Abstract
Although benthic foraminifera are an important component of meiofauna and contribute to carbonate production and carbon/nitrogen cycles, their role in bioturbation processes remains poorly known. Five dominant intertidal benthic foraminiferal species were recently classified into functional bioturbator groups according to their sediment reworking mode and intensity. Our study aimed at identifying potential drivers (i.e. size and/or travelled distance) of species-specific surface sediment reworking rate. The travelled distance and surface sediment reworking rate of Haynesina germanica, Cribroelphidium williamsoni, Ammonia tepida, Quinqueloculina seminulum and Miliammina fusca were assessed through image analysis. Our results show that the surface sediment reworking performed by these species is not size-dependent, but dependent on their motility traits through interspecific differences in the travelled distance. Smaller species (i.e. Quinqueloculina seminulum and Haynesina germanica) contributed more to surface sediment reworking than larger ones (i.e. Ammonia tepida, Cribroelphidium williamsoni and Miliammina fusca). These observations stress the critical role of motion behaviour in surface sediment reworking processes by intertidal foraminifera. Finally, we stress that the high inter-individual variability observed in conspecific motion behaviour may be important to decipher the role of foraminifera in sediment bioturbation. Noticeably, the species characterized by a strong inter-individual variability are also the species that have the highest surface sediment reworking rates. This last observation may inform on the species-specific phenotypic plasticity and, therefore, the potential for the functional role of these species to be maintained in their natural environment. This is particularly relevant in an era of global change where ecosystem balance is increasingly threatened by various stressors such as heat-waves, ocean acidification and pollution.
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taken from experiments containing living individuals of H. germanica
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All data generated or analysed during this study are included in this published article.
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Acknowledgements
The PhD fellowship of N.D. was funded by the Ministère de l’Enseignement Supérieur et de la Recherche. We thank the Région Hauts-de-France, the Ministère de l’Enseignement Supérieur et de la Recherche and the European Fund for Regional Economic Development for their financial support through the CPER research project CLIMIBIO. The authors are grateful to Magali Schweizer for providing information on the phylotypes occurring at the sampling site (research project AMTEP, funded by the CNRS-INSU programme EC2CO) and Fabio Francescangeli for the SEM-images of foraminiferal species. The authors are grateful to Grégory Beaugrand for his comments on an earlier version of the manuscript. The editor and the four reviewers’ comments greatly contributed to improve this paper.
Funding
The PhD fellowship of N.D. was funded by the Ministère de l’Enseignement Supérieur et de la Recherche. This study received the financial support of the CPER research project CLIMIBIO funded by the Région Hauts-de-France, and the Ministère de l’Enseignement Supérieur et de la Recherche, and the European Fund for Regional Economic Development. Molecular investigations of spiral-shaped foraminiferal phylotypes were done within the research project AMTEP, funded by the CNRS-INSU programme EC2CO.
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ND and VMPB conceived the idea of this study and VMPB obtained financial support. ND and VMPB. provided significant input on experimental design. ND performed the behavioural experiments and analysed the images. ND analysed the data and performed the statistical analyses. ND, LS and VMPB contributed to the interpretation of the data and the discussion of the results presented in the manuscript. ND wrote the draft manuscript. ND, LS and VMPB revised the article critically for intellectual content and gave final approval of the submitted version.
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Deldicq, N., Seuront, L. & Bouchet, V.M.P. Inter-specific and inter-individual trait variability matter in surface sediment reworking rates of intertidal benthic foraminifera. Mar Biol 168, 101 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00227-021-03908-w
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00227-021-03908-w