The harbour ragworm, Nereis (Hediste) diversicolor is a common intertidal marine polychaete that lives in burrows from which it has to partially emerge in order to forage. In doing so, it is exposed to a variety of predators. One way in which predation risk can be minimised is through chemical detection from within the relative safety of the burrows. Using CCTV and motion capture software, we s...

Only a handful of non-human animals are known to grow their own food by cultivating high-yield fungal or algal crops as staple food. Here we report an alternative strategy utilized by an omnivorous marine worm, Hediste diversicolor, to supplement its diet: gardening by sprouting seeds. In addition to having many other known feeding modes, we showed using video recordings and manipulative mesoco...

The susceptibility of the small abalone Haliotis diversicolor supertexta to Vibrio parahaemolyticus 880915 strain and its extracellular products (ECP) at different temperatures was investigated. The strain was previously isolated from the haemolymph of the moribund small abalone with withering syndrome during an outbreak of mass mortality among the cultured animals in September 1999 in I-Lan, T...

There is increasing concern about the toxicities and potential risks, both still poorly understood, of silver nanoparticles for the aquatic environment after their eventual release via wastewater discharges. In this study, the toxicities of sediment associated nano (<100 nm)-, micron (2-3.5 μm)- and ionic (AgNO(3))-Ag on the sediment-dwelling polychaete, Nereis diversicolor, were compared after...

The effect of macroalgal blooms and predation by wading on benthic macroinvertebrates was examined in the Mondego estuary, Portugal, during spring 1997. Introduced macroalgal cover and exclusion of predators were used to examine changes in density of macroinvertebrates using univariate and multivariate analyses. There was no evidence of changes in numbers of macroinvertebrates due to predation....

Dietary and nondietary accumulation of waterborne zinc (Zn) by shell of abalone Haliotis diversicolor supertexta was studied to determine if abalone shell can accumulate and eliminate Zn biokinetically. Shell of H. diversicolor supertexta rapidly accumulated Zn at microgram per gram concentrations during a 7-d uptake period for dietary and nondietary exposure to 1 microgml(-1) Zn seawater. Depu...

Using a probabilistic risk-based framework, we have developed a simple predictive risk threshold model for protecting the survival of farmed abalone, Haliotis diversicolor supertexta, exposed to waterborne zinc (Zn). Probabilistic techniques using Monte Carlo analysis propagate parameter uncertainty/variability throughout the model, providing decision makers with a credible range of information...

Abstract Antifouling paint particles (APPs) and associated metals have been identified in sediments around boatyards marinas globally, but the effects of APPs on benthic organisms are largely unknown. Sub-lethal endpoints were measured following laboratory exposures harbour ragworm (Hediste diversicolor ) common cockle (Cerastoderma edule) to environmentally relevant concentrations biocidal (‘m...

A field experiment was carried out to test the effect of pore water salinity on the macrobenthic assemblages in an estuarine region of the Tagus estuary (Portugal) subjected to wide fluctuations in salinity. The conditions at the experimental site ranged from freshwater (minimum salinity 0.2) to mesohaline (maximum salinity 15.3). The experimental site was affected by an unexpected deposition o...