Journal of Japan Society of Civil Engineers, Ser. B3 (Ocean Engineering)
Online ISSN : 2185-4688
ISSN-L : 2185-4688
Annual Journal of Civil Engineering in the Ocean Vol.33
EFFECT OF BIOTURBATION OF GHOST SHRIMP NIHONOTRYPAEA JAPONICA ON BOTTOM SEDIMENT AND BENTHIC ASSEMBLAGE
Kazuyuki HIGASHINaotomo OTAAtsushi HASHIMOTOSosuke OTANIYasunori KOZUKI
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2017 Volume 73 Issue 2 Pages I_857-I_862

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Abstract
 An artificial tidal flat was created in 2007, to compensate for the loss of a natural tidal flat, at Okinosu, Tokushima City. However, five years after its creation, it was found that the ecological conditions in the artificial habitat of benthic animals differed vastly from those in the natural habitat, and that the abundance of benthic animals was much lower in the artificial tidal flat.
 We propose that a “sinking event” is responsible for this phenomenon. Furthermore, we have determined that this sinking event is caused by bioturbation of ghost shrimp Nihonotrypaea japonica. Here, we undertook experiments to clarify the effect of N. japonica on the tidal-flat ecosystem. N. japonica generated coarse sediment grain sizes and decreased the abundance of benthic diatoms. Treatment with N. japonica exclusive led to a low-biodiversity assemblage—it is possible that, in places where N. japonica dominates, there is an increase in the abundance of only the organisms that parasitize N. japonica nests.
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© 2017 Japan Society of Civil Engineers
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