The mud shrimp Corophium volutator: a key species in tidal flat sedimentary processes?
This PhD thesis examines the influence of small-scale biotic processes on sediment properties and sediment dynamics of tidal flats. Corophium volutator is thereby used as a model organism since it is a very abundant prey species in North Atlantic tidal flats, which has the potential to modify the be...
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| Other Authors: | , |
| Format: | Doctoral or Postdoctoral Thesis |
| Language: | English |
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Ghent University. Faculty of Sciences
2010
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| Online Access: | https://biblio.ugent.be/publication/932924 http://hdl.handle.net/1854/LU-932924 https://biblio.ugent.be/publication/932924/file/4335215 |
| Summary: | This PhD thesis examines the influence of small-scale biotic processes on sediment properties and sediment dynamics of tidal flats. Corophium volutator is thereby used as a model organism since it is a very abundant prey species in North Atlantic tidal flats, which has the potential to modify the benthic physical environment, and for which contrasting results on sediment stability have been observed. Several experiments and a field study quantify different aspects of the impact of Corophium bioturbation on the biophysical environment, and the consequences for sediment erodability. The general discussion integrates the results to discuss ecosystem engineering effects of Corophium in cohesive mudflats with implications for tidal flat morphology. |
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