Bivalve carrying capacity in coastal ecosystems |
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Authors: | Richard F Dame Theo C Prins |
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Institution: | (1) Coastal Carolina University, Conway, SC 29528, USA;(2) Centre for Estuarine and Coastal Ecology, Netherlands Institute of Ecology, P.O. Box 140, 4401 AC Yerseke, The Netherlands |
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Abstract: | The carrying capacity of suspension feeding bivalvesin 11 coastal and estuarine ecosystems is examined. Bivalve carrying capacity
is defined in terms of watermass residence time, primary production time andbivalve clearance time. Turnover times for the
11ecosystems are compared both two and threedimensionally. Fast systems, e.g., Sylt and NorthInlet, have turnover times of
days or less, while,slow systems, e.g., Delaware Bay, have turnover timesof months and years. Some systems,Marennes-Oléron,
South San Francisco Bay and NorthInlet, require a net influx of phytoplankton in orderto support their bivalve populations.
Three systems,Carlingford Lough, Chesapeake Bay and Delaware Bay,have very long bivalve clearance times due to small orreduced
bivalve filter feeder populations. Carlingford Lough stands out because it is a naturallyplanktonic system now being converted
to bivalveculture with an adherently stronger benthic-pelagiccoupling.
Existing models of bivalve carrying capacity arereviewed. The Herman model is utilized as anappropriate ecosystem level model
to examine carryingcapacity because it includes the three major turnovertime elements of water mass residence time, primaryproduction
time and bivalve filter feeder clearancetime.
The graphical analysis suggests that massive andsuccessful bivalve filter feeder populations are foundin systems with relatively
short residence times(<40 days) and short primary production times (<4days) in order to sustain a high bivalve biomass withits
associated rapid clearance times. Outliersystems are constrained by long water mass residencetimes, extended primary production
times, and longclearance times.
This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date. |
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Keywords: | bivalves ecosystems carrying capacity turnover time mussels oysters |
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