Arenicola

Arenicola is a genus of marine segmented worms, commonly called lugworms. Its members burrow in sediment and feed on organic matter.

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Arenicola marina: A lugworm species common on sandy shores of the northeastern Atlantic. This well-studied species illustrates the genus’s burrowing and deposit-feeding habits.
Annelida: A phylum of segmented worms, including earthworms, leeches, and marine polychaetes. Arenicola is one lineage within this broad group of segmented animals.
Ecosystem engineering: The alteration of habitats by organisms through their physical activities. Burrowing and feeding by lugworms modify the structure and chemistry of shore sediments.
Arenicola defodiens: A large lugworm species found on European Atlantic coasts. It is a distinct European species often considered alongside Arenicola marina.
Deposit feeding: A feeding strategy in which animals ingest sediment or other material to consume its organic content. Lugworms obtain food by swallowing sediment rich in organic matter.
Polychaete: A mostly marine annelid worm typically bearing paired bristles on body segments. Lugworms are polychaetes, though their external bristles are relatively inconspicuous.
Sediment oxygenation: The supply of oxygen to sediment, often through water movement or animal burrows. Water flow through lugworm burrows carries oxygen below the sediment surface.
Arenicola cristata: A lugworm species distributed along Atlantic coasts of the Americas. Its range and anatomy illustrate the genus beyond European shores.
Bioturbation: The mixing and displacement of sediment by living organisms. Lugworm burrowing continually moves and aerates intertidal sediment.
Metamerism: The division of an animal body into repeated anatomical segments. Repeated segments are a defining feature of lugworm anatomy.