Negligible effect of the benthic fauna on measuring the nutrient upward fluxes from coastal sediments

Although the influence of benthic fauna on estimating the nutrient upward fluxes from the coastal sediments are a concern, there are few comprehensive studies. We conducted monthly observations in a coastal embayment to examine the effect of benthic fauna on measuring the nutrient flux. Nutrient fluxes were measured by the core incubation method and the densities of organisms in benthic communities were also measured. Numerical composition of benthic communities, according to taxonomic group, was dominated by Polychaeta composed of a few Capitellida and Spionidae species. A negligible effect of the benthic communities on measuring nutrient fluxes was demonstrated.