18.

18969703

Characterization of a Geukensia demissa population within a

tidally-dominated estuary
Justin Davies
University of South Carolina Beaufort, Department of Natural Science
Introduction Allometric growth of individual mussels among marsh zones
The Atlantic ribbed mussel (Geukensia demissa) Dillwyn is an intertidal bivalve found ubiquitously in
estuarine communities throughout its expansive geographic range and is now widely recognized as a 120
(a)
keystone species due to the symbiosis it shares with Spartina alterniflora. Estuarine bivalves are
inarguably key mediators of benthic-pelagic coupling; suspension-feeding (i.e., grazing) coupled with the 100

biodeposition of nitrogen-rich pseudofaeces enhances the growth and net productivity of both
80
phytoplankton populations and Spartina (Figure 1). Furthermore, the secretion of proteinaceous abyssal
threads that attach to the roots of Spartina both increases the stability of marsh sediment (thus providing 60

habitat for a variety of burrowing infauna) in addition to preventing erosion and enhancing net accretion. y = 7.3658x + 8.8198
While thoroughly studied in New England and Gulf Coast estuaries, little has been done to characterize Figure 1: Benthic-pelagic coupling facilitated by Geukensia demissa. Removal of phytoplankton from the water column facilitates increased primary
40 R² = 0.8975

populations of Geukensia in the tidally-dominated estuaries of South Carolina and Georgia. Thus, the
goal of this study is to develop a baseline for surveying Geukensia populations in the Beaufort County
productivity, as biodeposition of pseudofaeces transforms nitrogen fixed into planktonic biomass back into dissolved inorganic nitrogen. Particulate
nitrogen, in the form of NH4+, is transferred directly to the aerobic top-soil, where it is quickly oxidized to nitrate and nitrite. These forms of nitrogen are
capable of being directly assimilated by Spartina, phytoplankton and heterotrophic bacteria for growth and reproduction, thus initiating a ceaseless
positive-feedback loop. Source: Angelini et. al, 2015.
20

area, particularly within the tidally-dominated Port Royal sound. Individual and population-level metrics
will be assessed in the context of the following hypotheses; Results 0
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15

120
HA1: Mussel density will be greatest at the (tall-form Spartina dominated) marsh edge, intermediate at Mussel density decreased markedly with increasing tidal height (i.e., from the (b)
the (mid-height Spartina dominated) mid-marsh and lowest in the (Salicornia virginica/short Spartina low marsh to the high marsh). In the low marsh, 0.25m2 quadrat samples gave 100

dominated) high marsh. a mean, scaled-up density of 460±157.70 mussels/m2.. Mid-marsh density and

Length (mm)
80

high marsh density were 224±64.81 mussels/m2 and 66±19.44 mussels/m2

y = 8.8124x + 11.618
HA2.: Average mussel size will be greatest at the marsh edge, intermediate in the mid-marsh and lowest in respectively. Thus, the null hypothesis that no difference would exist in 60
R² = 0.9344

the high-marsh. mussel density among marsh zones was rejected. 40

20

HA3: Survivorship of Geukensia will be lowest at the marsh edge, intermediate at the mid-marsh and A single factor ANOVA was performed to assess the variability in both age
greatest in the high-marsh. and length among zones of the marsh. A significant interaction was 0
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15

discovered in both cases; as such, a post-hoc Tukey multicomparison test was

Methods required to determine which interaction was significant. The resulting p
Details values of the multicomparison tests are shown below in Table 1, in addition to 120
(c)

• The study site (Widgeon point; Figure 1) was selected as a result of the presence of expansive zones of the Bonefferoni-corrected p value calculated to assess statistical significance.
100

emergent vegetation that smoothly blend into one another. Mortality was prevented through periodic
inundation water collected daily from the May River; all mussels were returned to the study site following 80

data collection. All data was collected and analyzed between May 29th and May 31st. y = 7.9881x + 16.465
60
R² = 0.9403
Procedure
• Three 100 m2 (50 x 2) transects were ran in each zone of the marsh; transects were standardized based on 40

the presence of the dominant emergent vegetation characteristically found in each marsh zone.
• Five quadrats were placed along each transect (~10m apart) in locations where the presence of mussels 20

was evident. Individuals were excavated with a metal shovel and then placed into a plastic bucket and
0
carried back to the Widgeon Point barn for preliminary processing (i.e., rinsing with freshwater and total 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15

density count). Age (years)

• Individual-level metrics (i.e., point-point length and age) were collected at a secondary processing site. Figure 3: Simple linear regressions were performed using data collected from ~100 mussels/site. (a) depicts the results of the high marsh age-length
Length was recorded using digital calipers (±1mm), while age was determined by counting external Table 1: p values given by pairwise post-hoc Tukey tests. Significant values are highlighted regression, (b) depicts the mid-marsh and (c) depicts the low marsh. R2 values and the slope of the line are provided for each regression.
in green; statistically insignificant values were highlighted in red.
growth bands as outlined by Brousseau (1984). Discussion & Implications
• Shell damage and status (i.e., alive or dead) were noted in order to examine the relationship between age-
Average mussel length was highest in the low marsh (75.78±29.29mm), • The relatively strong inverse relationship present between survivorship and tidal height
specific mortality in addition to the influence of shell damage on allometric growth.
intermediate in mid-marsh (73.469±18.19mm) and lowest in the high marsh merits further investigation. The relative ease-of-access to the study site from nearby marsh
• Statistical analysis was performed in Microsoft Excel 2016 through use of the Analysis Toolpak add-in.
(57.85±14.44mm). Post—hoc tests revealed the following order of hammocks may partially explain the inverse relationship observed relative to that which is
significance; Low marsh length = Mid-marsh length > High marsh length. typically seen in Geukensia populations (i.e., raccoon predation may be particularly strong,
Although no statistically significant interaction occurred between the low and hence the high survivorship found at the greatest distance from the hammock).
mid-marsh, the general trend remains present and thus the second alternative
hypothesis was accepted. • Several recruits were found on conspecifics; as such, gametogenesis must have already
began to occur. This is in stark contrast to northern populations, which become sexually
The inverse relationship between survivorship and tidal height appears active in the late summer. Further work on the timing of gametogenesis is required before
thoroughly interesting. The presence of juveniles in the low marsh appeared to intensive research on recruitment patterns can be performed.
be a confounding variable, hindering analysis of the causal forces inducing
variability among zones. Once juveniles (less than 1 year old) were excluded • The degree of allometry present in New England populations has also been found in local
from the single factor ANOVA performed on age among sites, a statistically populations, allowing for a rough age-determination via size-class approximation, This is a
significant interaction was encountered. Average age was actually highest in much less destructive method that will likely be utilized in future endeavors.
the low marsh (7.425±3.56), intermediate in the mid-marsh (6.93±1.99) and References
lowest in the high marsh (6.34±1.83). Post-hoc analysis revealed the following 1. Angelini, C., Griffin, J. N., Koppel, J. V., Lamers, L. P., Smolders, A. J., Derksen-Hooijberg, M., . . . Silliman, B. R. (2016). A
keystone mutualism underpins resilience of a coastal ecosystem to drought. Nature Communications, 7.
order of significance; Low marsh > Mid-marsh = High marsh. Thus, the third doi:10.1038/ncomms12473
alternative hypothesis of this study was rejected.
2. Lin, J. (1989). Influence of location in a salt marsh on survivorship of ribbed mussels. Marine Ecology Progress Series, 56,
105-110. doi:10.3354/meps056105
Simple linear regressions were utilized to examine the degree of allometry
Figure 2: The study site, Widgeon Point, is located almost directly between Bluffton and Beaufort and is found at the heart of the Port Royal sound. The red box
indicates its location within the sound, while the arrows on the close-up photograph indicate where transects were ran. Red indicates the approximate location of present in local populations, described by multiple New England researchers 3. Nielsen, K. J., & Franz, D. R. (1995). The influence of adult conspecifics and shore level on recruitment of the ribbed
mussel Geukensia demissa (Dillwyn). Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology, 188(1), 89-98.
the high marsh transect, blue indicates the mid-marsh transect and green indicates the low marsh transect. Images courtesy of Google Earth.
in the 1980’s. The results are shown in Figure 3. doi:10.1016/0022-0981(94)00190-o
 Allometric growth of individual mussels among marsh zones

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60
40 y = 7.3658x + 8.8198
20 R² = 0.8975
0
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15

120

Length (mm)
70 y = 8.8124x + 11.618
R² = 0.9344
20

-30 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15

120

70
y = 7.7808x + 18.353
20 R² = 0.9237

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15
-30

Age (years)