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The Use of Benthic Filter Feeders to Mitigate Eutrophication in Coastal Systems. Lynn Ficarra. Eutrophication. “an increase in the rate of supply of organic matter to an ecosystem.” (Nixon 1995) N & P land clearing, sewage, fertilizer, animals, fossil fuels, industry
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The Use of Benthic Filter Feeders to Mitigate Eutrophication in Coastal Systems Lynn Ficarra
Eutrophication • “an increase in the rate of supply of organic matter to an ecosystem.” (Nixon 1995) • N & P • land clearing, sewage, fertilizer, animals, fossil fuels, industry • Phytoplankton (Paerl1988, Diaz and Rosenberg 2008) • Block sun • Die, sink to bottom, microbial respiration, hypoxia
Filter Feeders! Remove phytoplankton, nutrients, organic materials, bacteria, and much much more! (Ruesinket al. 2005, Gili and Coma 1998, Levinton 1972).
Particle Capture • Filtration rate • Depends on species, size, water velocity, temperature • Efficiency of particle retention • Depends on filtering structure (Comeauet al. 2008, Rice 2001, Eastern Oyster Biological Review Team 2007)
Bivalves • Gills (Riisgard1988) • Parallel filaments • Ciliary tracts: create current, capture particles • Particles sorted (Newell 2004) • Rejected: pseudofeces • Digested: feces • Mucus-coated aggregates • Released to benthos
Mussels and eastern oysters performed well in both studies • Crassostreavirginicusand Mytilusedulis • Native to east coast of U.S. Gili and Coma 1998
Crassostreavirginica (Eastern Oyster) • Atlantic coast of U.S. • 0.6-5 m depth • 20-30°C optimal • Survive freezing and >45°C, feeding rate affected • Survive at salinities of 5-40 ppt • Filtration rate up to 30-40 L h-1 • Create oyster reefs • Promotes biodiversity • Substrate for more suspension feeders (Ruesink 2005, MacKenzie 1996, Stanley and Sellars 1986, Galtsoff 1964, Shumway 1996, Eastern Oyster Biological Review Team 2007, Pechenik2005)
Mytilusedulis (Blue Mussel) • Coast of Canada to North Carolina • 1-10 m depth • 5-20°C optimal • Survive freezing and up to 29°C • >18 ppt ideal • Survive low salinities 4-18 ppt, growth slowed • Filtration rate 1.34-2.59 L h-1 • Mussel beds • Increases biodiversity • Substrate for more filter feeders (Zagataet al. 2008, Goulletquer2012, Bayne and Widdows1978)
C. virginicavs. M. edulis • Filtration rates at 9°C (Comeauet al. 2008) • M. edulis: 1.82-2.90 L h-1 • C. virginica: 0.05-1.21 L h-1 • Optimal conditions: C. virginicafaster than M. edulis • Cold conditions: M. edulisfaster • Use both for eutrophication control
Other Filter Feeders • Average filtering rate at optimal conditions for 44 filter feeding species is 7.8 L g-1h-1 dry weight (Pomeroy, D’Elia, and Schaffner 2006) • Sponges (Milanese et al. 2003) • retain up to 80% suspended particles • Capture small particles that others miss (bacteria)
Case Studies • Liverpool (Allen and Hawkins 1993) • Mussels introduced to eutrophic water surrounding docks • Two years later water quality and oxygen levels in water column and sediments improved • Chesapeake Bay (Newell 1988) • Pre-1870: oysters filter bay in 3-6 days • Now: 325 days
Negative Impacts • Competitive exclusion (Ruesink2005) • Toxic shellfish (MacKenzie et al. 2004) • Invasive species (Ruesink2005) • Hitchhikers • Pathogens (Moss et al. 2007) • Asian oyster, Chesapeake Bay • 2 protist parasites not found in U.S. waters • Viruses, cestodes, other protist parasites
References Refer to Accompanying Paper