gosnelllab.com - CERF Meeting 2019

Acknowledgements

I would like to acknowledge the Science Resilience Institute at Jamaica Bay (Brooklyn, NY), and the National Park Service for support of this study. I would like to thank the staff at The River Project Wetlab (Pier 40, NY) for being accommodating and welcoming to share their wetlab space. I would also like to thank both the undergraduate from Brooklyn Urban Ecology program (Lorel Shaw and Valerie Kim), Baruch College undergraduates from Gosnell Lab (Victor Siev, Brian Law, and Caroline Wojtowicz), and high school student, Liza Konopleva, who helped with data collection and sample processing of this study.

CERF 2019 Biennial Conference Poster Presentation

Jennifer Zhu and J. Stephen Gosnell

The Graduate Center and Baruch College, City University New York

Full Abstract:

Although estimating the impacts of species on ecosystem functioning is essential to management, how species interactions influence these impacts and may change over time is seldom considered. For example, bivalves such as oysters and ribbed mussels are commonly included in restoration plans due to their impact on water quality and nitrogen cycling. However, work on multiple bivalve species suggests that predators, which may be expected to return to restored areas, may influence bivalve growth and thus feeding through non-consumptive, or fear, effects. Here we considered how filtration and biodeposition rates in mussels are impacted when receiving site water with and without predator (blue crab, Callinectes sapidus, and Atlantic oyster drill, Urosalpinx cinerea) and non-predator (eastern mudsnail, Ilyanassa obsoleta) cues in a continuous flow-through system. Results showed no impact of cues on ribbed mussel filtration and biodeposition rates. Similarly, clearance rate, percent rejection rate, ingestion rate of organics, organic content of ingested matter, absorption rate of organics, absorption efficiency for ingested organics, and selection efficiency also did not differ among treatments. This study suggests that ribbed mussel biodeposition and filtration are not influenced by predator presence. Consistency in filtering and biodeposition may add to the restoration value of mussels and allow better predictions of how mussels might function in restored marshes. Future studies should consider predator impacts on mussel biodeposition and filtration through long term predator exposure or consider how other factors such as mussel density influence these rates.

Presented research was a follow up to prior research that was recently published in Marine Ecology Progress Series, see attached abstract below.

References

Dodd, L. F., J. C. Caracappa, S. R. Fegley, J. H. Grabowski, and M. F. Piehler. 2018. Threat of Predation Does Not Affect Crassostrea virginica Filtration. Estuaries and Coasts 41:293–298.Galimany, E., J. M. Rose, M. S. Dixon, and G. H. Wikfors. 2013. Quantifying Feeding Behavior of Ribbed Mussels Geukensia demissa in Two Urban Sites (Long Island Sound, USA) with Different Seston Characteristics. Estuaries and Coasts 36:1265–1273.Silliman, B. R., and M. D. Bertness. 2002. A trophic cascade regulates salt marsh primary production. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 99:10500–10505.Silliman, B. R., J. van de Koppel, M. D. Bertness, L. E. Stanton, and I. A. Mendelssohn. 2005. Drought, Snails, and Large-Scale Die-Off of Southern U.S. Salt Marshes. Science 310:1803–1806.Silliman, B. R., and J. C. Zieman. 2001. Top-Down Control of Spartina alterniflora Production by Periwinkle Grazing in a Virginia Salt Marsh. Ecology 82:2830–2845.

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