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The Use of Benthic Filter Feeders to Mitigate Eutrophication in Coastal Systems

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

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  1. The Use of Benthic Filter Feeders to Mitigate Eutrophication in Coastal Systems Lynn Ficarra

  2. 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

  3. Filter Feeders! Remove phytoplankton, nutrients, organic materials, bacteria, and much much more! (Ruesinket al. 2005, Gili and Coma 1998, Levinton 1972).

  4. 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)

  5. 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

  6. Riisgard 1988

  7. Mussels and eastern oysters performed well in both studies • Crassostreavirginicusand Mytilusedulis • Native to east coast of U.S. Gili and Coma 1998

  8. 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)

  9. 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)

  10. 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

  11. 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)

  12. 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

  13. 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

  14. References Refer to Accompanying Paper

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