Global Database of Benthic Invertebrate Bioturbation and Sediment Mixing, 1970-2017

A georeferenced database compiled from scientific literature between 1970 and 2017 provides measured values of bioturbation intensity, burrow ventilation rates for 42 species, and sediment mixed depth. Martin Solan from the University of Southampton created this dataset to inform global and habitat-specific biogeochemical models. It includes metadata on study source, timing, location, methodology, and environmental conditions.

Use Cases

• Parameterizing global carbon remineralisation models based on bioturbation intensity data.
• Refining functional typologies for sediment-dwelling fauna based on measured ventilation rates.
• Quantifying uncertainty in ecosystem response projections using the compiled environmental metadata.
• Testing the relevance of ecological theory using the georeferenced study locations and timing data.

Strengths

• Compiles data from a 47-year time span (1970-2017).
• Includes species-level measurements for 42 different benthic invertebrates.
• Provides georeferenced locations for each study, enabling spatial analysis.

Limitations

• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Last update date is unknown; freshness unverified.

Provenance

Source

University of Southampton

Collection Method

Compiled from the scientific literature.

Time Range

1970-2017

Geography

Global marine soft sediments