HOLOTHURIANS ROLE IN THE MARINE SEDIMENTS
REWORKING PROCESSES.
MAHMOUD A. RADI DAR
National Institute of Oceanography and Fisheries, Hurghada, Egypt. |
Sediment reworking processes in the tidal flat areas are very important in order to provide the favorable environment for the other living fauna and flora. These processes change the underlying sediment facies and help the other oceanographic factors to work on these sediments. The gut contents of six holothu-rian species, the amount of sediments consumed per day and the annual reworking rates are studied in details. This study appears that the holothurians are the most efficacious benthos in the tidal flat zones and if missed, the other benthos as the coral reefs will really threaten.
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