Impacts of Seagrass Habitat Architecture on Bivalve Settlement

Bologna, Paul A.X.; Heck, Kenneth L.

doi:10.2307/1353138

Cited by 78 publications

(51 citation statements)

References 44 publications

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“…However, this same reduction in turbulent activity may decrease the rate at which larvae are transported to the bed, making the net effect unclear. Studies such as those by Eckman (1987), where bivalve settlement decreased with increasing grass density, and Bologna and Heck (2000), where bivalve recruitment was greater at the edge of seagrass patches than in the middle, may suggest that decreased flux of larvae to the bed is more important than reduced resuspension in very dense aggregations. However, it is unclear how much of the larval settlement at the edge of the patches in the later study was due to bedload transport, which might have resulted in similar distribution patterns.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Hydrodynamics of larval settlement: The influence of turbulent stress events at potential recruitment sites

Crimaldi

Thompson

Rosman

et al. 2002

Limnology & Oceanography

118

112

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We describe a laboratory investigation into the effect of turbulent hydrodynamic stresses on clam larvae in the settlement phase of the recruitment process. A two-component laser-Doppler anemometer (LDA) was used to measure time histories of the instantaneous turbulence structure at potential recruitment sites within reconstructed beds of the adult Asian clam, Potamocorbula amurensis. Measurements were made for two flow speeds over beds with three different clam densities and two different clam heights. We analyze the statistical effect of the turbulence on the larval flux to the bed and on the probability of successful anchoring to the substrate. It is shown that the anchoring probability depends on the nature of the instantaneous stress events rather than on mean stresses. The instantaneous turbulence structure near the bed is altered by the flow rate and the spacing and height of adult clams living in the substrate. The ability to anchor quickly is therefore extremely important, since the time sequence of episodic turbulent stress events influences larval settlement success. The probability of successful larval settlement is predicted to decrease as the spacing between adults decreases, implying that the hydrodynamics impose negative feedback on clam bed aggregation dynamics.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Hydrodynamics of larval settlement: The influence of turbulent stress events at potential recruitment sites

Crimaldi

Thompson

Rosman

et al. 2002

Limnology & Oceanography

118

112

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…Biogenic habitats are temporally dynamic, often characterized by rapidly changing patch composition and spatial configuration due to disturbance events such as storms and freshwater flows (Santos et al 2011, this Theme Section), high interannual fluctuations in recruitment, and seasonal changes in species abundance (Bologna & Heck 2000, Shervette & Gelwick 2008. Temporal variability has often been addressed by repeated sampling events ranging from hours (Darcy & Eggleston 2005, Jackson et al 2006b), months (Acosta & Robertson 2002, Smith et al 2010, to several years (Webb & Kneib 2002, Gorman et al 2009).…”

Section: Temporal Scalesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Seascape ecology of coastal biogenic habitats: advances, gaps, and challenges

Boström¹,

Pittman²,

Simenstad³

et al. 2011

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

374

301

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We review the progress made in the emerging field of coastal seascape ecology, i.e. the application of landscape ecology concepts and techniques to the coastal marine environment. Since the early 1990s, the landscape ecology approach has been applied in several coastal subtidal and intertidal biogenic habitats across a range of spatial scales. Emerging evidence indicates that animals in these seascapes respond to the structure of patches and patch mosaics in different ways and at different spatial scales, yet we still know very little about the ecological significance of these relationships and the consequences of change in seascape patterning for ecosystem functioning and overall biodiversity. Ecological interactions that occur within patches and among different types of patches (or seascapes) are likely to be critically important in maintaining primary and secondary production, trophic transfer, biodiversity, coastal protection, and supporting a wealth of ecosystem goods and services. We review faunal responses to patch and seascape structure, including effects of fragmentation on 5 focal habitats: seagrass meadows, salt marshes, coral reefs, mangrove forests, and oyster reefs. Extrapolating and generalizing spatial relationships between ecological patterns and processes across scales remains a significant challenge, and we show that there are major gaps in our understanding of these relationships. Filling these gaps will be crucial for managing and responding to an inevitably changing coastal environment. We show that critical ecological thresholds exist in the structural patterning of biogenic ecosystems that, when exceeded, cause abrupt shifts in the distribution and abundance of organisms. A better understanding of faunal-seascape relationships, including the identifications of threshold effects, is urgently needed to support the development of more effective and holistic management actions in restoration, site prioritization, and forecasting the impacts of environmental change.

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“…Some of these ecosystem services include the stabilization and oxygenation of the sediments through their root and rhizome complexes (Hemminga & Duarte 2000), reduction of water flow as their blades act to dampen water movement (Newell & Koch 2004), structural complexity which serves as a nursery ground for many species (Heck & Wetstone 1977), a settlement site for juvenile bivalves (Bologna & Heck 2000), and the contribution of detrital matter to estuarine food webs. Eelgrass Zostera marina is the dominant seagrass species in the northeastern USA (Green & Short 2003) in general, and within Long Island (NY) waters in particular (Dennison et al 1989).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Resource-restricted growth of eelgrass in New York estuaries: light limitation, and alleviation of nutrient stress by hard clams

Carroll

Gobler²,

Peterson³

2008

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

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Globally, anthropogenic activities have degraded many estuarine habitat types, including seagrass meadows. The objective of this study was to identify the degree to which light and nutrients limit the productivity of eelgrass Zostera marina in Long Island estuaries (NY, USA) while concurrently assessing the ability of hard clams Mercenaria mercenaria to influence Z. marina growth and production. Field surveys were conducted to quantify the extent of eelgrass beds, along with environmental factors potentially constraining eelgrass growth. Experimental studies were conducted to determine the extent to which eelgrass is light-or nutrient-limited within the system, and to determine the capacity of hard clams to enhance eelgrass growth in situ. Eelgrass was found in only 14% of the sites sampled, but hard clams were found in 67% of sites with eelgrass. There was a strong longitudinal light gradient in Shinnecock Bay, with an extinction coefficient of 0.88 at the ocean inlet and 2.05 in the most remote regions. Pelagic light levels were inversely correlated with water column chlorophyll levels (p = 0.0027) and eelgrass productivity was strongly correlated with light levels (p < 0.0004), with both being maximal near the ocean inlet. In estuarine regions with high light levels but significantly lower sediment nitrogen (N) content (near ocean inlet), hard clam or sediment nutrient additions yielded significantly higher eelgrass productivity and leaf N content (p < 0.001) compared to control plots. Combined with prior research, this study demonstrates that restoration of bivalves may benefit the expansion of eelgrass beds in shallow estuaries by relieving light and/or nutrient limitation.

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Impacts of Seagrass Habitat Architecture on Bivalve Settlement

Cited by 78 publications

References 44 publications

Hydrodynamics of larval settlement: The influence of turbulent stress events at potential recruitment sites

Hydrodynamics of larval settlement: The influence of turbulent stress events at potential recruitment sites

Seascape ecology of coastal biogenic habitats: advances, gaps, and challenges

Resource-restricted growth of eelgrass in New York estuaries: light limitation, and alleviation of nutrient stress by hard clams

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