I am working with intertidal muddy sediments. In one of my sites the sediment was extremely muddy (high % of silt), oxic layer was shallow, and there were a lot of oligochaetes.
I would like to know how deep into the sediment they live/go, and in what areas of the sediment column they feed.
Does anyone have literature that I could study?
5 cm
Article Oligochaete influence on settlement, growth and reproduction...
Hello Dunia Rios Yunes
Generally within 1-4 cm, but in Lake Baikal sediments some were found at 7 cm below the sediment surface. However, a study on Lake superior sediments showed that in loose clayey sediments, oligochaetes and nematodes were able to live below 15 cm.
I have found oligochaets buried well beneath the sediment surface, nearing 22-25 cm or even more than that within fluvial deposits of Hooghly river-estuary, especially during the fall months.
Regards
Dr. Abhishek Mukherjee
we find large numbers of oligochaetes in 220cm^3 cores (7.6 cm dia., 5 cm deep) in fine sand sediments off coasts of Hawaii at 30-35 m depth.
- Badges
- Science topic
- Similar topics
- Analytical Chemistry
- Column