Processes limiting mussel bed restoration in the Wadden-Sea

Paoli, Hélène de; Koppel, Johan van de; Zee, Els van der; Kangeri, Arno K. wa; Belzen, Jim van; Holthuijsen, Sander; Berg, Aniek van den; Herman, P.M.J.; Olff, Han; Heide, Tjisse van der

doi:10.1016/j.seares.2015.05.008

Cited by 46 publications

(70 citation statements)

References 62 publications

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“…However, the mussels within two of the three additional mussel beds were dispersed over a wide area (>40 m, seaward) during a storm event on 5–8 June 2014. Physical forcing by wave action can lead to the erosion of mussels from populations, which can result in the loss of transplanted mussels within months (de Paoli et al ). Although the effects of storm events are hard to predict, establishing mussel beds at depths where they are less likely to suffer physical removal caused by wave action may be prudent.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Seven mussel beds were established by transferring large numbers of adult mussels from aquaculture onto soft-sediments at a restoration site and four of these beds were subsequently assessed regularly over 2 years for changes in population size and the size structure of mussels. These four mussel beds (>24 m 2 ), which are larger than most plots of transplanted mussels in previous mussel restoration studies (<10 m 2 ) (Fariñas-Franco et al 2013;van der Heide et al 2014;de Paoli et al 2015), provided the opportunity to observe potential effects of density-dependent factors on the persistence of the beds. The results of this study will help contribute to the development of best-practice methods for future mussel restoration initiatives.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Ecological restoration of mussel beds onto soft‐sediment using transplanted adults

Wilcox

Kelly²,

Jeffs

2017

Restoration Ecology

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The success of restoration initiatives to restore bivalve beds relies on sufficient recruitment of larvae to offset mortality of re‐established populations. Individuals of the nearly extirpated green‐lipped mussel are capable of surviving within the current environment of the Hauraki Gulf, New Zealand; however, it is uncertain what potential factors might inhibit the establishment and persistence of restored mussel beds. Four experimental mussel beds were established within a shallow soft‐sediment embayment and assessments of population dynamics were conducted approximately every 6 months over a 2‐year period. Deployed mussels quickly congregated into contiguous mussel beds that persisted throughout the study; however, only 26.2% of mussels that were initially established survived until the end of the study. The cause of this overall loss of mussels can be attributed to a near lack of observed recruitment, with only three individual recruiting mussels observed throughout the entire study. Despite similar mortality rates within the restored mussel beds to that of natural populations, these populations will be unsustainable long term given the lack of recruitment. Potential causes of the observed mortality and lack of recruitment are discussed, including environmental factors affecting non‐natal mussel stock and sea star predation. This research provides a foundation for the development of best‐practice methods in the restoration of green‐lipped mussels. However, further investigation into recruitment pathways and sources of mortality for adult mussels will be necessary to overcome the observed limitations if future restoration is to be successful.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ecological restoration of mussel beds onto soft‐sediment using transplanted adults

Wilcox

Kelly²,

Jeffs

2017

Restoration Ecology

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“…Using manipulative experiments, we tested whether spatial selforganization affects the persistence of mussels within intertidal mussel beds under the natural influence of wave action and predation (29). In both June and October of 2012, we created artificial mussel beds with small-scale and large-scale spatial patterns, similar to the patterns found in natural conditions, and determined their effect on the persistence of mussels in the bed.…”

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confidence: 99%

Behavioral self-organization underlies the resilience of a coastal ecosystem

Paoli

Heide

Berg

et al. 2017

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

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Self-organized spatial patterns occur in many terrestrial, aquatic, and marine ecosystems. Theoretical models and observational studies suggest self-organization, the formation of patterns due to ecological interactions, is critical for enhanced ecosystem resilience. However, experimental tests of this cross-ecosystem theory are lacking. In this study, we experimentally test the hypothesis that self-organized pattern formation improves the persistence of mussel beds (Mytilus edulis) on intertidal flats. In natural beds, mussels generate selforganized patterns at two different spatial scales: regularly spaced clusters of mussels at centimeter scale driven by behavioral aggregation and large-scale, regularly spaced bands at meter scale driven by ecological feedback mechanisms. To test for the relative importance of these two spatial scales of self-organization on mussel bed persistence, we conducted field manipulations in which we factorially constructed small-scale and/or large-scale patterns. Our results revealed that both forms of self-organization enhanced the persistence of the constructed mussel beds in comparison to nonorganized beds. Small-scale, behaviorally driven cluster patterns were found to be crucial for persistence, and thus resistance to wave disturbance, whereas large-scale, self-organized patterns facilitated reformation of small-scale patterns if mussels were dislodged. This study provides experimental evidence that self-organization can be paramount to enhancing ecosystem persistence. We conclude that ecosystems with self-organized spatial patterns are likely to benefit greatly from conservation and restoration actions that use the emergent effects of self-organization to increase ecosystem resistance to disturbance.self-organization | resilience | multiscale patterns | ecosystems | mussels

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“…Cockles and lugworms live in the sediment and have local effects on sediment stability (de Paoli et al. ). Lugworms are upward conveyors: strong bioturbators that process the sediment in their gut and thereby de‐stabilize the sediment and decrease microphytobenthos biomass.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Intertidal mussels form beds that have a large influence on the sediment environment, increasing sediment organic content for 100s of meters across the tidal flat by (1) decreasing water flow rates, which decrease sediment erosion and thereby exercise long-range facilitation of associated fauna and microphytobenthos biomass (Donadi et al 2013a; and (2) depositing feces and pseudofeces (Graf andRosenberg 1997, Bergfeld 1999). Cockles and lugworms live in the sediment and have local effects on sediment stability (de Paoli et al 2015). Lugworms are upward conveyors: strong bioturbators that process the sediment in their gut and thereby de-stabilize the sediment and decrease microphytobenthos biomass.…”

Section: Study Systemmentioning

confidence: 99%

Facilitation by ecosystem engineers enhances nutrient effects in an intertidal system

et al. 2017

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Abstract.Ecosystem engineering research has recently demonstrated the fundamental importance of non-trophic interactions for food-web structure. Particularly, by creating benign conditions in stressful environments, ecosystem engineers create hot beds of elevated levels of recruitment, growth, and survival of associated organisms; this should fuel food webs and promote production on the ecosystem scale. However, there is still limited empirical evidence of the influence of non-trophic interactions on the classical food-web processes that determine energy transfer, that is, consumer-resource interactions. On the basis of a biomanipulation experiment covering 600 m 2 of an intertidal flat, we show that ecosystem engineers influence resource uptake efficiency and the accumulation of algae following nutrient enrichment in a soft-sediment food web. Nutrient additions increased chlorophyll a concentrations in the sediment by 90%, but only in plots where we also introduced high densities (2000 per m 2 ) of a burrowing bivalve, the common cockle Cerastoderma edule. The artificial cockle beds increased the nutrient uptake efficiency of the biofilm and promoted sediment accumulation, which suggests that the cockles facilitated the sediment-living algae by increasing sediment stability. This indicates that ecological interactions, rather than the availability of nutrients per se, set the limits for production in this coastal ecosystem. Our results emphasize the need to include facilitation theory and recognize that positive interactions between species are key to understand, manage, and restore ecosystems under human influence.

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Processes limiting mussel bed restoration in the Wadden-Sea

Cited by 46 publications

References 62 publications

Ecological restoration of mussel beds onto soft‐sediment using transplanted adults

Ecological restoration of mussel beds onto soft‐sediment using transplanted adults

Behavioral self-organization underlies the resilience of a coastal ecosystem

Facilitation by ecosystem engineers enhances nutrient effects in an intertidal system

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