Juergen Schieber wrote:
> From my readings I gather that polychates are typically covered with a
> mucous coating
I think some produce it when they need to.
> and that some also live in mucous stabilized tubes in the
> sediment.
Yes.
> Do errant polychates leave behind a sediment trail while they
> move through the sediment (say a layer of sand)?
Many errants may well be living in permanent burrows and not be quite so
random wanderers as that sentence suggests. Any movement through
sediment leaves a trace which lasts until the next disturbance. There are
papers about with X-rays of sediment profiles.
> And if so, is there any
> literature discussing this and about the longevity of the slime trails once
> the worm has moved on? The question has relevance for observations in
> bioturbated sandstones.
Yes. But a geologist probably knows the track & trail & ichnology &
lebensspuren literature fairly well. If there is some particular need for info
on the mucus residue aspect please clarify.
--
Geoff Read <g.read at niwa.cri.nz>
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