THE EFFECTS OF SUBMERGED AQUATIC VEGETATION AS HABITAT ON THE SURVIVORSHIP OF CLAMS: FIELD SURVEYS IN ST. MARY'S RIVER, MARYLAND AND LABORATORY PREDATION EXPERIMENTS

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dc.contributor.advisorMihursky, Joseph Aen_US
dc.contributor.advisorBreitburg, Denise Len_US
dc.contributor.authorReid, Carolyn Cristineen_US
dc.contributor.departmentMarine-Estuarine-Environmental Sciencesen_US
dc.date.accessioned2004-05-31T19:55:12Z
dc.date.available2004-05-31T19:55:12Z
dc.date.issued2003-12-22en_US
dc.description.abstractSubmerged aquatic vegetation is a complex habitat that may strongly affect the survivorship of associated animal species. Location with reference to SAV and seasonal changes have been suggested as important factors influencing species' survivorship. A field study examining natural abundances during spring and summer was conducted to examine the SAV effect on clam survivorship in St. Mary's River, a Chesapeake Bay tributary. Data revealed that SAV biomass affected clam abundances in summer, but not spring. Crab pots caught significantly greater numbers of <i>Callinectes sapidus</i> (blue crab) outside grass beds than inside SAV, contrary to published studies. Greater predation pressure on clams in lower SAV biomass may be causing differences in clam abundance. Experiments investigating C. sapidus predation on <i>Mya arenaria</i> (soft-shell clam) in different SAV densities indicated that SAV presence significantly reduced predation. Habitat studies tracking behavior revealed crabs spent more time in vegetation but consumed more clams outside SAV.en_US
dc.format.extent1005359 bytes
dc.format.mimetypeapplication/pdf
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/1903/138
dc.language.isoen_US
dc.relation.isAvailableAtDigital Repository at the University of Marylanden_US
dc.relation.isAvailableAtUniversity of Maryland (College Park, Md.)en_US
dc.subject.pqcontrolledBiology, Ecologyen_US
dc.subject.pqcontrolledEnvironmental Sciencesen_US
dc.titleTHE EFFECTS OF SUBMERGED AQUATIC VEGETATION AS HABITAT ON THE SURVIVORSHIP OF CLAMS: FIELD SURVEYS IN ST. MARY'S RIVER, MARYLAND AND LABORATORY PREDATION EXPERIMENTSen_US
dc.typeThesisen_US

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