Copepods link quahog growth to climate
In: Journal of Sea Research. Elsevier/Netherlands Institute for Sea Research: Amsterdam; Den Burg. ISSN 1385-1101; e-ISSN 1873-1414, more |  |
| Keywords | Availability > Food availability
Climate
Dimensions > Size
Interspecific relationships
Population functions > Growth
Time series
Arctica islandica (Linnaeus, 1767) [WoRMS]; Copepoda [WoRMS]
ANE, North Sea [Marine Regions]
Marine/Coastal | | Author keywords | Arctica islandica; malacochronology; long-term growth; copepods;Continuous Plankton Recorder (CPR); northern North Sea;dendrochronology; time-series |
| Authors | | Top | - Witbaard, R., more
- Jansma, E.
- Klaassen, U.S.
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| Abstract | From samples collected in 1983, 1991 and 2000, a long-term growth record for the bivalve Arctica islandica from the northern North Sea was constructed with methods derived from dendrochronology. Subsequent response-function analyses demonstrated that shell growth was mainly influenced by the abundance of copepods as recorded by the CPR survey. In years with dense copepod populations a major part of the downward flux of food particles is intercepted by the copepods before it reaches the seafloor. This may lead to a shortage of food for A. islandica resulting in a depression of shell growth. Although the abundance of copepods in the northern North Sea is linked to climate there is only a weak statistical relation between shell growth and climate. |
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