Effects of Lunatia heros predation on the population dynamics of Mya arenaria and Macoma balthica in Maine, USA

1982 ◽  
Vol 69 (2) ◽  
pp. 187-193 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. A. Commito

Author(s):  
James H. Fraser

1. An ecological survey of the fauna of Dingle Beach, Mersey Estuary, has been made.2. A detailed analysis of the constituents of the mud, sand and gravel is given.3. A quantitative analysis of the Molluscan fauna from a series of stations has been made.4. Type of ground and fauna at different tidal levels are correlated.Mya arenaria is only found in abundance where there are stones. Macoma balthica is abundant wherever there is thick mud.5. Dingle Beach is a type of Macoma community but differing markedly from the typical community described by Petersen as “d”.6. The importance of sewage in producing silt and the part played by sewage in the food chain are discussed.



2019 ◽  
Vol 73 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
J. J. Beukema ◽  
R. Dekker

Abstract For a better understanding of functioning and stability of ecosystems, it is important to know to what extent constituent species show similarity in their long-term fluctuation patterns, i.e. whether their numbers and biomass frequently show simultaneous peaks and lows. Synchronic peaks and lows of important species would enhance variability in the functioning of the entire system and might affect its stability. When fluctuation patterns of individual species are largely independent, their peaks and lows would tend to extinguish each other’s effect on overall parameters (such as total zoobenthic biomass), thus promoting system stability. A long-term (46 years) monitoring study of the macrozoobenthos in a large (50 km2) tidal-flat area revealed that the 4 most important bivalve species (3 suspension feeders: Cerastoderma edule, Mytilus edulis, Mya arenaria and 1 deposit/suspension feeder: Limecola (Macoma) balthica) frequently showed peak numbers of their recruits in the same years. The annual growth rates of the three suspension feeding species showed some synchrony as well. Annual survival rates, on the other hand, did not show any synchronization, wiping out the initial synchrony of numbers within less than 2 years. As a result, annual biomass values did not show any positive between-species correlations. Annual amounts of bivalves that are accessible as bird food rarely declined to levels below 5 g AFDW m−2 and showed limited (5 to 10 fold difference between maximal and minimal values) variation. Oystercatchers left the area quicker in late winter and showed increased death rates at very low levels of food supply. Total bivalve bird food did not show any significant long-term trend. However, biomass of Mya arenaria showed an increasing trend and that of Limecola balthica a declining trend.





2011 ◽  
Vol 34 (1) ◽  
pp. 3-59 ◽  
Author(s):  
Claude Hillaire-Marcel

Une étude paléoécologique des faunes fossiles des mers postglaciaires du Québec, en particulier des Mollusques, a permis de regrouper les espèces en communautés types. Celles-ci définissent une zonation littorale, avec des nuances des bassins septentrionaux aux bassins méridionaux souvent plus saumâtres. L’épibenthos sessile des rudites et aréno-rudites se caractérise par une communauté intertidale àMytilus edulis, suivie d'une communauté àHiatella arcticasubdivisée en deux sous-communautés. Dans les faciès plus fins (arénites et lutites), l’endoben-thos et l’épibenthos vagile regroupent les communautés de faible profondeur (IT-5 m) àMya arenariaet àMacoma balthica, suivies de la communauté àMacoma calcareasubdivisée en trois sous-communautés. Un statut particulier peut être conféré à la communauté àPortlandia arctica, surtout caractéristique des faciès glacio-marins argilo-silteux. Ces communautés se succédèrent souvent, dans un site déterminé, en fonction de la diminution de profondeur des bassins, liée au rajustement géoïdal post-glaciaire. Elles ne reflètent donc pas une évolution climatique générale, mais simplement l’évolution hydrologique accompagnant l’exondation de chacun des bassins. Exceptionnellement, on relève, au cours de l’Holocène, des incursions septentrionales d’espèces relativement thermophiles. Quoique plus tardif qu’aux basses latitudes, l’optimum climatique semble donc s’être marqué dans les milieux arctiques.



1985 ◽  
Vol 19 (2) ◽  
pp. 135-146 ◽  
Author(s):  
P.J. Cranford ◽  
D.L. Peer ◽  
D.C. Gordon


1974 ◽  
Vol 31 (2) ◽  
pp. 167-177 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael V. Burke ◽  
K. H. Mann

In a narrow, shallow estuary on the east coast of Canada, the dominant intertidal invertebrates were bivalve and gastropod molluscs. On a sand flat Mya arenaria produced 11.6 g∙m−2∙yr−1 flesh dry weight with a production:biomass ratio of 2.54, whereas Macoma balthica produced 1.93 g∙m−2∙yr−1 with a P:B ratio of 1.53. On a Spartina marsh, Littorina saxatilis produced 3.25 g∙m−2∙yr−1 with a P:B ratio of 4.11. Approximate P:B ratios were applied to biomass figures for four other species to give the following estimates of productivity: Mytilus edulis on Zostera beds 19.7 g∙m−2∙yr−1 flesh dry weight; M. edulis on Spartina beds 3.5 g∙m−2∙yr−1; Nassarius obsoletus 1.15 g∙m−2∙yr−1; Melampus lineatus 1.1 g∙m−2∙yr−1; Lacuna vincta 0.06 g∙m−2∙yr−1. A total production of the molluscs in the estuary is estimated at 4.7% of the production of Spartina and Zostera (all measured in kcal). It is postulated that molluscs are the chief primary consumers in the inlet.



1983 ◽  
Vol 61 (6) ◽  
pp. 1193-1201 ◽  
Author(s):  
Edwin Bourget

Seasonal variations of cold tolerance of Mytilus edulis, Mya arenaria, Macoma balthica, and Acmaea testudinalis were examined. The lower median lethal temperature (MLT) of all species was low throughout the year, with reduced seasonal variation. High MLT values, between −10 and −15 °C, were observed for Acmaea testudinalis and Mya arenaria, while low values, between −12.5 and −20 °C, were observed for Macoma and Mytilus. Seasonal variations of MLT are partly explained by the seasonal variations of water salinity. Small (juveniles) Mytilus, Mya, and Macoma showed less cold tolerance than large (adult) Mytilus, Mya, and Macoma (MLT between −8.0 and −12.5 °C). The possibility of genetic adaptation due to the selection of cold tolerant individuals is discussed. Cold tolerance determinations of animals subjected to cyclic emersions of various durations to a "sublethal" temperature of −8 °C every 12.4 h (one tidal period) showed a cumulative and significant effect of repeated mild cold stress. The ecological significance of the results is discussed in relation to the conditions prevailing along the shores of the St. Lawrence Estuary.



1956 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 26-34 ◽  
Author(s):  
JOHN C. AYERS


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document