Abundance and ecological significance of the clam Rangia cuneata (Sowerby, 1831) in the upper Barataria Estuary (Louisiana,USA) |
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Authors: | Wong Wai Hing Rabalais Nancy N Turner R Eugene |
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Institution: | (1) Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, 4505 Maryland Parkway, Box 452040, Las Vegas, NV 89154, USA;(2) Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium, 8124 Highway 56, Chauvin, LA 70344, USA;(3) Department of Oceanography and Coastal Sciences, Louisiana State University, Energy, Coast and Environment Building, Baton Rouge, LA 70803, USA |
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Abstract: | We proposed that Rangia cuneata (Sowerby, 1831) is an important estuarine bivalve with ecological significance in three coastal lakes in Barataria Bay, Gulf
of Mexico—Lake Cataouatche, Lake Salvador and Lac des Allemands. Our goals were to determine the abundance and distribution
of Rangia in these lakes and to measure clearance times to elucidate its potential impacts on phytoplankton communities. The estimated
average densities of R. cuneata in Lake Cataouatche, Lake Salvador, and Lac des Allemands were 63, 157, and 107 individuals m−2, respectively, which is 30% lower than that observed in nearby Lake Pontchartrain. The size of clams in Lake Salvador was
between 4 and 50 mm, while individuals in Lake Cataouatche and Lac des Allemands were mostly >20 mm. We postulate that a relatively
infrequent large tropical storm transported the larvae from Lake Salvador to the other two lakes 1 year before our sampling
to create this size difference. The clams were up to 99.9% of the total benthic biomass in Lake Salvador, 15.9% in Lake Cataouatche,
and 40.0% in Lac des Allemands. The R. cuneata biomass values were between 16.2 and 27.6 g m−2 and the clearance times were 1.0–1.5 days. The clearance times are among the highest previously reported for coastal bivalve
communities, which were from cooler climates. The results demonstrate that Rangia can be a critical part of the ecological processes in shallow water systems of the Gulf of Mexico. |
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