Effects of shear stress and hard clams on seston, microphytobenthos, and nitrogen dynamics in mesocosms with tidal resuspension

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dc.contributor.authorPorter, Elka T.
dc.contributor.authorMason, Robert P.
dc.contributor.authorSanford, Lawrence P.
dc.date.accessioned2017-06-02T20:58:44Z
dc.date.available2017-06-02T20:58:44Z
dc.date.issued2013
dc.description.abstractTo test the interacting effects of hard clams Mercenaria mercenaria and bottom shear stress on nutrient- and ecosystem dynamics, we performed a 4 wk experiment in six 1000 l shear turbulence resuspension mesocosms (STURM). Three tanks each contained 50 hard clams (RC set-up), and 3 tanks had no clams (R set-up). All tanks contained defaunated muddy sediment and estuarine water and had similar water column turbulence intensities (~1 cm s−1), energy dissipation rates (~0.08 cm2 s−3), and tidal cycles (4 h mixing on and 2 h off). The same high instantaneous bottom stress (0.35 to 0.4 Pa) was applied to all tanks during the mixing-on cycles. Hard clams in interaction with high bottom shear stress initially destabilized the sediments and increased seston levels to ~200 mg l−1 in the RC tanks during the mixing-on cycles. Over time, seston concentrations declined in the RC tanks until they reached levels similar to the R tanks of ~60 mg l−1. Bivalve feeding in the RC tanks significantly reduced phytoplankton biomass and shifted the phytoplankton community structure to Chlorophyceae/Prasinophytes. Nutrient (particulate phosphorus, nitrogen, and carbon, dissolved inorganic nitrogen, nitrate + nitrite, phosphate) concentrations were significantly enhanced in the RC tanks, mediated by high sediment resuspension and bivalve excretion. A brown tide organism, Aureococcus anophagefferens, bloomed in 2 of 3 RC tanks. Bivalve feeding and light limitation reduced microphytobenthos biomass in the RC tanks. Microphytobenthos biomass was low overall but significantly higher in the R tanks. Phytoplankton abundance, microphytobenthos biomass, seston concentrations, and nitrogen dynamics were significantly affected by interactions between hard clams and bottom shear stress.en_US
dc.format.extent22 pagesen_US
dc.genrejournal articlesen_US
dc.identifierdoi:10.13016/M24C46
dc.identifier.citationPorter, Elka T.; Mason, Robert P.; Sanford, Lawrence P. (2013) Effects of shear stress and hard clams on seston, microphytobenthos and nitrogen dynamics in mesocosms with tidal resuspension. Marine Ecology Progress Series 479:25-45.en_US
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/11603/3960
dc.language.isoen_USen_US
dc.publisherInter-Researchen_US
dc.relation.isAvailableAtUniversity of Baltimore
dc.subjectMercenaria mercenariaen_US
dc.subjectBivalveen_US
dc.subjectBottom shearen_US
dc.subjectExperimental ecosystemen_US
dc.subjectSTURMen_US
dc.subjectDestabilizationen_US
dc.subjectBenthic fluxen_US
dc.subjectScalingen_US
dc.titleEffects of shear stress and hard clams on seston, microphytobenthos, and nitrogen dynamics in mesocosms with tidal resuspensionen_US
dc.typeTexten_US

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