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Aya MIYAZAKI
(MSc student)
Research interests:
Ecology of estuarine invertebrates in a tidal flat
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The effect of biogenic substrates in a tidal flat habitat (undergraduate project/graduation thesis)
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The effect of Musculista senhousia on benthic organisms (MSc research)
In soft-sediment environments, many kinds of architectural substrates constructed by biota have been found to facilitate suites of resident organisms. The exotic mussel (Musculista senhousia) and the seagrass (Zostera japonica) on the intertidal soft-bottom provide habitats for benthic organisms in the Hondo sand flat. Composition of macrofauna was different among different types of bed.
In the mussel bed, Polychaeta were particularly abundant, especially species of omnivorous, mobile and jawed types. Crustacea, Gastropoda and Polychaeta (especially omnivores, surface deposit feeders, discretely motile, sessile, jawed and tentacled types) were often seen in the seagrass bed.
However, more organisms occurred in the both mussel and seagrass co-occurring area.
In this habitat, both types of benthos characteristic of each bed co-occurred at high density. Both the mussel bed and the seagrass bed provided not only the architectural structure, but also some biological effects.
These bed effects may be restricted to the sediment surface. There were no significant differences in animal composition and number in the sediment below 10 cm deep among different beds or bare sediment.
Further to my undergraduate project, I intend to clarify the seasonal dynamics of this estuarine system.
The distribution pattern of Musculista senhousia varied dramatically last year and green algae Ulva pertusa were observed to grow on the mussels.
The distribuion of resident organisms might be affected by these changes. Now I plan to investigate the dynamics of the mussel and their residents and intend to conduct experiments to clarify the mechanisms behind observed patterns.
Presentations
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"Spatial distribution of macroinvertebrates associated with biogenic substrates in the intertidal sand flat"
Japanese Ecological Society of Kyushu district, #47, Kyushu Univ. May 2002
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