Hostname: page-component-848d4c4894-8kt4b Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-06-28T04:35:57.676Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Mud-burrowing megafauna of the Clyde Sea Area

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 December 2011

R. J. A. Atkinson
R. J. A. Atkinson
Affiliation:
University Marine Biological Station, Millport, Isle of Cumbrae KA28 OEG, Scotland
Get access

Synopsis

Underwater television, remote photography and SCUBA diving have revealed that Clyde Sea Area sublittoral muds are extensively bioturbated by megafaunal species that construct conspicuous burrows. These species arc mainly decapod crustaceans and fish, each with a characteristic burrow configuration and optimum horizon for excavation. Burrow structures have been revealed by resin casting and densities and distributions have been studied using camera and SCUBA techniques. Burrowing behaviour has been investigated by field and laboratory studies, while physiological studies of some species have shown respiratory adaptations to the burrowing mode of life. Megafaunal burrowing appears to be an important determinant of benthic community structure.

Type
Research Article
Information
Proceedings of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, Section B: Biological Sciences , Volume 90: The Environment of the Estuary and Firth of Clyde , 1986 , pp. 351 - 361
Copyright
Copyright © Royal Society of Edinburgh 1986

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Allen, J. A. 1967. The fauna of the Clyde Sea Area. Crustacea: Euphausiacea and Decapoda with an illustrated key to the British species. Millport: Scottish Marine Biological Association.Google Scholar
Aller, R. C. 1982. The effects of macrobenthos on chemical properties of marine sediment and overlying water. In Animal-Sediment Relations, eds. McCall, P. L. & Tevesz, M. J. S., Chap 2, pp. 53–102. New York: Plenum Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Atkinson, R. J. A. 1974a. Behavioural ecology of the mud-borrowing crab Goneplax rhomboides. Marine Biology 25, 239–252.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Atkinson, R. J. A. 1974b. Spatial distribution of Nephrops burrows. Estuarine and Coastal Marine Science 2, 171–176.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Atkinson, R. J. A. 1974c. The activity rhythm of Goneplax rhomboides (L.). Marine Behaviour and Physiology 2, 325–335.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Atkinson, R. J. A. 1975. Studies of a Goneplax rhomboides population off Quarry Bay. Lundy Field Society Annual Report 26, 55–60.Google Scholar
Atkinson, R. J. A. 1976. Some preliminary field observations of the burrows of the red band fish, Cepola rubescens L. Journal of Fish Biology 9, 181–183.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Atkinson, R. J. A. & Chapman, C. J. 1984. Resin casting: a technique for investigating burrows in sublittoral sediments. Progress in Underwater Science 9, 15–25.Google Scholar
Atkinson, R. J. A. & Chapman, C. J. & Nash, R. D. M. 1985. Burrows and their inhabitants. Progress in Underwater Science 10, 109–115.Google Scholar
Atkinson, R. J. A. & Chapman, C. J. & Nash, R. D. M., Pullin, R. S. V. & Dipper, F. A. 1977. Studies on the red band fish, Cepola rubescens. Journal of Zoology, Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London 182, 369–384.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Atkinson, R. J. A. & Chapman, C. J. & Nash, R. D. M., Pullin, R. S. V. & Dipper, F. A., & Nash, R. D. M. 1979. Cyclic behaviour of burrowing fish. In Cyclic Phenomena in Marine Plants and Animals. Proceedings of the 13th European Marine Biology Symposium, eds. Naylor, E. & Hartnoll, R. G., pp. 469–470. Oxford: Pergamon Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Atkinson, R. J. A. & Chapman, C. J. & Nash, R. D. M., Pullin, R. S. V. & Dipper, F. A., & Nash, R. D. M., Moore, P. G. & Morgan, P. J. 1982. The burrows and burrowing behaviour of Maera loveni (Crustacea: Amphipoda). Journal of Zoology, Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London 198, 399–416.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Atkinson, R. J. A. & Chapman, C. J. & Nash, R. D. M., Pullin, R. S. V. & Dipper, F. A., & Nash, R. D. M., Moore, P. G. & Morgan, P. J., Pelster, B., Bridges, C. R., Taylor, A. C. & Morris, S. in prep. Behavioural and physiological adaptations to a burrowing lifestyle in the snake blenny, Lumpenus lampretaeformis and the red band-fish, Cepola rubescens.Google Scholar
Bagenal, T. B. 1965. The Fauna of the Clyde Sea Area. Fishes. Millport: Scottish Marine Biological Association.Google Scholar
Bailey, N. & Chapman, C. J. 1983. A comparison of density, length composition and growth of two Nephrops populations off the West Coast of Scotland. Copenhagen: International Council for the Exploration of the Sea, Shellfish Committee CM 1983/K:42.Google Scholar
Bailey, N. & Chapman, C. J., Howard, F. G. & Chapman, C. J. 1986. Clyde Nephrops: biology and fisheries. Proceedings of the Royal Society of Edinburgh 90B, 501–518.Google Scholar
Barnes, H. 1952. Underwater television and marine biology. Nature, London 169, 477–479.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Barnes, H. 1953. Underwater television and the fisheries. The Fishing News 2089, 2 May.Google Scholar
Barnes, H. 1955. Underwater television and research in marine biology, bottom topography and geology. Part 2. Experience with the equipment. Sonderdruck aus der Deiitschen Hydrographischen Zeitschrift 8, 213–236.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Barnes, H. 1959. Oceanography and marine biology: a book of techniques. London: George Allen and Unwin Ltd.Google Scholar
Barnes, H. 1963. Underwater television. Oceanography and Marine Biology Annual Review 1, 115–128.Google Scholar
Bridges, C. R., Taylor, A. C. & Atkinson, R. J. A. 1982. Respiratory properties of the blood of the burrowing red band fish Cepola rubescens L. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology 59, 51–60.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Buchanan, J. B. 1963. The biology of Calocaris macandreae (Crustacea: Thalassinidae). Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 43, 729–747.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Calderon, J. A. 1981. Some aspects of the biology of Calocaris macandreae Bell (Crustacea: Decapoda, Thalassinoidea) in Isle of Man waters. Ph.D. Thesis, University of Liverpool.Google Scholar
Chapman, C. J. 1979. Some observations on populations of the Norway lobster, Nephrops norvegicus (L.) using diving, television and photography. Rapport et procès-verbaux des réunions. Conseil permanent international pour l'éxploration de la mer 175, 127–133.Google Scholar
Chapman, C. J. 1980. Ecology of juvenile and adult Nephrops. In The Biology and Management of Lobsters, eds. Cobb, J. S. & Phillips, B. F., Vol 2, Chap. 4, pp. 143–178. London: Academic Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Chapman, C. J. & Rice, A. L. 1971. Some direct observations on the ecology and behaviour of the Norway lobster, Nephrops norvegicus. Marine Biology 10, 321–329.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Chapman, C. J. & Rice, A. L., Johnstone, A. D. F. & Rice, A. L. 1975. The behaviour and ecology of the Norway lobster, Nephrops norvegicus (L.). Proceedings of the 9th European Marine Biology Symposium, ed. Barnes, H., pp. 59–74. Aberdeen: Aberdeen University Press.Google Scholar
Cole, H. A. 1967. Observations of Nephrops with underwater television. Report of the Challenger Society for the Promotion of the Study of Oceanography 3 (19), 58–59.Google Scholar
Crnkovic, D. 1968. Some observations regarding the burrows of juvenile Nephrops norvegicus (L.). Rapport et procès-verbaux des réunions. Commission internationale pour l'éxploration scientifique de la Mer Méditerranée 19, 171–172.Google Scholar
Department of Agriculture and Fisheries for Scotland 1964. Photographs of Nephrops norvegicus burrows. Scottish Fisheries Bulletin 22, pl. 11.Google Scholar
Dybern, B. I. & Höisaeter, T. 1965. The burrows of Nephrops norvegicus (L.). Sarsia 21, 49–55.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Farmer, A. S. D. 1975. Synopsis of biological data on the Norway lobster Nephrops norvegicus (Linnaeus, 1758). Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations Fisheries Synopsis 112.Google Scholar
Farrow, G., Scoffin, T., Brown, B. & Cucci, M. 1979. An underwater television survey of facies variation on the inner Scottish shelf between Colonsay, Islay and Jura. Scottish Journal of Geology 15, 13–29.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Foss, G. 1962. Some observations on the ecology of Myxine glutinosa L. Preliminary communication. Sarsia 7, 17–22.Google Scholar
Foss, G. 1968. Behaviour of Myxine glutinosa L. in natural habitat. Investigation of the mud biotope by a suction technique. Sarsia 31, 1–13.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Frey, R. W. (ed.) 1975. The study of trace fossils. New York: Springer-Verlag.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gibson, R. N. & Ezzi, I. A. 1978. The biology of a Scottish population of Fries’ goby, Lesueurigobius friesii. Journal of Fish Biology 12, 371–389.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gordon, J. D. M. & Duncan, J. A. R. 1979. Some notes on the biology of the snake blenny, Lumpenus lampretaeformis on the west coast of Scotland. Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 59, 413–419.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Howard, F. G. 1982. The Red Band-fish, a newcomer to the Clyde. Scottish Fisheries Bulletin 47, 52.Google Scholar
Mclntyre, A. D. 1971. Marine zoobenthos in the light of recent research. In The Ocean World. Proceedings of the Joint Oceanographic Assembly (Tokyo 1970), ed. Uda, M., pp. 139–141. Tokyo: Japan Society for Promotion of Science.Google Scholar
Moore, P. G. 1984. The fauna of the Clyde Sea Area. Crustacea: Amphipoda. Millport: University Marine Biological Station.Google Scholar
Nash, R. D. M. 1980a. The behavioural ecology of small demersal fish associated with soft sediments. Ph.D. Thesis, University of Glasgow.Google Scholar
Nash, R. D. M. 1980b. Laboratory observations on the burrowing of the snake blenny, Lumpenus lampretaeformis (Walbaum), in soft sediment. Journal of Fish Biology 16, 639–648.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Nash, R. D. M. 1982a. The biology of Fries goby, Lesueurigobius friesii (Malm), in the Firth of Clyde, Scotland, and a comparison with other stocks. Journal of Fish Biology 21, 69–85.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Nash, R. D. M. 1982b. The diel behaviour of small demersal fish on soft sediments on the west coast of Scotland using a variety of techniques: with special reference to Lesueurigobius friesii (Pisces: Gobiidae). Pubblicazioni della Stuzione Zoologica di Napoli I: Marine Ecology 3, 161–178.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Nash, R. D. M., Chapman, C. J., Atkinson, R. J. A. & Morgan, P. J. 1984. Observations on the burrows and burrowing behaviour of Calocaris macandreae (Crustacea: Decapoda: Thalassinoidea). Journal of Zoology, Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London 202, 425–439.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pearson, T. H. & Rosenberg, R. 1978. Macrobenthic succession in relation to organic enrichment and pollution. Oceanography and Marine Biology Annual Review 16, 229–311.Google Scholar
Pemberton, G. S., Risk, M. J. & Buckley, D. E. 1976. Supershrimp: deep bioturbation in the Strait of Canso, Nova Scotia. Science 192, 790–791.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Pullin, R. S. V., Morris, D. J., Bridges, C. R. & Atkinson, R. J. A. 1980. Aspects of the respiratory physiology of the burrowing fish Cepola rubescens L. Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology 66A, 35–42.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pye, M. I. A. 1980. Studies of burrows in recent sublittoral fine sediments off the west coast of Scotland. Ph.D. Thesis, University of Glasgow.Google Scholar
Rhoads, D. C. 1974. Organism-sediment relations on the muddy sea floor. Oceanography and Marine Biology Annual Review 12, 263–300.Google Scholar
Rhoads, D. C. & Boyer, L. F. 1982. The effects of marine benthos on physical properties of sediments. A successional perspective. In Animal-Sediment Relations, eds. McCall, P. L. & Tevesz, M. J. S., Chap. 1, pp. 3–52. New York: Plenum Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rice, A. L. & Chapman, C. J. 1971. Observations on the burrows and burrowing behaviour of two mud-dwelling decapod crustaceans, Nephrops norvegicus and Goneplax rhomboides. Marine Biology 10, 330–342.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rice, A. L. & Chapman, C. J. 1974. Scampi. Sea Frontiers 20, 258–268.Google Scholar
Rice, A. L. & Chapman, C. J. & Johnstone, A. D. F. 1972. The burrowing behaviour of the gobiid fish Lesueurigobius friesii (Collett). Zeitschrift für Tierpsychologie 30, 431–438.Google Scholar
Taylor, A. C., Morris, S. & Bridges, C. R. 1985. Oxygen and carbon dioxide transporting properties of the blood of three sublittoral species of burrowing crab. Journal of Comparative Physiology B155, 733–742.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Tenore, K. R. & Coull, B. C. (eds.) 1980. Marine benthic dynamics. The Belle W. Baruch Library in Marine Science, Number 11. Columbia: University of South Carolina.Google Scholar