Siphon nipping facilitates lethal predation in the clam Mesodesma mactroides (Reeve, 1854) (Mollusca: Bivalva)

In soft sediment marine communities, fishes frequently bite off extended siphons of buried clams; the consequential shortening of the siphon is known to reduce burial depth of the clams, secondarily increasing their vulnerability to lethal excavating predators. In this study, siphon nipping on the y...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Marine biology 2010-04, Vol.157 (4), p.737-745
Main Authors: CLEDON, Maximiliano, NUNEZ, Jesús D
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animal and plant ecology
Animal, plant and microbial ecology
Beaches
Biological and medical sciences
Biomedical and Life Sciences
Clams
Freshwater & Marine Ecology
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Grain size
Invertebrates
Life Sciences
Marine
Marine & Freshwater Sciences
Marine biology
Marine fish
Mesodesma mactroides
Microbiology
Mollusca
Mollusks
Oceanography
Original Paper
Physiological aspects
Predators
Sea water ecosystems
Shellfish
Shoreline protection
Siphons
Synecology
Zoology
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Summary:In soft sediment marine communities, fishes frequently bite off extended siphons of buried clams; the consequential shortening of the siphon is known to reduce burial depth of the clams, secondarily increasing their vulnerability to lethal excavating predators. In this study, siphon nipping on the yellow clam, Mesodesma mactroides, was simulated by removing the top 6.6-30% of siphons. This caused a burrow reduction in 25-75%, respectively, compared to control individuals with intact siphons, in field and laboratory trials. To examine subsequent consequences of reduced burial depth, we exposed nipped and intact clams to potential predators in the laboratory simulating the observed natural clam abundance. Artificially nipped clams were consumed twice as much as control clams. The present results suggest that sympatric croppers contribute to the stock recovery failure by facilitation of lethal predation and that re-seeding to increase the local abundance of M. mactroides should be an essential aspect of conservation efforts in South America.
ISSN:0025-3162
1432-1793
DOI:10.1007/s00227-009-1357-0