Ecology of Polydora Cornuta Bosc , 1802 (Spionidae: Polychaeta)
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Journal of Water and Environment Technology, Vol. 9, No.3, 2011 Ecology of Polydora cornuta Bosc , 1802 (Spionidae: Polychaeta) in the Eutrophic Port of Fukuyama, with Special Reference to Life Cycle, Distribution, and Feeding Type Norimi TAKATA, Hiroyuki TAKAHASHI, Satoshi UKITA, Kyoko YAMASAKI, Hidefumi AWAKIHARA Nippon Total Science, Inc., 399-46 Minamigaoka, Minoshima, Fukuyama, Hiroshima 721-0957, Japan ABSTRACT Fukuyama Port is a semi-enclosed harbor located in the central region of the Seto Inland Sea. During June 1998, no dissolved oxygen (DO) was present at the bottom layer of the water column. Low DO conditions continued until October, coinciding with a period of high water temperature. A study of the life cycle, distributive characteristics, and feeding type of Polydora cornuta Bosc, 1802, inhabiting the organically polluted port area, was performed. Polydora cornuta which lives in mud tubes in bottom sediments, was found to be unevenly distributed in the innermost part of the port. Taxonomic characteristics are modifications of setiger 5, which includes major heavy spines. Predicted life-cycle duration, based on the 11.5 - 18.2°C temperature of bottom mud during the normal life period for this species, was 40 to 59 days. Appearance of benthic life-stage individuals was limited to winter and spring (i.e., January to May). However, pelagic larval individuals were present throughout the year. The distribution and density of P. cornuta reflected the DO conditions of the bottom layer and sediment. Stable carbon and nitrogen isotope analysis indicated that this species is a suspension feeder. Keywords: Fukuyama Port, life cycle, Polydora cornuta, suspension feeder INTRODUCTION Fukuyama Port (ca. 10 km long, 1 km wide) is located in the Bingo-nada area, the central area of the Seto Inland Sea. The port is a semi-enclosed harbor with a mean tidal range of 2.6 m, poor tidal exchange, and marked eutrophication. Based on the information from studies in other countries, Polydora cornuta Bosc, 1802 along with one or two spionid species should dominate the benthic biomass of the mud of the port basin (Imajima, 1996) and similarly perturbed coastal areas (Anger et al., 1986; Tena et al., 1991; Radashevsky and Hsieh, 2000; Cinar et al., 2005; Surugiu, 2005). Polydora cornuta is a cosmopolitan, opportunistic, and alien species (Grassle and Grassle, 1974; Cinar et al., 2005; Streftaris and Zenetos, 2006; Rice et al., 2008), and little information of its life history in Japanese waters is available. Some species of these genera excavate burrows in the shells of mollusks (Sato-Okoshi and Okoshi, 1993; Sato-Okoshi, 1999; Sato-Okoshi, 2000); however, P. cornuta inhabits mud tubes constructed in the bottom sediment (Takata et al., 1996; Sato-Okoshi, 2000; Yamada et al., 2001). The mature female worms produce egg capsules in the mud tubes, and after emergence and a certain period of pelagic life, the larvae settle onto the sediment. Because P. cornuta is opportunistic, its life cycle is likely to be short (Environment Canada, 2001; Takata, 2011). We studied the animal’s life cycle from laboratory-reared larvae and clarified the distributive characteristics and feeding type using stable isotope analysis. Address correspondence to Norimi Takata, Nippon Total Science, Inc., Email: [email protected] Received December 12, 2010, Accepted April 30, 2011. - 259 - Journal of Water and Environment Technology, Vol. 9, No.3, 2011 METHODS Sampling and taxonomy We established five monitoring stations for routine assessment of the water and bottom environment and benthic communities in Fukuyama Port (Stn.1 to Stn.5, Fig. 1). Samples taken using water sampler type of Van-Dorn and Smith-McIntyre bottom sampler from all five stations each month from April 1998 to March 1999, and the chemical composition of the water and sediment were analyzed in the laboratory (Nippon Total Science, Inc., Fukuyama, Japan). Water temperature, salinity, and dissolved oxygen (DO) were measured 0.5 m below the surface, at half the depth, and at 0.5 m above the bottom of the five stations using a salinograph and a DO meter (WQC-20A, DKK-TOA Co., Tokyo, Japan). The oxygen saturation profile was developed with EVS-PRO software (C TECH Development Co., HI, U.S.A). Ignition loss (IL), chemical oxygen demand (COD), acid volatile sulfide (AVS), and mud content of the sediment samples were measured as described by the Environment Agency, Japan (1988) and Arakawa (1980). Total carbon (T-C) in the sediments was measured using a CHN analyzer (EA-1110, EC Instruments, U.K.) in the laboratory. At the same time as sediment sampling for chemical analysis, benthic fauna were sampled using a 0.05 m2 Smith-McIntyre bottom sampler. These samples were washed through a 1.0 mm mesh sieve and then fixed in 5% (v/v) neutralized formalin. Morphological characteristics of P. cornuta were examined using a stereomicroscope and scanning electron microscope (SEM, JSM-6510LA, JEOL Ltd., Tokyo, Japan). Pelagic larvae were sampled vertically from a depth of 0.5 m from the bottom to the surface using an XX13 (100 μm mesh) plankton net (Rigo Co., Tokyo, Japan). Numbers of collected pelagic larvae were calculated for specific areas (individuals indv./m2) assuming settlement and density of the pelagic larvae. Larvae of P. cornuta and Paraprionospio spp. were separated from the plankton samples. Benthic P. cornuta was identified based on Rice and Simon (1980), Blake and Arnofsky (1999), Blake and Maciolek (1987), and Radashevsky and Hsieh (2000), and benthic Paraprionospio spp. were identified according to Yokoyama (2007) and Yokoyama and Tamai (1981). Identification of larvae of P. cornuta was carried out according to Radashevsky (2005) while identification of larvae of Paraprionospio spp. was carried out according to Yokoyama (1996). Stn.1 (34° 28’ 46.7”, 133° 23’ 11.6”) Stn.2 (34° 28’ 45.7”, 133° 24’ 06.0”) Fukuyama Stn.3 (34° 28’ 45.8”, 133° 24’ 31.6”) TheInlandSea Stn.4 (34° 27’ 34.9”, 133° 24’ 39.2”) Stn.5 (34° 26’ 41.7”, 133° 26’ 11.4”) Fig. 1 - Location of monitoring stations in Fukuyama Port - 260 - Journal of Water and Environment Technology, Vol. 9, No.3, 2011 Laboratory-reared Polydora cornuta Sediment samples were collected using a 0.05 m2 Smith-McIntyre bottom sampler in the inner part of the port (Stn.1) on April 5, 1999. Samples were taken back to the laboratory, and the sediment containing the organisms’ mud tubes was transferred to a glass tank. Between April 1999 and June 1999 larvae were collected within 24 h of hatching and placed in a 20 L water tank. Tanks were then incubated at three water temperatures (18, 24, or 28°C). Seawater and benthic mud from the field site were used in each tank, and yeast (Nisshin Foods Inc. Tokyo, Japan) was added as a food source at a concentration of 5 mg/L twice a day. Larval settlement in each tank was sampled on a daily basis from day 2 to day 5. After day 5, the worms were treated with MgCl2, and the number of setigers and body length were determined, using a binocular microscope. In addition, the number of days from hatching to settlement on the bottom (pelagic duration) and to hatching of the second generation (generation time) was recorded. Pelagic duration and generation time were determined from the experiment start date. Because individual settlement on the bottom was relatively easy to observe, mean pelagic duration was calculated to be the mean value of daily settlement. On the other hand, because determining the hatching status of each individual was difficult, generation time was fixed at the starting date of hatching (lowest value). Stable isotope analysis Sediment samples from the inner part of the port were taken on March 4, 2008 (Stn.1, Fig. 1) using a Smith-McIntyre bottom sampler, and P. cornuta and Capitella sp. were picked out of the bottom sediments. Water samples were collected at 1.0 m above the bottom using a Van Dorn type water sampler, and particulate organic matter (POM) was immediately filtered through a glass-fiber filter (GS-25, Toyo Roshi Kaisha, Ltd., Tokyo, Japan). After collection, all samples were kept at -20°C. Seven randomly selected individuals of P. cornuta and Capitella sp. from the cryopreserved samples and five randomly selected samples of POM and bottom sediment were analyzed for stable isotope ratios of carbon and nitrogen. In the laboratory, seven randomly selected individuals of benthic worms (P. cornuta, Capitella sp.) were carefully extracted, oven dried at 60°C for 24 h or more, and ground with a mortar and pestle. Lipids were then removed using a chloroform : methanol (2 : 1 v/v) solution. The top clear layer was removed, and the residue was dried again for 24 h in a glass desiccator. Particulate organic matter (POM) and sediment were dried for 24 h. Particulate organic matter (POM) samples were removed from the filter after drying and were ground with a mortar and pestle. Samples were then acidified with 1 mol/L HCl overnight at room temperature to remove carbonates and were subsequently washed with Milli-Q water. Stable isotope ratios of carbon and nitrogen were measured using an ANCA-SL mass spectrometer (SerCon Ltd., U.K.). Isotope ratios for 13 C and 15 N are expressed as deviations from the standard as defined by the following equations: 13C /12C 13 C /12 C 13C(‰) sample sample PDB PDB 1000 13C /12C PDB PDB - 261 - Journal of Water and Environment Technology, Vol. 9, No.3, 2011 15 N /14N 15N /14 N 15N(‰) sample sample N3 N2 1000 15 N /14N N2 N2 Belemnite (PDB) and atmospheric nitrogen were used as isotope standards for carbon and nitrogen, respectively.