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In situ growth of Soletellina alba (Bivalvia: Psammobiidae) in response to detrital supply and mouth status in a seasonally-closed estuary

Matthews, Ty G. and Fairweather, Peter G. 2008, In situ growth of Soletellina alba (Bivalvia: Psammobiidae) in response to detrital supply and mouth status in a seasonally-closed estuary, Estuarine, coastal and shelf science, vol. 78, no. 1, pp. 145-154.

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Title In situ growth of Soletellina alba (Bivalvia: Psammobiidae) in response to detrital supply and mouth status in a seasonally-closed estuary
Formatted title In situ growth of Soletellina alba (Bivalvia: Psammobiidae) in response to detrital supply and mouth status in a seasonally-closed estuary
Author(s) Matthews, Ty G.
Fairweather, Peter G.
Journal name Estuarine, coastal and shelf science
Volume number 78
Issue number 1
Start page 145
End page 154
Publisher Academic Press
Place of publication Oxford, England
Publication date 2008-06
ISSN 0272-7714
1096-0015
Keyword(s) detritivores
detritus
feeding mode
field experiment
food supply
intermittent estuary
Summary The supply of detritus is an important food source for many soft-sediment invertebrates, but its importance for their growth and condition is rarely, if ever, tested directly using manipulative field experiments. Therefore, we designed such a study to: (1) test the importance of fine particulate organic matter for the growth and condition of the infaunal bivalve Soletellina alba; (2) indirectly test the feeding mode of S. alba, which has been assumed to be a deposit feeder like other members of the same superfamily (Tellinoidea); (3) compare growth rates across two summers with contrasting patterns of estuary mouth opening/closing; and (4) compare the condition of individuals used in two field studies (i.e. present versus past) and a past laboratory study. Neither growth nor condition differed when organic content of the sediments was varied, which suggests that S. alba is either a suspension feeder or capable of switching modes of feeding. There was considerable interannual variation in growth with greater growth occurring during the summer with a longer period of mouth opening. This suggests that periods of mouth closure may reduce secondary production within seasonally-closed estuaries. Potential artefacts associated with laboratory trials were also identified, with laboratory bivalves exhibiting poorer condition than those used in two field trials. The present study provides no evidence that variable quantities and qualities of organic matter within the sediments influence the growth and condition of S. alba, but future studies should focus on food supplied via the water column when the estuary is open versus closed.
Language eng
Field of Research 060205 Marine and Estuarine Ecology (incl Marine Ichthyology)
HERDC Research category C1 Refereed article in a scholarly journal
Copyright notice ©2007, Elsevier Ltd
Persistent URL http://hdl.handle.net/10536/DRO/DU:30017186

Document type: Journal Article
Collection: School of Life and Environmental Sciences
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Created: Fri, 14 Aug 2009, 13:50:38 EST