Commercially important species associated with horse mussel (Modiolus modiolus) biogenic reefs: A priority habitat for nature conservation and fisheries benefits

Kent, Flora; Mair, James McD; Newton, Jason; Lindenbaum, Charles; Porter, Joanne S.; Sanderson, William

doi:10.1016/j.marpolbul.2017.02.051

Cited by 30 publications

(24 citation statements)

References 50 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Blue mussel (M. edulis) farming is a significant economic activity with a registered production of 7,732 tonnes in 2016 for the table market (Scottish Government, 2017) and the establishment of baseline data on the current status of MPs contamination in Scotland will have a significant impact in conservational policies. Furthermore, other species, such as the horse mussel (Modiolus modiolus), have a special conservational status (Kent et al, 2016) and are protected in all of OSPAR regions (OSPAR Commission, 2009). However, there is no information on the relationship of MPs with this species.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Low levels of microplastics (MP) in wild mussels indicate that MP ingestion by humans is minimal compared to exposure via household fibres fallout during a meal

Catarino

Macchia

Sanderson

et al. 2018

Environmental Pollution

Self Cite

598

247

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Microplastics (MPs) are the most numerous debris reported in marine environments and assessment of the amounts of MPs that accumulate in wild organisms is necessary for risk assessment. Our objective was to assess MP contamination in mussels collected around the coast of Scotland (UK) to identify characteristics of MPs and to evaluate risk of human exposure to MPs via ingestion of mussels. We deployed caged mussels (Mytilus edulis) in an urbanised estuary (Edinburgh, UK) to assess seasonal changes in plastic pollution, and collected mussels (Mytilus spp and subtidal Modiolus modiolus) from eight sampling stations around Scotland to enumerate MP types at different locations. We determined the potential exposure of humans to household dust fibres during a meal to compare with amounts of MPs present in edible mussels. The mean number of MPs in M. modiolus was 0.086 ± 0.031 (SE, n = 6)/g ww (3.5 ± 1.29 (SE) per mussel). In Mytilus spp, the mean number of MPs/g ww was 3.0 ± 0.9 (SE, n = 36) (3.2 ± 0.52 (SE) per mussel), but weight dependent. The visual accuracy of plastic fibres identification was estimated to be between 48 and 50%, using Nile Red staining and FT-IR methodologies, respectively, halving the observed amounts of MPs in wild mussels. We observed an allometric relationship between the number of MPs and the mussels wet weight. Our predictions of MPs ingestion by humans via consumption of mussels is 123 MP particles/y/capita in the UK and can go up to 4620 particles/y/capita in countries with a higher shellfish consumption. By comparison, the risk of plastic ingestion via mussel consumption is minimal when compared to fibre exposure during a meal via dust fallout in a household (13,731-68,415 particles/Y/capita).

show abstract

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Low levels of microplastics (MP) in wild mussels indicate that MP ingestion by humans is minimal compared to exposure via household fibres fallout during a meal

Catarino

Macchia

Sanderson

et al. 2018

Environmental Pollution

Self Cite

598

247

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Mussels, for example, create a reef matrix comprised of shell hash held together by byssal threads, underlying sediment and pseudofaeces (Suchanek 1985). These structures can serve as habitat for other organisms, provide support for commercial fishery species (Kent et al 2017), and are associated with conservation priorities including increased biodiversity, abundance and productivity (Ricciardi et al 1997, Koivisto andWesterbom 2010).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Spatial arrangement of biogenic reefs alters boundary layer characteristics to increase risk of microplastic bioaccumulation

Lim

Fraser

Knights

2020

Environ. Res. Lett.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Microplastics are now synonymous with human impacts on the environment and as a threat to marine organisms. Numerous taxa are at risk from microplastics including commercially valuable bivalves as seafood, which are also disproportionately important as biogenic reef-forming species that enhance biodiversity such that they are commonly protected under conservation actions. As a sessile filter-feeding organism, bivalves are highly susceptible to microplastic ingestion but despite their socio-economic and ecological importance, no research has been undertaken to assess how a reef 's structural arrangement might affect plastic ingestion. Here, using a series of flume experiments, we examined how change in spatial arrangement of the blue mussel, Mytilus edulis, interacts with different flow speeds to effect retention of microplastic over reef surfaces and ingestion risk by individual mussels. Our results show that clumped spatial arrangements reduce boundary layer velocities, and increase turbulence, boundary layer thickness and plastic retention over reef surfaces under faster flow conditions, increasing plastic ingestion by 3-fold. Our findings suggest that the structural arrangement and rugosity of natural reef structures may create natural sinks of anthropogenic pollution, and species like Mytilus that are also important species for human consumption, while disproportionately susceptible to microplastic pollution, may be useful bioindicators of microplastic pollution.

show abstract

“…The other community is created by the presence of mussel mats. Crabs, sea urchins, and other mobile epifauna abound; this is an expected faunal composition (e.g., Kent et al, ). Mussels are a foundational species, establishing through their presence living or the production of shell, a hard‐bottom terrain conducive to occupation by these other denizens in an otherwise soft‐bottom expanse (see Goddard & Love, ; Manoukian et al, ; van der Zee et al, ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 95%

The intermingling of benthic macroinvertebrate communities during a period of shifting range: The “East of Nantucket” Atlantic Surfclam Survey and the existence of transient multiple stable states

et al. 2019

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

A survey of the region eastward of Nantucket provided an opportunity to examine the cold temperate–boreal boundary along the high‐energy Great South Channel. Here described are the benthic macroinvertebrate community types encountered, with a focus on the influence of climate change on the range boundaries of the benthic biomass dominants and the potential existence of transient multiple stable states. The survey identified three primary community types. The shallowest sites were occupied by a surfclam‐dominated community, comprising an abundance of large (≥150 mm) surfclams, and a few common attached epibiota primarily attached to exposed surfclam shell. Two communities exist at intermediate depths, one dominated by submarket and small market‐size surfclams (<150 mm) and the other, created by mussel mats and their attendant epibiota, crabs, sea urchins, and other mobile epifauna. Mussels are a foundational species, establishing a hard‐bottom terrain conducive to these other denizens in soft‐bottom habitat. Cobbles were nearly ubiquitous, rocks were routinely recovered, and boulders were encountered occasionally. Slow growing attached epibionts were exceedingly rare and mobile epifauna were not obviously associated with these large sedimentary particles; nor were the surfclam or mussel communities. The frequency of barnacle scars suggests sediment scour under the high‐flow regime characteristic of the surveyed region, which voids the habitat potential of these sedimentary particles. The abundance of surfclam shell indicates that surfclams have inhabited the shoaler depths for an extended time; limited shell at deeper sites supports the inference from the absence of large animals that these sites are relatively newly colonized and represent further evidence of an offshore shift in range brought on by increasing bottom water temperatures. The dichotomous nature of the two primary community types at mid‐depths suggests that these two communities represent multiple stable states brought on by the interaction of an invading cold temperate species with the receding boreal fauna resulting in a transient intermingling of species, which, however, structure the habitat into exclusionary stable states rather than overlapping in a co‐occurrence ecotone.

show abstract

Commercially important species associated with horse mussel (Modiolus modiolus) biogenic reefs: A priority habitat for nature conservation and fisheries benefits

Cited by 30 publications

References 50 publications

Low levels of microplastics (MP) in wild mussels indicate that MP ingestion by humans is minimal compared to exposure via household fibres fallout during a meal

Low levels of microplastics (MP) in wild mussels indicate that MP ingestion by humans is minimal compared to exposure via household fibres fallout during a meal

Spatial arrangement of biogenic reefs alters boundary layer characteristics to increase risk of microplastic bioaccumulation

The intermingling of benthic macroinvertebrate communities during a period of shifting range: The “East of Nantucket” Atlantic Surfclam Survey and the existence of transient multiple stable states

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About