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Spatial and temporal changes in abundance of the infaunal bivalve Soletellina alba (Lamark, 1818) during a time of drought in the seasonally-closed Hopkins River Estuary, Victoria Australia
The infaunal bivalve Soletellina alba is susceptible to mass mortalities during annual winter flooding in the Hopkins River Estuary, southern Australia. Periods of low salinity (≤1) are the likely cause of these mass mortality events, which can occur in seasonally-closed estuaries when high winter flows are sufficient to flush all salt water from the estuary. Core samples of S. alba were collected from two water depths across four times and at three sites near the mouth of the estuary. Minimal to zero abundances of large S. alba (>1 mm) were expected to be sampled, particularly at the shallower water depth, during a typical winter flood event. However, the present study occurred during a period of drought, which led to the absence of winter flooding. This absence of winter flooding prevented the occurrence of lethal salinities (i.e. ≤1) in the estuary during this period and a greater number of living S. alba adults were sampled. Abundances of juvenile and adult S. alba were still variable, even in the absence of winter flooding, and reflected an interaction between date, site and water depth. However, no mass mortalities of adults were observed during the drought conditions in contrast to what occurs during typical winter flood events and provides support for the hypothesis that winter flooding is responsible for past mass mortalities.
History
Journal
Estuarine coastal and shelf scienceVolume
66Issue
1-2Pagination
13 - 20Publisher
Academic PressLocation
New York, N.Y.Publisher DOI
ISSN
0272-7714eISSN
1096-0015Language
engPublication classification
C1 Refereed article in a scholarly journalCopyright notice
2005, Elsevier LtdUsage metrics
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No categories selectedKeywords
BenthosBivalveEl Niño\/Southern Oscillation (ENSO)Intermittent estuaryMolluscSoft sedimentsSoletellina albaScience & TechnologyLife Sciences & BiomedicinePhysical SciencesMarine & Freshwater BiologyOceanographyEl Nino\/Southern Oscillation (ENSO)MACOMA-BALTHICA LWESTERN-AUSTRALIAWATER-QUALITYMOUTHPSAMMOBIIDAEELEVATIONAFRICAGROWTHFAUNA
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