Effects of green algal mats on bivalves in a New England mud flat

Abstract

Concurrent with the spread of green algal mats on tidal flats, reports of macrofauna die-offs under dense algal mats have increased in numbers. Bivalves seem to be particularly affected by persistent dense algal mats. Bivalve species with a long extendible siphon seem to be less affected underneath algal mats, but no distinction has been made in the past between species with short and those with long siphons. We examined effects of green algal mats on two bivalve species with relatively long siphons, Mya arenaria and Macoma balthica, on an intertidal mudflat in New England. Abundances of M. arenaria declined substantially during the study period when a thick green algal mat covered the mudflat for several months. Numbers of the small bivalve Gemma gemma also decreased substantially, whereas abundances of M. balthica showed minimal variation during the time of algal coverage. In algae removal/addition experiments numbers of M. arenaria decreased, but effects were only significant in an algal.