Nutrition and food limitation of deposit-feeders: II. Differential effects of Hydrobia totteni and Ilyanassa obsoleta on the microbial community
Bianchi, T.S.; Levinton, J.S. (1981). Nutrition and food limitation of deposit-feeders: II. Differential effects of Hydrobia totteni and Ilyanassa obsoleta on the microbial community. J. Mar. Res. 39(3): 547-556
In: Journal of Marine Research. Sears Foundation for Marine Research, Yale University: New Haven, Conn.. ISSN 0022-2402; e-ISSN 1543-9542, more
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| Keywords |
Hydrobia W. Hartmann, 1821 [WoRMS]
Marine/Coastal |
| Authors | | Top |
- Bianchi, T.S.
- Levinton, J.S.
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| Abstract |
We examined the effects of the mud snails Hydrobia totteni and Ilyanassa obsoleta on microbial communities of sediments in microcosms. Varying density of Hydrobia, and the presence of Ilyanassa, exerted no effect on steady state bacterial standing stock. This is probably related to the rapid recovery rate of bacteria, despite efficient grazing. Coccoid blue-green algae were abundant when only Hydrobia were present. A different suite of digestive enzymes or greater gut residence time in Ilyanassa may explain this difference. Filamentous blue-greens were efficiently grazed by both snail species. Somatic growth rate of Hydrobia was generally depressed by Ilyanassa. We conclude that differential digestive (or other) abilities of deposit-feeding species can exert differential effects on the microbial community of sediments. |
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