Density-dependent growth of bivalves dominating the intertidal zone of Banc d’Arguin, Mauritania: importance of feeding mode, habitat and season

Abstract

Accurate predictions of population dynamics require an understanding of the ways by which environmental conditions and species-specific traits affect the magnitude of density dependence. Here we evaluate the potential impact of season and habitat (characterized by sediment grain-size and seagrass biomass) on the magnitude of density dependence in shell growth of three infaunal bivalve species dominating the tropical intertidal benthic communities of Banc d'Arguin (Mauritania). Two of our focal species are filter feeders (i.e. Senilia senilis and Pelecyora isocardia) and one is a facultative mixotroph (i.e. Loripes orbiculatus), mainly relying on organic carbon provided by sulphide-oxidizing endosymbiotic gill-bacteria (i.e. chemosymbiotic). Distinguishing two seasons, winter and summer, we manipulated local bivalve densities across habitats (from bare sandy sediments to seagrasscovered mud). In situ growth of individually tagged and relocated clams was measured and compared with those of tagged clams that were allocated to adjacent sites where local bivalve densities were doubled. Growth was negatively density dependent in both winter and summer in P. isocardia and L. orbiculatus, the two species that mainly inhabit seagrass sediments, but not in S. senilis, usually found in bare sediments. As reproduction and survival rates are generally size-dependent in bivalves, our results suggest that in our tropical study system, the bivalve community of seagrass-covered sediments is more strongly regulated than that of adjacent bare sediments, regardless of species-specific feeding mode or season. We suggest that ecosystem engineering by seagrasses enhances environmental stability, which allows bivalve populations within tropical seagrass beds to stay close to carrying capacity.