Variability in predator abundance links winter temperatures and bivalve recruitment: correlative evidence from long-term data in a tidal flat

Beukema, J.J.; Dekker, R.

doi:10.3354/meps10978

Cited by 66 publications

(35 citation statements)

References 69 publications

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“…Moreover, the two beds with the highest density of small bivalves (~5000 n m −2 ) showed very low crab abundances, which also considerably affected the observed relationship between crab abundance and bivalve recruit density. In general, the success of bivalve recruitment is strongly related to predator abundance (e.g., Beukema and Dekker 2014), suggesting that recruit density is particularly high at locations where (crab) predation is low.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Quantifying Tidal Movements of the Shore Crab Carcinus maenas on to Complex Epibenthic Bivalve Habitats

Waser

Dekker

Witte

et al. 2017

Estuaries and Coasts

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Many subtidal predators undertake regular tidal migrations into intertidal areas in order to access abundant prey. One of the most productive habitats in soft bottom intertidal systems is formed by beds of epibenthic bivalves such as blue mussels (Mytilus edulis) and Pacific oysters (Crassostrea gigas). In the Dutch Wadden Sea, these bivalves might face substantial predation pressure by the shore crab (Carcinus maenas), which increased considerably in numbers during the last 20 years. However, the quantification of this species on bivalve beds is challenging, since most methods common for quantifying animal abundance in marine habitats cannot be used. This study investigated the potential of two methods to quantify the abundance of C. maenas on 14 epibenthic bivalve beds across the Dutch Wadden Sea. The use of the number of crabs migrating from subtidal towards intertidal areas as a proxy of abundance on bivalve beds yielded unreliable results. In contrast, crabs caught with traps on the beds were correlated with the abundance assessed on the surrounding bare flats by beam trawl and therefore provided usable results. The estimates, however, were only reliable for crabs exceeding 35 mm in carapace width (CW). The application of these estimates indicated that crab abundances on bivalve beds were influenced by the biogenic structure. Beds dominated by oysters attracted many large crabs (> 50-mm CW), whereas abundances of medium-sized crabs (35-50-mm CW) showed no relationship to the oyster occurrence. The combination of traps and trawls is capable of quantifying crab abundance on bivalve beds, which offers the possibility to study biotic processes such as predator-prey interactions in these complex structures in more detail.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Quantifying Tidal Movements of the Shore Crab Carcinus maenas on to Complex Epibenthic Bivalve Habitats

Waser

Dekker

Witte

et al. 2017

Estuaries and Coasts

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“…The post-settlement period is important in determining recruitment success in many marine systems, particularly soft sediment habitats (Olafsson et al, 1994). This is largely due to high mortality from predation and other intra-and interspecific interactions, with spatial structure likely to influence the strength of these processes (Beukema and Dekker, 2014;Clark et al, 2000). Post-larvae of soft sediment invertebrates can be highly mobile (Armonies, 1994), changing their spatial structure and influencing adult distributions (Armonies and Reise, 2003).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Changes in small scale spatial structure of cockle Cerastoderma edule (L.) post-larvae

Whitton

Jenkins

Richardson

et al. 2015

Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology

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“…In this area, their ages can be 53 read from annual growth marks on the shell. During the 44 years of the study, recruits 54 appeared almost every year in numbers exceeding 10 m -2 (Beukema and Dekker 2014). Annual 55 survival was relatively high and rarely catastrophic (Beukema et al 2009).…”

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confidence: 99%

“…Recruitment success 73 was of overriding importance for population dynamics and production (Van der Meer et al 74 2001, Dekker and Beukema 2007). Rising water temperatures initiated a chain of cause-effect 75 relationships by enhancing the pressure of epibenthic predation on tiny (<1 mm shell length) 76 just-settled bivalve post-larvae and thus reducing recruitment in several bivalve species, 77 including L. balthica (Beukema and Dekker 2014). Apart from recruitment, also annual survival 78 strongly affects L. balthica abundance and biomass (Beukema et al 2010(Beukema et al , 2017.…”

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confidence: 99%

Parallel changes of Limecola (Macoma) balthica populations in the Dutch Wadden Sea

Dekker¹,

Drent²

2017

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

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6 7 Abstract 10 Long-term (>40 y, started in the 1970s) data series of Limecola (Macoma) balthica dynamics in 11 4 distant (>100 km) areas of the Dutch Wadden Sea are described and compared, including 12 annual recruitment, total abundance, age composition (recruits/adults) and adult survival. The 13 aim was to determine to what extent long-term changes in L. balthica population attributes 14 were synchronous in populations throughout the Dutch Wadden Sea and to identify possible 15 underlying causes. At all 4 sites studied, changes in annual recruitment (n m -2 of spat-sized 16 animals in summer) was synchronous with long-term declining trends and peaks and lows 17 occurring in the same years at all sites. Adult survival was high for the first 15 to 20 y, but 18 irregular after 1990 with low values for periods of varying length. In contrast to the strongly 19 synchronized recruitment, the low-survival periods were not synchronous over the Wadden 20 Sea. Adult density and total biomass varied in parallel over most sites and were low throughout 21 the Dutch Wadden Sea (less than a quarter of the earlier long-term average) from 2005 22 Tel: +31 (0) 222369314 32

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Variability in predator abundance links winter temperatures and bivalve recruitment: correlative evidence from long-term data in a tidal flat

Cited by 66 publications

References 69 publications

Quantifying Tidal Movements of the Shore Crab Carcinus maenas on to Complex Epibenthic Bivalve Habitats

Quantifying Tidal Movements of the Shore Crab Carcinus maenas on to Complex Epibenthic Bivalve Habitats

Changes in small scale spatial structure of cockle Cerastoderma edule (L.) post-larvae

Parallel changes of Limecola (Macoma) balthica populations in the Dutch Wadden Sea

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