Effects of temperature on the behaviour and metabolism of an intertidal foraminifera and consequences for benthic ecosystem functioning

Heatwaves have increased in intensity, duration and frequency over the last decades due to climate change. Intertidal species, living in a highly variable environment, are likely to be exposed to such heatwaves since they can be emerged for more than 6 h during a tidal cycle. Little is known, however, on how temperature affects species traits (e.g. locomotion and behaviour) of slow-moving organisms such as benthic foraminifera (single-celled protists), which abound in marine sediments. Here, we examine how temperature influences motion-behaviour and metabolic traits of the dominant temperate foraminifera Haynesina germanica by exposing individuals to usual (6, 12, 18, 24, 30 °C) and extreme (high; i.e. 32, 34, 36 °C) temperature regimes. Our results show that individuals reduced their activity by up to 80% under high temperature regimes whereas they remained active under the temperatures they usually experience in the field. When exposed to a hyper-thermic stress (i.e. 36 °C), all individuals remained burrowed and the photosynthetic activity of their sequestered chloroplasts significantly decreased. Recovery experiments subsequently revealed that individuals initially exposed to a high thermal regime partially recovered when the hyper-thermic stress ceased. H. germanica contribution to surface sediment reworking substantially diminished from 10 mm3 indiv−1 day−1 (usual temperature) to 0 mm3 indiv−1 day−1 when individuals were exposed to high temperature regimes (i.e.above 32 °C). Given their role in sediment reworking and organic matter remineralisation, our results suggest that heatwaves may have profound long-lasting effects on the functioning of intertidal muddy ecosystems and some key biogeochemical cycles

Assessing behavioural traits of benthic foraminifera: implications for sediment mixing

International audienceThe assessment of behavioural traits of marine organisms is increasingly recognized as a key issue to understand their role in ecosystem processes, such as bioturbation and nutrient cycling. The movement ability of intertidal foraminifera suggest that they may have a role, yet to be quantified, in benthic-pelagic coupling through their movement on the sediment, at the sediment-water interface and within the sediment. In this context, we investigated the behavioural traits of 5 benthic foraminiferal species typical of European temperate mudflats under standardized trophic light and temperature conditions. Behavioural traits related to motion of Ammonia tepida, Haynesina germanica, Cribroelphidium williamsoni, Miliammina fusca and Quinqueloculina seminula species were assessed through their travelled distance, velocity, tortuosity of the path, position in the sediment and activity index. By analogy with macrofauna bioturbation functional groups, we describe the studied foraminifera as biodiffusors-species with 3 subgroups defined according to their vertical position in the sediment. C. williamsoni belongs to the epifaunal-biodiffusors group while A. tepida and H. germanica belongs to surficial-biodiffusors. Finally, the species Q. seminula and M. fusca are considered as gallery-biodiffusors species. Our results further suggest that features such as velocity, activity and tortuosity may mediate sediment-mixing intensity. Therefore, Q. seminula, H. germanica and C. williamsoni which are the most active species, would have larger effect than the less active A. tepida and M. fusca on particles reworking rates. Taken together, our results suggest that benthic foraminifera may play an underestimated role in bioturbation processes

Benthic Foraminifera to assess Ecological Quality Status : the case of the rade de Cherbourg (English Channel)

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