Comparison of polychaete {Nereis spp.) ventilation in plastic tubes and natural sediment

Abstract

Ventilation of Nereis virens and N. succinea was directly proportional to body weight when monitored in poly-ethylene tubes and natural sediment. Ventilation amplitude and total ventilation was about 3.8 and 1.9 times higher for N. succinea than for N. virens in both environments. Hiqher resistance in natural sediment, compared with that in plastic tubes, reduced ventilation amplitude in the former to only 1/2 that in tubes. Duration of ventilation similarly showed a reduction to 1/3 in natural sediment.