2 Summary Vast expanses of intertidal sand/mudflats serve as a critical link in the food web of nearshore biological communities in many coastal areas of Alaska. The rich abundance of benthic invertebrates residing within the sediments of intertidal flats and the large network of subtidal channels that bisect these flats provide a significant prey resource for numerous species of fish, crabs, b...

Abstract Many aquatic invertebrates undergo an indirect development, a biphasic life cycle which encompasses the transformation of free-swimming larvae into benthic juveniles via settlement and metamorphosis. During this transition, metamorphic competence is crucial developmental stage that allows to swim feed in planktonic realm while retaining ability settle metamorphose response environmenta...

A budget for algal carbon was constructed to quantify the magnitude and major pathways of pelagicbenthic coupling at a site in southeastern Lake Michigan. The flux of algal C to the benthos and the rate of carbon burial were estimated from sediment traps and dated sediment cores, respectively. Assimilation and respiration rates of Diporeia sp., an abundant benthic amphipod, and of sediment micr...

Environmental DNA (eDNA) metabarcoding is a new, promising, and non-invasive method to detect biodiversity in aquatic environments. So far, it has mainly been used screen for fish amphibian diversity rarely macroinvertebrates. Typically, relies on PCR amplification of fragment the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase I (COI) gene with degenerate primers. In comparison other genes like 16S, COI gr...

At temperate latitudes where seasonal changing environmental conditions strongly affect the magnitude, duration and species composition of pelagic primary production, macrobenthic organisms living below photic zone rely on sedimentation organic matter as their energy source. The succession from nutritious spring blooms to summer cyanobacteria is assumed reduce food quality for benthic consumers...

Studies on pH stress in marine animals typically focus direct or species-specific aspects. We here test the hypothesis that a drop to = 7.6 indirectly affects intra- and interspecific interactions of benthic invertebrates by means chemical communication. recorded fitness-relevant behaviours small hermit crabs Diogenes pugilator , green shore Carcinus maenas harbour ragworms Hediste diversicolor...