Effects of habitat quality on abundance, size and growth of mussel recruits

Abstract

Recruitment of mussels is a complex process with the successful arrival of individuals hinging on the availability of suitable habitats. We examined the effects of adult mussels as settlement habitat and the degree to which the suitability of habitat they offer is species-specific by comparing the recruitment success of intertidal mussels. We hypothesised that mussel recruitment and early growth are dictated by the quality of habitat offered by conspecifics adults. We used a unique experimental arena on the south coast of South Africa, where Mytilus galloprovincialis and two lineages of Perna perna co-exist. Treatments were based on the translocation of individuals of M. galloprovincialis , western- and eastern lineage of P . perna to a single site, where artificial beds were created and sampled monthly over one year. Recruit’s number, their sizes and growth were greater within beds of the western lineage of Perna than eastern lineage or Mytilus beds. The results clearly demonstrate that the quality of settlement habitat offered by adult beds differs among adult lineages/species and affects rates of settlement and the early growth of recruits. This effect extends to the intraspecific level; we found greater differences in density and growth of recruits between lineages of Perna than between either lineage and M. galloprovincialis . Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10750-022-04994-7.

High-Resolution Drone Images Show That the Distribution of Mussels Depends on Microhabitat Features of Intertidal Rocky Shores

“…Intertidal microhabitat conditions are, thus, spatially and temporally highly variable, offering contrasted living conditions for benthic species. Such conditions may influence the development and abundance of mussel recruits and adults [25,26], mortality from thermal stress [27], or mussel dislodgement by waves [24,28]. Linking the topographic complexity of microhabitats (i.e., slope and orientation) and the distribution of intertidal sessile benthic species provides an opportunity to better understand how environmental heterogeneity determines species distribution.…”