Effects of deposit-feeding bivalve (Macomona liliana) density on intertidal sediment stability

摘要

Effects of macrofaunal feeding and bioturbation on intertidal sediment stability (u*crit) were investigated by manipulating density (0-3 x ambient) of the facultative deposit-feeding wedge shell (Macomona liliana) on the Tuapiro sandflat in Tauranga Harbour, New Zealand. Sediment stability increased up to 200% with decreasing M. liliana density and this was correlated with greater sediment microalgal biomass and mucilage content. The change in stability occurred despite homogeneity of grain size amongst experimental treatments, highlighting the importance of macrofaunal-microbial relationships in determining estuarine sediment erodibility.