2023 Early Hearing Detection & Intervention Conference
March 5-7, 2023 • Cincinnati, OH
5/21/2018 | 9:30 AM - 9:45 AM | TROPHIC NICHE WIDTH AND DIFFERENTIATION WITHIN UNIONID MUSSEL COMMUNITIES | 420 A
TROPHIC NICHE WIDTH AND DIFFERENTIATION WITHIN UNIONID MUSSEL COMMUNITIES
As inhabitants of the sediment-water interface, unionid mussels link benthic and pelagic systems. Through filter feeding, unionids redistribute pelagic nutrients into the benthos, altering benthic nutrient cycles. Currently, North America unionid diversity is in dramatic decline. To understand the impacts of these declines we need to better understand the trophic structure of unionid communities. We investigated trophic niches and potential partitioning in a speciose mussel community using stable isotopes (?13C, ?15N). Further, we determined whether isotopic niche space patterns were consistent among communities, and if variation in gill structure explained these differences. Individuals were collected from 8 sites along the Sipsey River, AL, along with seston and benthic organic matter samples for each site. Gill tissue was also collected from 4 of these sites, and cilia density was determined using scanning electron microscopy. Unionids were found to partition into trophic niches within communities, though there is significant variation between communities. This variation is likely due to fluctuation in seston composition available to communities, suggesting that while unionids form niches they are flexible in these niches depending on food availability.
- Isotope
- Diet
- Community
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Presenters/Authors
Brian van Ee
(), University of Alabama, bcvanee@gmail.com;
ASHA DISCLOSURE:
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Nonfinancial -
Carla L. Atkinson
(), University of Alabama, carlalatkinson@gmail.com;
ASHA DISCLOSURE:
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Nonfinancial -