Research papersAssessment of benthic disturbance associated with stingray foraging for ghost shrimp by aerial survey over an intertidal sandflat

- Aerial survey was made to assess pit formation by stingrays on a tidal flat.
- Manual survey was conducted for tidal-flat elevation and prey (ghost shrimp) density.
- Newly-formed pit volume−area relationship was determined manually on the tidal flat.
- Pit distribution pattern related to elevation and prey-density variation was detected.
- Density of excavated area and displaced-sediment volume of pits d−1 was estimated.

One notable type of bioturbation in marine soft sediments involves the excavation of large pits and displacement of sediment associated with predator foraging for infaunal benthos. Batoids are among the most powerful excavators, yet their impact on sediment has been poorly studied. For expansive tidal flats, only relatively small proportions of the habitat can be sampled due to physical and logistical constraints. The knowledge of the dynamics of these habitats, including the spatial and temporal distribution of ray bioturbation, thus remains limited. We combined the use of aerial photogrammetry and in situ benthic sampling to quantify stingray feeding pits in Tomioka Bay, Amakusa, Japan. Specifically, we mapped newly-formed pits over an 11-ha section of an intertidal sandflat over two consecutive daytime low tides. Pit size and distribution patterns were assumed to scale with fish size and reflect size-specific feeding behaviors, respectively. In situ benthic surveys were conducted for sandflat-surface elevation and prey density (callianassid shrimp). The volume versus area relationship was established as a logistic function for pits of varying sizes by photographing and refilling them with sediment. This relationship was applied to the area of every pit detected by air to estimate volume, in which special attention was paid to ray ontogenetic change in space utilization patterns. In total, 18,103 new pits were formed per day, with a mean individual area of 1060 cm2. The pits were divided into six groups (G1 to G6 in increasing areas), with abundances of G1, G2+G3, and G4−G6 being medium, high, and low, respectively. Statistical analyses using generalized linear models revealed a marked preference for the higher prey-density areas in G1 and the restriction of feeding grounds of G4−G6 to the lower shore, with G2+G3 being generalists for prey density and sandflat elevation. The lower degrees of overall bioturbation by G1 and G4−G6 were spatially structured for the eight sub-areas demarcated by prey density and sandflat elevation, while G2+G3 homogenized the state over the sandflat. The newly-formed pits׳ sub-areal mean numerical, excavated-areal, and displaced-sediment-volume densities per day were confined to small ranges: 0.14-0.17 m−2, 132-223 cm2 m−2, and 551-879 cm3 m−2 (latter two including 119 shallow non-pit excavations). These bioturbation rates are positioned at relatively high levels compared with those by rays from other geographic regions. The present procedure is applicable to the assessment of disturbance by any surface-sediment excavators on tidal flats if their pit dimensions are discernible from the air.