Acute effects of sedimentation on Cumella vulgaris hart 1930 (cumacea)
The ability of Cumella vulgaris to avoid burial under different rates of sedimentation and to recover from burial once buried was studied. Sedimentation rates higher than 0. 25 cm/mm are necessary to bury 50% of C. vulgaris with the deposition of 4 cm of sediment. Cumella vulgaris can swim several t...
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| Language: | en_US |
| Published: |
2012
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| Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/1957/27928 |
| Summary: | The ability of Cumella vulgaris to avoid burial under different
rates of sedimentation and to recover from burial once buried was
studied. Sedimentation rates higher than 0. 25 cm/mm are
necessary to bury 50% of C. vulgaris with the deposition of 4 cm of
sediment.
Cumella vulgaris can swim several times faster than the
sedimentation rates at which fine sand successfully buried
it. Immatures and females swam at speeds of 0.25-1.5 cm/sec;
males swam at speeds up to 5 cm/sec. Sinking speeds of live C.
vulgaris were proportional to size and varied from 0.2-1.6 cm/sec.
Cumella vulgaris should be able to avoid burial by dredging caused
sedimentation. Dredging's most important impact on this
species would most likely be long term changes in a bay which
might reduce its habitat.
Dead C. vulgaris were buried in their habitat in winter.
Four days later one-half were successfully recovered by coring.
When doing field studies of the acute effects of dredging on a
habitat one needs to be aware that victims of burial may be recoverable
for several days after death and may need to be distinguished from living animals. === Graduation date: 1977 |
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