Bottom fishery impact generates tracer peaks easily confused with bioturbation traces in marine sediments
<p>In the process of reworking sediments and thus shaping biogeochemical processes, marine bottom-dwelling animals are thought to play a pivotal role in many benthic environments. Bioturbation (particle reworking) includes the downward transport of particles into the sediment as a major proces...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Copernicus Publications
2024-04-01
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| Series: | Biogeosciences |
| Online Access: | https://bg.copernicus.org/articles/21/1973/2024/bg-21-1973-2024.pdf |
| _version_ | 1797198196959608832 |
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| author | S. Forster C. Runkel J. Lemke L. Pülm M. Powilleit |
| author_facet | S. Forster C. Runkel J. Lemke L. Pülm M. Powilleit |
| author_sort | S. Forster |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | <p>In the process of reworking sediments and thus shaping biogeochemical processes, marine bottom-dwelling animals are thought to play a pivotal role in many benthic environments. Bioturbation (particle reworking) includes the downward transport of particles into the sediment as a major process and is sometimes detected as subsurface maxima (peaks) of specific particulate substances (tracers). Here, we document the fact that subsurface peaks, such as those typically attributed to biological particle transport in sediments, may equally be generated by otter boards in bottom-trawling fishery. Boards can generate tracer peaks whereby they scoop sediment from the surface, flip it over, and deposit it onto the adjacent seafloor. These peaks are indistinguishable from those generated by benthic fauna burying surface material at sediment depth. We demonstrate this for the particle tracer chlorophyll <span class="inline-formula"><i>a</i></span> in silty sand from the western Baltic Sea with fauna that generally do not burrow deep in a global comparison. Our inability to distinguish the driving processes generating the peaks indicates limits to our understanding of the magnitude and spatial extent of bioturbation traces in this environment. It also poses a problem for the assessment of fishery resource use and benthic processes. However, based on natural fauna abundance, behavioral information, and fishery intensity data, we identify macrofauna and not otter boards as the dominant cause of peaks at the sites investigated here.</p> |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-24T06:56:01Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-eecbb60ed9f94a7bb6467d1eee78c195 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1726-4170 1726-4189 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-24T06:56:01Z |
| publishDate | 2024-04-01 |
| publisher | Copernicus Publications |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Biogeosciences |
| spelling | doaj.art-eecbb60ed9f94a7bb6467d1eee78c1952024-04-22T11:56:09ZengCopernicus PublicationsBiogeosciences1726-41701726-41892024-04-01211973198410.5194/bg-21-1973-2024Bottom fishery impact generates tracer peaks easily confused with bioturbation traces in marine sedimentsS. ForsterC. RunkelJ. LemkeL. PülmM. Powilleit<p>In the process of reworking sediments and thus shaping biogeochemical processes, marine bottom-dwelling animals are thought to play a pivotal role in many benthic environments. Bioturbation (particle reworking) includes the downward transport of particles into the sediment as a major process and is sometimes detected as subsurface maxima (peaks) of specific particulate substances (tracers). Here, we document the fact that subsurface peaks, such as those typically attributed to biological particle transport in sediments, may equally be generated by otter boards in bottom-trawling fishery. Boards can generate tracer peaks whereby they scoop sediment from the surface, flip it over, and deposit it onto the adjacent seafloor. These peaks are indistinguishable from those generated by benthic fauna burying surface material at sediment depth. We demonstrate this for the particle tracer chlorophyll <span class="inline-formula"><i>a</i></span> in silty sand from the western Baltic Sea with fauna that generally do not burrow deep in a global comparison. Our inability to distinguish the driving processes generating the peaks indicates limits to our understanding of the magnitude and spatial extent of bioturbation traces in this environment. It also poses a problem for the assessment of fishery resource use and benthic processes. However, based on natural fauna abundance, behavioral information, and fishery intensity data, we identify macrofauna and not otter boards as the dominant cause of peaks at the sites investigated here.</p>https://bg.copernicus.org/articles/21/1973/2024/bg-21-1973-2024.pdf |
| spellingShingle | S. Forster C. Runkel J. Lemke L. Pülm M. Powilleit Bottom fishery impact generates tracer peaks easily confused with bioturbation traces in marine sediments Biogeosciences |
| title | Bottom fishery impact generates tracer peaks easily confused with bioturbation traces in marine sediments |
| title_full | Bottom fishery impact generates tracer peaks easily confused with bioturbation traces in marine sediments |
| title_fullStr | Bottom fishery impact generates tracer peaks easily confused with bioturbation traces in marine sediments |
| title_full_unstemmed | Bottom fishery impact generates tracer peaks easily confused with bioturbation traces in marine sediments |
| title_short | Bottom fishery impact generates tracer peaks easily confused with bioturbation traces in marine sediments |
| title_sort | bottom fishery impact generates tracer peaks easily confused with bioturbation traces in marine sediments |
| url | https://bg.copernicus.org/articles/21/1973/2024/bg-21-1973-2024.pdf |
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