Bivalve trophic ecology in the Mediterranean: Spatio-temporal variations and feeding behavior

Purroy, Ariadna; Najdek-Dragić, Mirjana; Isla, Enrique; Župan, Ivan; Thebault, Julien; Peharda Uljević, Melita (2018) Bivalve trophic ecology in the Mediterranean: Spatio-temporal variations and feeding behavior. Marine Environmental Research, 142 . 234 -249. ISSN 0141-1136

Preview

PDF - Accepted Version - article Download (2MB) | Preview

Abstract

The trophic ecology of two bivalves, the clam Callista chione and the cockle Glycymeris bimaculata was studied using environmental and biochemical variables of the suspended particulate matter and the sediment. Samples were collected from two shallow sites, Pag and Cetina, in the coastal oligotrophic Mediterranean Sea, during a 17 month period. The temporal variation of the particulate matter reflected a mixture between marine and terrestrial sources throughout the year, with a clear marine influence during summer and fall, and predominance of terrestrial inputs during spring and winter. The digestive gland was a useful rapid turnover tissue, where the carbon isotope signal was species-specific and the nitrogen isotope one was site-specific. FA markers in the digestive gland revealed a mixed diet where Callista chione fed more upon fresh material than G. bimaculata which relied largely on bacteria-derived detritus. Overall, little feeding niche overlap was observed between the two species during the year, indicating resource partitioning, expected for a food-limited system. The present trophic ecology study in co-occurring species allowed identifying species-specific feeding adaptations to environmental variability.

Item Type:	Article
Additional Information:	This research was supported by the EU within the framework (FP7) of the Marie Curie International Training Network ARAMACC (604802), and AP by a European Community Marie-Curie Fellowship (Call: FP7-PEOPLE-2013-ITN). We are grateful to Filip Buksa and Mario Zokk for the collection of specimens and to master students for help in the laboratory.
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Feeding ecology ; Bivalves ; Suspension feeder ; Biochemical variables ; Stable isotopes ; Fatty acids ; Adriatic sea ; Niche partitioning ; Coastal ecosystems
Subjects:	NATURAL SCIENCES NATURAL SCIENCES > Biology > Ecology NATURAL SCIENCES > Interdisciplinary Natural Sciences NATURAL SCIENCES > Interdisciplinary Natural Sciences > Marine Science
Divisions:	Center for Marine Research
Depositing User:	Mirjana Najdek Dragić
Date Deposited:	27 Nov 2019 14:09
URI:	http://fulir.irb.hr/id/eprint/5156
DOI:	10.1016/j.marenvres.2018.10.011

Actions (login required)

View Item