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Benthic species as mud patrol - modelled effects of bioturbators and biofilms on large-scale estuarine mud and morphology

Brückner, Muriel Z.M.; Schwarz, Christian; Coco, Giovanni; Baar, Anne; Boechat Albernaz, Márcio; Kleinhans, Maarten G.

Authors

Muriel Z.M. Brückner

Christian Schwarz

Giovanni Coco

Anne Baar

Márcio Boechat Albernaz

Maarten G. Kleinhans



Abstract

Sediment-stabilizing and -destabilizing organisms, i.e. microphytobenthos (biofilms) and macrozoobenthos (bioturbators), affect the erodibility of muddy sediments, potentially altering large-scale estuarine morphology. Using a novel eco-morphodynamic model of an idealized estuary, we investigate eco-engineering effects of microphytobenthos and two macrozoobenthic bioturbators. Local mud erodibility is based on species pattern predicted through hydrodynamics, soil mud content, competition and grazing. Mud resuspension and export is enhanced under bioturbation and prevented under biostabilization through respective exposure and protection of the supra- and intertidal. Bioturbation decreases mud thickness and bed elevations, which increases net mud fluxes. Microphytobenthos reduces erosion, leading to a local mud increase of intertidal sediments. In multi-species scenarios, an effective mud-prone bioturbator strongly alters morphology, exceeding that of a more abundant sand-prone moderate species, showing that morphological change depends on species traits as opposed to abundance. Altering their habitat, the effective mud-prone bioturbator facilitates expansion of the sand-prone moderate bioturbator. Grazing and species competition favor species distributions of dominant bioturbators. Consequently, eco-engineering affects habitat conditions while species interactions determine species dominance. Our results show that eco-engineering species determine the mud content of the estuary, which suggests large effects on the morphology of estuaries with aggravating habitat degradation.

Citation

Brückner, M. Z., Schwarz, C., Coco, G., Baar, A., Boechat Albernaz, M., & Kleinhans, M. G. (2021). Benthic species as mud patrol - modelled effects of bioturbators and biofilms on large-scale estuarine mud and morphology. Earth surface processes and landforms : the journal of the British Geomorphological Research Group, 46(6), 1128-1144. https://doi.org/10.1002/esp.5080

Journal Article Type Article
Acceptance Date Jan 16, 2021
Online Publication Date Feb 3, 2021
Publication Date May 1, 2021
Deposit Date Feb 4, 2025
Publicly Available Date Feb 4, 2025
Journal Earth Surface Processes and Landforms
Print ISSN 0197-9337
Publisher Wiley
Peer Reviewed Peer Reviewed
Volume 46
Issue 6
Pages 1128-1144
DOI https://doi.org/10.1002/esp.5080
Keywords Bioturbation; Biostabilization; Mud; Eco-engineeering; Estuary; Eco-emorphodynamic model
Public URL https://hull-repository.worktribe.com/output/3747126

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Publisher Licence URL
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0

Copyright Statement
© 2021 The Authors. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited and is not used for commercial purposes.






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