0000000000173120
AUTHOR
John Widdows
Effect of salinity and temperature on feeding physiology and scope for growth of an invasive species (Brachidontes pharaonis - MOLLUSCA: BIVALVIA) within the Mediterranean sea
Abstract The Indo-Pacific mytilid Brachidontes pharaonis (Bivalvia, Fischer 1870) offers an excellent model for the study of “Lessepsian migration” and the successive colonization at new Mediterranean locations. This species in out competing indigenous bivalves is particularly well adapted to Mediterranean conditions and this is likely due to biological characteristics and physio-ecological plasticity. In the present paper, we report on clearance rate (CR), respiration rate (RR) and Scope for Growth (SFG) of B. pharaonis collected from a Western Sicilian pond (Southern Tyrrhenian, MED). Physiological variables were determined in response to a range of temperatures from 11 ° to 20 °C and a b…
Parameterisation of bivalve functional traits for mechanistic eco-physiological dynamic energy budget (DEB) models
Mechanistic models such as those based on dynamic energy budget (DEB) theory are emergent ecomechanics tools to investigate the extent of fitness in organisms through changes in life history traits as explained by bioenergetic principles. The rapid growth in interest around this approach originates from the mechanistic characteristics of DEB, which are based on a number of rules dictating the use of mass and energy flow through organisms. One apparent bottleneck in DEB applications comes from the estimations of DEB parameters which are based on mathematical and statistical methods (covariation method). The parameterisation process begins with the knowledge of some functional traits of a tar…
Effect of the presence of the shore crab, Carcinus maenas, on the burrowing behaviour and clearance rate of the common cockle, Cerastoderma edule
Bivalves demonstrate various morphological and behavioural adaptations to reduce the risk of being attacked by predators. This paper examines how the presence of the crab Carcinus maenas (L.), a natural predator of the cockle Cerastoderma edule (L.), affects its burrowing depth and clearance or feeding rate. Cockles were placed in experimental tanks and treated with three levels of predatory disturbance: (1) unfed crab loose inside the tank, (2) unfed crab inside a cage suspended in the water column and (3) no crab present. Cockles’ burrowing depth was measured in two sediment types: mud and sand. Cockles burrowed more deeply in treatments with no crabs. Burrowing depth in sand was signific…