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Document Type

Book Chapter

Department/Program

Virginia Institute of Marine Science

Editors

Bruce W. Nelson

Publication Date

1972

Book Title

Environmental Framework of Coastal Plain Estuaries

Publisher

Geological Society of America

City

Bolder

Volume

133

Series

Geological Society of America Memoir

Abstract

Filter feeders, such as mollusks, tunicates, and barnacles, ingest particles as small as 1 micron during their feeding process and void them in fecal pellets which range from 500 to 3,000 microns in length; these pellets settle at a much faster rate than their component particles. Feces and pseudofeces that settle to the bottom are termed biodeposits. Oyster biodeposits contain 77 to 91 percent inorganic matter, 4 to 12 percent organic carbon, and about 1.0 gram per kilogram of phosphorus. Fecal pellets are alternately deposited and resuspended by tidal currents. They settle and accumulate in areas of estuaries where the fine particles themselves would not. A portion of the biodeposits settling on sediment surfaces is mixed into subsurface deposits and may alter the textural and chemical properties of the original sediments.

Keywords

Fecal pellets, filter feeders, biodeposits

Biodeposition as a Factor in Sedimentation of Fine Suspended Solids in Estuaries


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