bioturbation
noun
bio·tur·ba·tion
ˌbī-ō-tər-ˈbā-shən 
: the restructuring of sedimentary deposits (as in a lake bottom or seabed) by moving organisms (such as worms and burrowing clams)
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From about the 1400s to the 1600s, the Latin borrowing turbation was used to refer to a disturbance or perturbation - even though both disturbance and perturbation were already well-established words in the language. Years later, the word was revived in the International Scientific Vocabulary as the base for congeliturbation, "the churning or heaving of the soil by freezing and thawing," and bioturbation, referring to the activity of organisms disturbing the sediment.
Examples of bioturbation in a Sentence
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Statistical analyses confirmed significant spatial autocorrelation, particularly on days with higher bioturbation activity.
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Melissa Cristina Marquez, Forbes, 3 Oct. 2024
In fact, comparisons with global studies showed there were substantial bioturbation rates observed in Brisbane Water Estuary, placing these rays among the top contributors to sediment turnover in similar habitats worldwide.
—Melissa Cristina Marquez, Forbes, 3 Oct. 2024
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Melissa Cristina Marquez, Forbes, 3 Oct. 2024
In fact, comparisons with global studies showed there were substantial bioturbation rates observed in Brisbane Water Estuary, placing these rays among the top contributors to sediment turnover in similar habitats worldwide.
—Melissa Cristina Marquez, Forbes, 3 Oct. 2024
Cite this Entry
“Bioturbation.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bioturbation. Accessed 6 May. 2025.
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