Effect of the brittle star <i>Amphiura filiformis</i> (Amphiuridae, Echinodermata) on oxygen flux into the sediment

Abstract

O 2 plays a key role in early sedimentary diagenetic processes, but the effect of most macrofaunal species on the pathways and rates of supply of O 2 into the seabed are not well known. We investigated the effect of the ophiuroid Amphiura filiformis , one of the dominant macrobenthic species on soft bottoms in the northeast Atlantic, at depths of ~15–100 m, in a laboratory environment. We determined how the presence of the ophiuroid changed the total O 2 uptake of macrofauna‐free sediment by combining measurements from a microcosm approach and an approach that uses microelectrodes and a flushed aquarium. We suggest that natural populations of A. filiformis can account for 80% of the total flux of O 2 into the soft bottom. At least 67% of this portion is due to the diffusion of O 2 across additional sediment‐water interfaces excavated by the brittle star.