Search results for "Cerastoderma edule"
showing 6 items of 6 documents
Changes of shell microstructural characteristics of Cerastoderma edule (Bivalvia) — A novel proxy for water temperature
2017
Abstract Shells of bivalves potentially provide an excellent archive for high-resolution paleoclimate studies. However, quantification of environmental variables, specifically water temperature remains a very challenging task. Here, we explore the possibility to infer water temperature from changes of microstructural characteristics of shells of the common cockle, Cerastoderma edule . The size and elongation of individual microstructural units, i.e., prisms, in the outer shell layer of seven three to five year-old, specimens collected alive from the intertidal zone of the North Sea near Texel, The Netherlands, and Schillig, Germany, were measured by means of automatic image processing. Grow…
Impact of high pCO2 on shell structure of the bivalve Cerastoderma edule
2016
Raised atmospheric emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) result in an increased ocean pCO2 level and decreased carbonate saturation state. Ocean acidification potentially represents a major threat to calcifying organisms, specifically mollusks. The present study focuses on the impact of elevated pCO2 on shell microstructural and mechanical properties of the bivalve Cerastoderma edule. The mollusks were collected from the Baltic Sea and kept in flow-through systems at six different pCO2 levels from 900 μatm (control) to 24,400 μatm. Extreme pCO2 levels were used to determine the effects of potential leaks from the carbon capture and sequestration sites where CO2 is stored in sub-seabed geologica…
Strontium/lithium ratio in aragonitic shells of Cerastoderma edule (Bivalvia) — A new potential temperature proxy for brackish environments
2015
Abstract Quantitative reconstruction of water temperature from shells of bivalve mollusks is still a very challenging task. For example, in highly variable environments such as intertidal zones, shell oxygen isotope values can only provide reliable temperature estimates if the δ18Owater signature during the time of growth is known. Furthermore, trace element-to-calcium ratios such as Sr/Ca or Mg/Ca often do not serve as reliable paleothermometers, because their incorporation into bivalve shells is known to be strongly biologically controlled. Here, we present a potential novel temperature proxy which is based on the Sr/Lishell ratio of the intertidal bivalve Cerastoderma edule. Up to 81% of…
Data from: Interactive effects between physical forces and ecosystem engineers on seed burial: a case study using Spartina anglica
2015
Seed burial (i.e. vertical seed dispersal) has become increasingly valued for its relevance for seed fate and plant recruitment. While ecosystem engineers have been generally considered as the most important drivers of seed burial, the role of physical forces, such as wind or water flow, has been largely overlooked. Using tidal habitats as a model system, and a combination of flume and mesocosm experiments, we investigated the effects of 1) currents, 2) benthic animals with different engineering activities and 3) their interplay on seed burial of a common salt marsh pioneer plant, Spartina anglica. Our results reveal that in such systems, water flow can be of equal or higher importance than…
Effect of the presence of the shore crab, Carcinus maenas, on the burrowing behaviour and clearance rate of the common cockle, Cerastoderma edule
2011
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…
Minute co-variations of Sr/Ca ratios and microstructures in the aragonitic shell of Cerastoderma edule (Bivalvia) – Are geochemical variations at the…
2017
Abstract It remains a challenging task to reconstruct water temperatures from Sr/Ca ratios of bivalve shells. Although in many aragonitic species, Sr/Ca is negatively correlated to temperature – which is expected based on abiogenic precipitation experiments, the incorporation of Sr into the shell of bivalves is strongly controlled by physiological processes and occurs away from the predicted thermodynamic equilibrium. Strontium-to-calcium ratios of aragonitic shells remain far below that of the ambient water. Moreover, Sr concentrations vary considerably among shell portions consisting of different microstructures and/or organic content. Values observed at annual growth lines and within the…