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The riddle of the sands: how population dynamics explains causes of high bivalve mortality

Ruth Callaway, Daryl Burdon, Anna Deasey, Krysia Mazik, Michael Elliott, Chris Frid

Journal of Applied Ecology

Swansea University Author: Ruth Callaway

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DOI (Published version): 10.1111/1365-2664.12114

Abstract

1. Large-scale bivalve mortalities in estuarine and coastal habitats are a major environmental and economic concern. They may have obvious causes such as extremely cold winter tempera- tures, but in the absence of an apparent chain of cause and effect, a rigorous, objective approach is needed to def...

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Published in: Journal of Applied Ecology
ISSN: 0021-8901
Published: 2013
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URI: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa15157
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spelling 2013-06-30T10:52:57.6871655 v2 15157 2013-06-30 The riddle of the sands: how population dynamics explains causes of high bivalve mortality 61d7fe28cbb286de1c9c43f45014c490 Ruth Callaway Ruth Callaway true false 2013-06-30 FGSEN 1. Large-scale bivalve mortalities in estuarine and coastal habitats are a major environmental and economic concern. They may have obvious causes such as extremely cold winter tempera- tures, but in the absence of an apparent chain of cause and effect, a rigorous, objective approach is needed to define a probable set of factors responsible for such mortalities. This study interrogates recurrent mortalities of the cockle Cerastoderma edule L. in the Burry Inlet (South Wales, UK), where the causes of the observed die-offs were obscure.2. Spatial and temporal patterns in cockle population dynamics were analysed to determine whether mortalities were episodic or continuous, and related to cockle density. Laboratory survival experiments complemented the field studies to indicate the fitness of the cockles. The population dynamics of other species were studied to test for environmental disturbances affecting the entire benthic community.3. High cockle mortalities occurred throughout the estuary in a specific cohort, namely 1-year-old cockles after their first winter. The mortalities did not appear to be episodic, but happened over the spring to early summer months. Cockle densities played a minor role in the decline.4. The laboratory experiments showed that cockles from the Burry Inlet had higher survival rates than those collected from other areas at early life stages (0-year class). However, by the time they reached the end of their first year (1-year class), their survival rates declined signifi- cantly. Results suggested a physiological weakness in the cohort after the first winter.5. Other benthic species did not suffer unusual mortalities. 6. Synthesis and applications. We emphasize that (i) interrogating patterns in populationdynamics allows us to limit the number of likely causes of high bivalve mortality and generate more specific hypotheses; (ii) extending studies to other benthic species indicates the likeli- hood of environmental problems that affect the entire ecosystem; (iii) joined-up field and lab- oratory studies suggested that probable causes of cockle mortality were primarily species-, or even cohort-specific, biological factors; and (iv) well-designed monitoring systems will indicate the population dynamics of the target species on spatio-temporal scales suitable for assessing shifts in the populations, such as unexpected extirpation. Journal Article Journal of Applied Ecology n/a 0021-8901 bivalves, Burry Inlet, Cerastoderma edule, cockle, fisheries management, population ecology, Wales 31 12 2013 2013-12-31 10.1111/1365-2664.12114 COLLEGE NANME Science and Engineering - Faculty COLLEGE CODE FGSEN Swansea University 2013-06-30T10:52:57.6871655 2013-06-30T10:52:57.6900953 Faculty of Science and Engineering School of Biosciences, Geography and Physics - Biosciences Ruth Callaway 1 Daryl Burdon 2 Anna Deasey 3 Krysia Mazik 4 Michael Elliott 5 Chris Frid 6
title The riddle of the sands: how population dynamics explains causes of high bivalve mortality
spellingShingle The riddle of the sands: how population dynamics explains causes of high bivalve mortality
Ruth Callaway
title_short The riddle of the sands: how population dynamics explains causes of high bivalve mortality
title_full The riddle of the sands: how population dynamics explains causes of high bivalve mortality
title_fullStr The riddle of the sands: how population dynamics explains causes of high bivalve mortality
title_full_unstemmed The riddle of the sands: how population dynamics explains causes of high bivalve mortality
title_sort The riddle of the sands: how population dynamics explains causes of high bivalve mortality
author_id_str_mv 61d7fe28cbb286de1c9c43f45014c490
author_id_fullname_str_mv 61d7fe28cbb286de1c9c43f45014c490_***_Ruth Callaway
author Ruth Callaway
author2 Ruth Callaway
Daryl Burdon
Anna Deasey
Krysia Mazik
Michael Elliott
Chris Frid
format Journal article
container_title Journal of Applied Ecology
publishDate 2013
institution Swansea University
issn 0021-8901
doi_str_mv 10.1111/1365-2664.12114
college_str Faculty of Science and Engineering
hierarchytype
hierarchy_top_id facultyofscienceandengineering
hierarchy_top_title Faculty of Science and Engineering
hierarchy_parent_id facultyofscienceandengineering
hierarchy_parent_title Faculty of Science and Engineering
department_str School of Biosciences, Geography and Physics - Biosciences{{{_:::_}}}Faculty of Science and Engineering{{{_:::_}}}School of Biosciences, Geography and Physics - Biosciences
document_store_str 0
active_str 0
description 1. Large-scale bivalve mortalities in estuarine and coastal habitats are a major environmental and economic concern. They may have obvious causes such as extremely cold winter tempera- tures, but in the absence of an apparent chain of cause and effect, a rigorous, objective approach is needed to define a probable set of factors responsible for such mortalities. This study interrogates recurrent mortalities of the cockle Cerastoderma edule L. in the Burry Inlet (South Wales, UK), where the causes of the observed die-offs were obscure.2. Spatial and temporal patterns in cockle population dynamics were analysed to determine whether mortalities were episodic or continuous, and related to cockle density. Laboratory survival experiments complemented the field studies to indicate the fitness of the cockles. The population dynamics of other species were studied to test for environmental disturbances affecting the entire benthic community.3. High cockle mortalities occurred throughout the estuary in a specific cohort, namely 1-year-old cockles after their first winter. The mortalities did not appear to be episodic, but happened over the spring to early summer months. Cockle densities played a minor role in the decline.4. The laboratory experiments showed that cockles from the Burry Inlet had higher survival rates than those collected from other areas at early life stages (0-year class). However, by the time they reached the end of their first year (1-year class), their survival rates declined signifi- cantly. Results suggested a physiological weakness in the cohort after the first winter.5. Other benthic species did not suffer unusual mortalities. 6. Synthesis and applications. We emphasize that (i) interrogating patterns in populationdynamics allows us to limit the number of likely causes of high bivalve mortality and generate more specific hypotheses; (ii) extending studies to other benthic species indicates the likeli- hood of environmental problems that affect the entire ecosystem; (iii) joined-up field and lab- oratory studies suggested that probable causes of cockle mortality were primarily species-, or even cohort-specific, biological factors; and (iv) well-designed monitoring systems will indicate the population dynamics of the target species on spatio-temporal scales suitable for assessing shifts in the populations, such as unexpected extirpation.
published_date 2013-12-31T03:17:17Z
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score 11.013619

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