The implementation of sustainable system designs in aquaculture comprises the biological treatment of pollutants. In order to test the potential of Holothuria (Roweothuria) poli as a candidate for bioremediation of aquaculture wastes, the effect of this species on the benthic microbial activity was studied. Two experimental treatments, with and without holothuroids, were allocated in two benthocosms, each one containing four replicate tanks with undisturbed sediment and a volume of water above it. It was anticipated that H. poli could affect the overall assimilative capacity of the aquaculture effluent system either through the consumption of particulate organic matter or through the stimulation of benthic microbial metabolism. Indeed, the results indicated that the microbial activity related to the mineralization of the N and C was significantly different between the treatments verifying our hypothesis that deposit-feeders that move above or inside the sediment matrix can accelerate the depletion of organic matter through bioturbation.
Keywords: Aquaculture impacts; Benthic bacteria; Bioremediation; Holothuroids; Sediment biogeochemistry.
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