Using tsunami deposits to determine the maximum depth of benthic burrowing

PLoS One. 2017 Aug 30;12(8):e0182753. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0182753. eCollection 2017.

Abstract

The maximum depth of sediment biomixing is directly related to the vertical extent of post-depositional environmental alteration in the sediment; consequently, it is important to determine the maximum burrowing depth. This study examined the maximum depth of bioturbation in a natural marine environment in Funakoshi Bay, northeastern Japan, using observations of bioturbation structures developed in an event layer (tsunami deposits of the 2011 Tohoku-Oki earthquake) and measurements of the radioactive cesium concentrations in this layer. The observations revealed that the depth of bioturbation (i.e., the thickness of the biomixing layer) ranged between 11 and 22 cm, and varied among the sampling sites. In contrast, the radioactive cesium concentrations showed that the processing of radioactive cesium in coastal environments may include other pathways in addition to bioturbation. The data also revealed the nature of the bioturbation by the heart urchin Echinocardium cordatum (Echinoidea: Loveniidae), which is one of the important ecosystem engineers in seafloor environments. The maximum burrowing depth of E. cordatum in Funakoshi Bay was 22 cm from the seafloor surface.

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Earthquakes*
  • Ecosystem
  • Geologic Sediments / analysis*
  • Japan
  • Sea Urchins / physiology*
  • Tsunamis*

Grants and funding

This study was partly supported by JSPS KAKENHI Grant Number JP16781047 awarded to Kotaro Shirai (http://www.jsps.go.jp/english/e-grants/index.html) and by Tohoku Ecosystem–Associated Marine Sciences (TEAMS) grant (http://www.i-teams.jp/e/about/) from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology (MEXT). This study was also supported through the cooperative program of the Atmosphere and Ocean Research Institute (AORI), the University of Tokyo, and the cooperative research program of the Center for Advanced Marine Core Research (CMCR), Kochi University (number 14B024), and was also supported by the joint research program of the Institute for Cosmic Ray Research (ICRR), the University of Tokyo. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.