Recruitment variation in Macoma balthica (L.): the match/mismatch hypothesis
Bos, O.G.; Philippart, C.J.M.; Cadée, G.C.; van der Meer, J. (2005). Recruitment variation in Macoma balthica (L.): the match/mismatch hypothesis, in: Bos, O.G. Recruitment variation in Macoma balthica (L.): is there a role for larval food limitation?. pp. 105-118 In: Bos, O.G. (2005). Recruitment variation in Macoma balthica (L.): is there a role for larval food limitation? PhD Thesis. Rijksuniversiteit Groningen: Groningen. ISBN 90-367-2356-6. 160 pp., more |
| Keywords | Algal blooms
Aquatic communities > Plankton > Phytoplankton
Population functions > Recruitment
Spawning seasons
Temporal variations > Periodic variations > Annual variations
Macoma balthica (Linnaeus, 1758) [WoRMS]
ANE, Southern Wadden Sea [Marine Regions]
Marine/Coastal |
| Abstract | Long-term observation (1973-2001) of recruitment in the intertidal bivalve Macoma balthica in the western Wadden Sea, has revealed that interannual variation in recruitment may be possibly governed by match/mismatch mechanisms. Mismatch occurs when spawning takes place before or at the beginning of the spring phytoplankton bloom, whereas matching occurs when spawning occurs during the spring bloom. To test the match/mismatch hypothesis, a laboratory experiment was conducted in which 6 batches of M. balthica larvae were reared at different starting times during a phytoplankton spring bloom (April-May 2002). Larvae were reared in Wadden Sea seawater with the natural phytoplankton assemblage at two larval densities. As controls, larvae of the same batches were reared in filtered seawater with Isochrysis galbana. A clear effect of fertilisation date on larval growth and development rates was observed. However, no effects of fertilisation date or food level on mortality were detected. Hence, in this experiment larval performance was affected by the timing of spawning, but the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. |
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