Efficiency of particle retention and filtration rate in 6 species of Northeast American bivalves

Abstract

ABSTRACT. Particle retention efficiency in 6 species of suspension-feeding Northeast American bivalves was determined by simultaneous measurement of clearance of different sized particles.Geukensia dernissa, Spisula solidissirna, Brachidontes exustus, and Mercenaria rnercenana, which all possess large laterofrontal cirri, completely retained particles above 4 pm. Below this the retention efficiency gradually decreased to between 35 and 70 % for 2 kim particles. Crassostrea virginica, which has small laterofrontal cirri, and Argopecten irradians, which has none, entirely retained particles above 5 to 6 pm. Below 5 pm the retention efficiency gradually decreased to 50 '0 for 2 Iim particles in C. virginica while it sharply dropped to 15 % for 2 pm particles in A. irradians. At 27 to 29OC filtration rates (F, I h-') as a function of tissue dry weight ( W , g ) could be described by the allometric equation: F = a~" .In C. virginica, G. dernissa and M mercenaria the equations were: 6 . ? 9~O . '~, 6.15 w o H 3 and 1.24 W'.'', respectively. B. exustus and S. sohdissin~a showed intermedial-y filtration rates. In G. demlssa gill area increased with sizc at the same rate as filtration rate.

Quantifying the Loss of a Marine Ecosystem Service: Filtration by the Eastern Oyster in US Estuaries

“…A recent review by Cranford et al (2011) suggested that the constant b could be universally written as 0.58 for filter-feeding bivalves. While species-specific estimates for C. virginica are rare, they have ranged from 0.59 (Pruder et al 1976 cited in Epifanio andEwart 1977) to 0.73±0.22 (Riisgaard 1988). Using the Levenberg-Marquardt nonlinear least squares method (Press et al 2007) in Mathematica version 7, we fitted Eq.…”

“…The physiology of oyster feeding and filtration is well studied, and filtration rate is known from laboratory studies to be influenced by a variety of environmental factors such as temperature, flow rate, salinity, seston concentration, and particle size, as well as oyster size (Loosanoff 1958;Walne 1972;Shumway et al 1985;Riisgaard 1988). Although it is recognized that conditions in situ may significantly affect filtration rate (Doering and Oviatt 1986;Powell et al 1992), few studies have sought to quantify rates under field conditions.…”

“…Through this action, both phytoplankton and suspended sediment that would otherwise reduce water clarity are drawn from the water column to the benthos. The eastern oyster, Crassostrea virginica (Gmelin, 1791), is known to filter particles >5 μm in size with high efficiency (Riisgaard 1988) and can have a marked effect on light penetration in shallow, calm waters, which in turn may have positive impacts on other important adjacent habitats, such as seagrass beds (Newell and Koch 2004).…”

Ingestion and assimilation of carbon from cellulolytic bacteria and heterotrophic flagellates by the mussels Geukensia demissa and Mytilus edulis (Bivalvia, Mollusca)

“…Earlier studies (for review, see Hawkins & Bayne 1992) have shown that Mytilus edulis, like most suspensionfeeders, has only a limited capacity to ingest small, natural-sized ( c 1 pm) bacteria. As an exception, however, Geukensia demissa has been reported capable of filtering natural-slzed bacteria with efficiencies 18 to 30% of those of larger dietary particles (Wright et al 1982, Riisgdrd 1988). Our ingestion results are consistent with these findings.…”

Quantifying the historic contribution of Olympia oysters to filtration in Pacific Coast (USA) estuaries and the implications for restoration objectives

“…Filtration rates (FR) can vary widely among bivalve species (Moehlenberg and Riisgaard 1979;Riisgaard 1988) and have not previously been determined for O. lurida. Here, we present the results of the first laboratory-based measurements of FR by O. lurida and propose a model of FR as it varies with oyster size and temperature.…”