The effect of colliery waste on the feeding of the lugworm Arenicola marina

Sandy shores in northeast England that are heavily contaminated by colliery waste (essentially coal particles) have lower species richnesses and diver sities than less contaminated shores. Analyses of the sediment utilised put atively as food, the gut contents, and the faecal casts of lugworms Arenico la marina (L.) (Annelida: Polychaeta) from a heavily contaminated site (New biggin) and a site lightly contaminated (Seahouses) were performed to deter mine the effect of colliery waste on the feeding of this deposit-feeder, wh ich has been reported to decline in abundance at contaminated sites. Collie ry-waste content of sediment was 10 to Is times greater at Newbiggin than a t Seahouses. At Newbiggin the sediment contained significantly higher level s of colliery waste than did the gut contents or faeces, which were not sig nificantly different from each other. At Seahouses the colliery-waste conte nts of sediment, gut, and faeces were not significantly different. Particle -size distributions in sediment, gut, and faeces from lugworms at Seahouses were similar, while at Newbiggin the sediment contained a greater proporti on of larger particles (>250 mu m) than did the gut contents or the faeces. These results suggest that lugworms at heavily contaminated sites an selec tive feeders, rejecting coal particles perhaps on the basis of particle siz e. We did not detect selectivity in animals at the less contaminated site. Lugworms from Seahouses, however, avoided burrowing into sediment containin g colliery waste both when the waste was on the surface and buried. Lugworm s from Newbiggin avoided bun owing into colliery waste only when it was bur ied. These data suggest a chemosensory response to colliery waste. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.