2023 Early Hearing Detection & Intervention Conference
March 5-7, 2023 • Cincinnati, OH
5/23/2019 | 12:00 PM - 12:15 PM | DENSITY-DEPENDENT EFFECTS OF FRESHWATER MUSSELS ON GROWTH OF EMERGENT MACROPHYTES | 251 DE
DENSITY-DEPENDENT EFFECTS OF FRESHWATER MUSSELS ON GROWTH OF EMERGENT MACROPHYTES
Nutrient cycling hotspots created by dense, multispecies aggregations of unionid freshwater mussels have cascading effects on food webs and ecosystem function. Mussel-derived nutrients can be found throughout mussel-associated food webs, including in emergent macrophytes. Dense macrophyte colonies that form sediment bars at the margins of aquatic ecosystems may be a nutrient-rich food resource for terrestrial animals. Our objective was to determine the effects of mussel density on growth and nutrient content of a common emergent macrophyte. We varied the density of two common mussel species within recirculating mesocosms to investigate the effects of a mussel density gradient on macrophyte (Justicia americana) growth and nutrient content. Justicia growth increased significantly with mussel density, but at the lowest mussel densities Justicia growth was lower than control treatments. Water column NH4-N showed no relationship with mussel biomass, but SRP was higher in high-density treatments. We hypothesize that on small spatial scales, like this experiment or the margins of gravel bars, bioturbation by mussels may disturb macrophyte root systems, inhibiting growth. However, increased P availability at higher densities likely created a fertilization effect, overriding this negative effect and increasing macrophyte growth.
- Macrophyte
- Mussel
- Hotspot
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Presenters/Authors
Jonathan Lopez
(), University of Oklahoma, jwlopez@ou.edu;
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Thomas Parr
(), University of Oklahoma, Thomas.parr@ou.edu;
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Daniel Allen
(), University of Oklahoma, dcallen@ou.edu;
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Caryn Vaughn
(), University of Oklahoma, cvaughn@ou.edu;
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