Seasonal variation in the diet of estuarine bivalves

Environmental effects on abundance and size of harvested bivalve populations in intertidal shellfish grounds

Clams, razor clams and cockle are intertidal bivalve species collected on foot in the shellfish grounds of the Rías Altas (NW Spain). Spatio-temporal distribution of these bivalves are typically at the expenses of the environmental conditions of the region; however, the responses to the abiotic conditions are poorly understood. Using data from 6 species (Ruditapes decussatus, Venerupis corrugata, Ruditapes philippinarum, Cerastoderam edule, Donax trunculus and Solen marginatus) sampled in 51 intertidal shellfish grounds during 2007 and 2008, we characterized the influence of the environment (temperature, salinity, nutrient salts, suspended organic matter, or sediment granulometry and composition) on the distribution and size of these species through a comparative statistical analysis. Shellfish grounds were grouped according to their sediment and water characteristics revealing a land-ocean gradient and the influence of the geological imprint that separates bivalve grounds from West to East. Statistical models showed that R. decussatus, V. corrugata and R. philippinarum together with C. edule were more abundant in sites combining a strong marine influence with organic-rich finer sediments. However, each of those species also had different environmental niches mostly related to their particular sediment affinities, the proximity to the river mouth, and their physiological tolerances to temperature and salinity. D. trunculus was only found in outer exposed shellfish grounds, while S. marginatus abundance increased in muddy sediments. River distance was a sound descriptor of individual shell length and length variability with contrasting effects on the different species. Furthermore, slopes of length-weight relationships were steeper in autumn than in spring, and this allometry tended to be more positive in sites located closer to the rivers' mouth, which had a higher organic matter C/N ratio. Overall, harvested intertidal bivalves had identifiable environmental preferences that influence their spatial distribution in abundance, body size, and allometric growth.

Strong temporal variation of consumer δ13C value in an oligotrophic reservoir is related to water level fluctuation

Using stable carbon and nitrogen isotope analysis (δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N) to assess trophic interactions in freshwater ecosystems is a well established method, providing insight into ecosystem functioning. However, the spatial and temporal variability of isotope values, driven by environmental fluctuation is poorly understood and can complicate interpretations. We investigated how the temporal variation of stable isotopes in consumers (fish, crayfish and macrozoobenthos) of a canyon-shaped oligotrophic reservoir is associated with environmental factors such as water temperature, transparency, flooded area, and water quality measures. Consumers and their putative food sources were sampled and analyzed for carbon and nitrogen stable isotopes annually, and environmental parameters were measured monthly from 2014 to 2016. Results revealed significant differences in δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N values in each consumer among studied years. Over the years, fish and crayfish expressed differences in δ¹³C between 3 and 5‰, whereas in zoobenthos differences were 12‰. Variability in δ¹⁵N was similar across all consumers (2-4‰). Moreover, results suggest that the flooded area of the reservoir was a major driver of δ¹³C stable isotope values variation in consumers, while variation in δ¹⁵N was not linked to any of the studied environmental factors. Bayesian mixing models further showed significant changes in the origin of detritivorous zoobenthos carbon sources (reversal shift from terrestrial detritus to algae origin) between years with low water level to years with the standard water level. Other species showed only slight differences in food source utilization among years. Our study highlights the importance of environmental factors as sources of variation in consumer's stable isotope values which should be considered especially when studied ecosystem strongly fluctuate in some environmental factor.

Compound-specific stable isotope analysis of amino acid nitrogen reveals detrital support of microphytobenthos in the Dutch Wadden Sea benthic food web

The Wadden Sea is the world’s largest intertidal ecosystem and provides vital food resources for a large number of migratory bird and fish species during seasonal stopovers. Previous work using bulk stable isotope analysis of carbon found that microphytobenthos (MPB) was the dominant resource fueling the food web with particulate organic matter making up the remainder. However, this work was unable to account for the trophic structure of the food web or the considerable increase in δ15N values of bulk tissue throughout the benthic food web occurring in the Eastern regions of the Dutch Wadden Sea. Here, we combine compound-specific and bulk analytical stable isotope techniques to further resolve the trophic structure and resource use throughout the benthic food web in the Wadden Sea. Analysis of δ15N for trophic and source amino acids allowed for better identification of trophic relationships due to the integration of underlying variation in the nitrogen resources supporting the food web. Baseline-integrated trophic position estimates using glutamic acid (Glu) and phenylalanine (Phe) allow for disentanglement of baseline variations in underlying δ15N sources supporting the ecosystem and trophic shifts resulting from changes in ecological relationships. Through this application, we further confirmed the dominant ecosystem support by MPB-derived resources, although to a lesser extent than previously estimated. In addition to phytoplankton-derived particulate, organic matter and MPB supported from nutrients from the overlying water column there appears to be an additional resource supporting the benthic community. From the stable isotope mixing models, a subset of species appears to focus on MPB supported off recycled (porewater) N and/or detrital organic matter mainly driven by increased phenylalanine δ15N values. This additional resource within MPB may play a role in subsidizing the exceptional benthic productivity observed within the Wadden Sea ecosystem and reflect division in MPB support along green (herbivory) and brown (recycled/detrital) food web pathways.

Modelling spatial and temporal patterns in bioturbator effects on sediment resuspension: A biophysical metabolic approach

Tidal flats are biogeomorphic landscapes, shaped by physical forces and interaction with benthic biota. We used a metabolic approach to assess the overarching effect of bioturbators on tidal landscapes. The benthic bivalve common cockle (Cerastoderma edule) was used as model organism. The effect of C. edule on sediment resuspension was approximated as a function of the overall population metabolic rate per unit of area. We combined i) laboratory observations on how C. edule affect sediment resuspension along gradients of bioturbation activity, sediment cohesiveness and hydrodynamic force with ii) spatial data on the natural distribution of intertidal C. edule populations. This allowed us to build an integrated model of the C. edule effect on sediment resuspension along the tidal gradient. Owing to the temperature dependence of metabolic rate, the model also accounted for seasonal variation in bioturbators activity. Laboratory experiments indicated that sediment resuspension is positively related to the metabolic rate of the C. edule population especially in cohesive sediments. Based on this observation, we predicted a clear spatial and seasonal pattern in the relative importance of C. edule contribution to sediment resuspension along a tidal transect. At lower elevations, our model indicates that hydrodynamics overrules biotic effects; at higher elevations, inter-tidal hydrodynamics should be too low to suspend bioturbated sediments. The influence of C. edule on sediment resuspension is expected to be maximal at the intermediate elevation of a mudflat, owing to the combination of moderate hydrodynamic stress and high bioturbator activity. Also, bio-mediated sediment resuspension is predicted to be particularly high in the warm season. Research into metabolic dependency of bio-mediated sediment resuspension may help to place phenomenological observations in the broader framework of metabolic theories in ecology and to formulate general expectations on the coastal ecosystem functioning.

Ecological Engineering for the Optimisation of the Land-Based Marine Aquaculture of Coastal Shellfish

Whilst the demand for nutritious and sustainable seafood is increasing, fishing yields are declining due to overfishing and climate change. The inshore aquaculture of marine molluscs-e.g., the suspension-feeding cockle Cerastoderma edule for NW Europe-might be an alternative practice if cost-effective and nature-based technology enhances growth and survival. Our inshore experiments revealed that increasing the seawater residence time resulted in improved water quality. The reduction in sediment loads and stimulation of pelagic microalgal growth resulted in enhanced shell growth and meat content of the wild cockles seeded into the system. Shorter residence times resulted also in an increase in benthic microalgae, but the concurrent increase in silt content of the sediment appeared to hamper effective filtration by cockles. The growth conditions (with respect to the water and sediment quality) for the inshore cultivation of cockles can indeed be improved by means of ecological engineering, suggesting that the inshore aquaculture of marine shellfish can provide sustainable food and income for coastal communities, in particular when the shellfish farms are located in low-lying salinized coastal areas where common agriculture practices are no longer profitable. The involvement of the shellfishery industry was and will be crucial for studying and understanding the complex practice of cockle cultivation.

Competitive feeding interactions between native Ostrea edulis and non-native Crassostrea gigas with implications of introducing C. gigas into commercial aquaculture in the eastern Adriatic Sea

In order to detect the possible regulatory effect of non-native C. gigas on the native O. edulis, under aquaculture conditions, feeding interactions between them were investigated in a highly productive environment of Lim Bay (Adriatic Sea). The present study uses a multi-methodological approach, including stomach content, DNA barcoding and stable isotope analysis to elucidate the feeding ecology of two oyster species. The research confirmed a high overlap throughout the year in the feeding traits among native and non-native oyster species. Competition for food was not the only relationship that exists between the investigated species as the presence of O. edulis larvae in C. gigas stomach content was confirmed by DNA analysis. Findings are not in favour of introducing C. gigas to commercial aquaculture in any new areas in the Adriatic Sea and support the need to improve the existing O. edulis aquaculture and conserve its wild stocks.