossil- fuel combustion histories, and the characterisation of the carbonaceous particles from a 210Pb-dated core from a north London lake showed good agreement with the change in coal and oil use through time in the area. Spatial trends were studied using surface sediments from 94 lakes in Scotland and the north of England. These showed higher concentrations near industrial areas and generally good agreement with sulphur deposition data. Characterisation revealed two areas where above average concentrations of oil particles occurred, indicating source areas outside the country to the east and the south-west. There is potential to extend this characterisation to other fossil-fuel types such as peat, lignite and brown coal and to apply the techniques to a range of environmental questions in Britain, Europe and on a global scale.
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Bioturbation and the δ 56 Fe signature of dissolved iron fluxes from marine sediments
Article
Full-text available
  • Jan 2023
We developed a reaction-transport model capable of tracing iron isotopes in marine sediments to quantify the influence of bioturbation on the isotopic signature of the benthic dissolved (DFe) flux. By fitting the model to published data from marine sediments, we calibrated effective overall fractionation factors for iron reduction (–1.3‰), oxidation (+0.4‰), iron-sulfide precipitation (+0.5‰) and dissolution (−0.5‰) and pyrite precipitation (−0.7‰) that agree with literature values. Results show that for bottom-water oxygen concentrations greater than 50 µM, higher bioturbation increased the benthic DFe flux and its δ ⁵⁶ Fe signature. By contrast, for oxygen concentrations less than 50 µM, higher bioturbation decreased the benthic DFe flux and its δ ⁵⁶ Fe signature. The expressed overall fractionation of the benthic DFe flux relative to the δ ⁵⁶ Fe of the iron oxides entering the sediment ranges from −1.67‰ to 0.0‰. On a global scale, the presence of bioturbation increases sedimentary DFe release from approximately 70 G mol DFe yr ⁻¹ to approximately 160 G mol DFe yr ⁻¹ and decreases the δ ⁵⁶ Fe signature of the DFe flux.
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