Burrow distribution of thalassinidean shrimp on a Fraser Delta tidal flat, British Columbia

Abstract

Burrows of the thalassinidean shrimp Callianassa californiensis and Upogebia pugettensis, which resemble the trace fossils Thalassinoides and Ophiomorpha, respectively, occur on the southern tidal flats at the western front of the Fraser Delta. Burrow densities for both shrimp species are highest at lower intertidal levels immediately inshore of an extensive bed of Zostera marina eelgrass, but the high-density shrimp populations are segregated: the highest densities of C. californiensis burrows (350–450 burrow openings/m2) occur in a strip of clean sandy sediments, whereas U. pugettensis burrows are most abundant (30–80 burrow openings/m2) in a patch of muddy sands and sandy muds. On the tidal flats of the Fraser Delta as a whole, however, textural properties of the sediment show no consistent correlation with the burrow density of either shrimp.In the eelgrass bed, eelgrass root mats appear to markedly restrict the density of C. californiensis burrows. Towards the shore, the well-lined dwelling burrows of U. pugettensis occur no higher than mean sea level where maximum continuous exposure is ≤0.5 days. In contrast, C. californiensis, which has an unlined feeding burrow and a higher tolerance for anoxia, is present up to the margin of the local salt marsh which lies near the mean higher high water level where the flats can be exposed continuously up to 5 days.In situ experiments indicate that C. californiensis extrudes 18 ± 9 ml of wet sediment/shrimp/ day onto the substrate surface, while U. pugettensis seldom forms a mound around its burrow entrance. Burial of filter-feeding postlarval U. pugettensis under the mounds produced by C. californiensis may increase postlarval mortality and reduce adult populations of U. pugettensis in areas of high C. californiensis burrow density.The results of this study suggest that in distinguishing Ophiomorpha from Thalassinoides more emphasis should be placed on the presence of an extensive burrow lining in Ophiomorpha than on the presence of a knobby burrow exterior, because the former characteristic has a more profound bearing on burrow function, physiology of the occupant organism, and, consequently, burrow distribution.