Temperature effects on tubificid worms and their relation to sediment oxygen demand

Sediment samples were collected from the Dead River in New Jersey and tested in the laboratory under two temperature conditions, 4°C and 20°C. The study was conducted to determine the effect of worm density on the sediment oxygen demand (SOD) rate and if temperature affects the ability for tubificid worms to deplete dissolved oxygen (DO) from the overlying stream water. The study showed that the DO concentration was affected by tubificid worm density and that higher temperature increased the metabolic activity of the worms.