The effects of bioturbation on sediment transport on an intertidal mudflat

Grant, Jon E.; Daborn, Graham R.

doi:10.1016/0077-7579(94)90028-0

Cited by 86 publications

(41 citation statements)

References 35 publications

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“…Differences in the growth rates of some bivalves might be related to the structure of the sediment (HENDERSON & RICHARDSON 1994), thus influencing L ϱ. Ensis ensis Linnaeus, 1758 had a smaller size than E. siquila; the former occurs in fine sediments and the latter in coarse sediments (HENDERSON & RICHARDSON 1994). Furthermore, high organic-matter content and fine sediments reflect a high stability of the substrate (GRANT & DABORN 1994), and such conditions would enhance growth and body condition for suspension-feeding bivalves (LOMOVASKY et al 2006). Similarly, a positive influence on the population of T. plebeius, which lives in fine sediments in Enseada Beach, is expected.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Population biology and secondary production of the stout razor clam Tagelus plebeius (Bivalvia, Solecurtidae) on a sandflat in southeastern Brazil

Abrahão¹,

Cardoso²,

Yokoyama³

et al. 2010

Zoologia (Curitiba, Impr.)

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The population biology and production of the stout razor clam Tagelus plebeius Lightfoot, 1786 were investigated on an intertidal sandflat on the southeast coast of Brazil (Enseada Beach, São Sebastião, state of São Paulo) between April 1997 and April 1998. Two rectangular sites of 50 X 10 m parallel to the waterline were established, site A (upper intertidal level) and site B (middle intertidal level), where the samples were taken in an 0.5 x 0.5 m quadrat. High abundances were recorded in winter and spring, with no significant differences between the sites. The high bivalve abundances were related to the presence of very fine homogeneous sediment with low salinities. Tagelus plebeius had negative allometric growth, characteristic of deep burrowers for the relationships DM/SL and AFDM/SL. Parameters of the modified von Bertalanffy growth function were: L∞ = 67.01 mm, K = 1.73 year-1, t0 = -0.11 year, C = 0.43, WP = 0.96. The instantaneous mortality (Z) was 3.12 year-1, relatively high in comparison to other tropical bivalve populations. Secondary production was 1.53 g AFDM m-2 year-1, with a P/B ratio reaching 1.37 year-1. This high turnover ratio (P/B) was related to a rapid population replacement, connected with the short life span and high mortality of the species

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Population biology and secondary production of the stout razor clam Tagelus plebeius (Bivalvia, Solecurtidae) on a sandflat in southeastern Brazil

Abrahão¹,

Cardoso²,

Yokoyama³

et al. 2010

Zoologia (Curitiba, Impr.)

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“…Nevertheless, the presence of crabs shifted sediment characteristics to yet finer grain size and higher OMC at all tidal levels this study). Higher OMC and finer sediment indicate higher sediment stability (Grant and Daborn, 1994), and less sediment transport by tides within C. granulatus crab beds (see Botto et al, 2006). Such conditions should facilitate suspension feeding clams in terms of growth and body condition (Holland and Dean, 1977a;Murphy, 1985;.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The effect of the SW Atlantic burrowing crab Chasmagnathus granulatus on the intertidal razor clam Tagelus plebeius

Lomovasky

Casariego

Brey

et al. 2006

Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology

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The deposit feeding burrowing crab Chasmagnathus granulatus and the suspension feeding burrowing clam Tagelus plebeius occur sympatrically in the intertidal flats of the south western Atlantic estuarine environments. Common ecological theory predicts negative effects of deposit feeder bioturbation on co-occurring suspension feeders up to complete exclusion of the latter. By means of descriptive and experimental approaches performed at the Mar Chiquita coastal lagoon (37°32′S-57°19′W; Argentina) we show that within beds of C. granulatus (i) frequency of clam shell damage is higher, (ii) shell geometry shows proportionally shorter shells, (iii) clam condition is lower and, (iv) shell growth rates are lower. The negative effect of crabs increases towards lower tidal level. Changes in shell geometry are only detectable in damaged shells, suggesting that this pattern results from direct physical effects by crabs. The negative effect of crabs on clam condition and growth is mediated by indirect mechanisms. Burrowing and migrating of crabs may disrupt clam feeding and/or may force clams to invest more energy into escape movements and burrow rebuilding, thus leaving less energy for growth. Our study indicates that the adaptation of T. plebeius to a highly dynamic intertidal environment enables the clam to coexist with this strong bioturbator, too. The additional stress inflicted by C. granulatus does affect the clam negatively, but is not sufficiently high to eliminate it from the system.

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“…A number of manipulative studies have considered the impacts of macrofauna on microalgae. Some of these (Underwood & Paterson 1993, Grant & Daborn 1994, de Deckere et al 2001) used biocides with wide spectrum effects, and hence looked at the effects of the whole macro and meiofaunal communities. Most authors suggest that the net effects of macrofauna are destabilising, and these studies lend support to this conclusion.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Microalgae, macrofauna and sediment stability: an experimental test of a reciprocal relationship

Huxham

Gilpin²,

Mocogni³

et al. 2006

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

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A manipulative field experiment was conducted at Blackness in the Firth of Forth, Scotland, to study the effects of differences in microphytobenthos abundance on sediment stability and macrofauna. Opaque and transparent Perspex was used to construct shaded and controlled treatments, respectively. Shading resulted in significantly lower levels of chlorophyll a recorded from the sediment. Shaded treatments showed significant reductions in populations of Macoma balthica, Hydrobia ulvae and Corophium volutator, 3 of the dominant species at this site. Largely as a result of changes in the abundance of these species, multivariate analyses showed significant differences between shaded and control communities. The impacts of shading on individual species depended on the sediment characteristics. There were no significant differences between treatments in recorded sediment accretion/erosion rates. These results demonstrate the importance of microphytobenthos for the deposit feeders M. balthica, H. ulvae and C. volutator. The absence of any effect on sediment stability might result from the reciprocal, opposite effects of macrofauna and microphytobenthos on sediment stability cancelling each other out in this experiment.

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The effects of bioturbation on sediment transport on an intertidal mudflat

Cited by 86 publications

References 35 publications

Population biology and secondary production of the stout razor clam Tagelus plebeius (Bivalvia, Solecurtidae) on a sandflat in southeastern Brazil

Population biology and secondary production of the stout razor clam Tagelus plebeius (Bivalvia, Solecurtidae) on a sandflat in southeastern Brazil

The effect of the SW Atlantic burrowing crab Chasmagnathus granulatus on the intertidal razor clam Tagelus plebeius

Microalgae, macrofauna and sediment stability: an experimental test of a reciprocal relationship

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