Can predation and migration risk explain the mortality of Macoma balthica on tidal flats?
Hiddink, J.G. (2002). Can predation and migration risk explain the mortality of Macoma balthica on tidal flats?, in: Hiddink, J.G. The adaptive value of migrations for the bivalve Macoma balthica. pp. 113-122
In: Hiddink, J.G. (2002). The adaptive value of migrations for the bivalve Macoma balthica. PhD Thesis. Rijksuniversiteit Groningen: Groningen. ISBN 90-9016102-3. 172 pp., more
On the tidal flats of the Wadden Sea, many predators consume the bivalve Macoma balthica. Another important mortality causing factor is the migration to and from the high tidal flat nurseries. This study evaluaties if M. balthica mortality as observed on tidal flats can be explained from consumption by predators and migration risk, by means of a model based on empirical data. Density was modelled as a function of settlement density, predation and migration mortality only.A model that included predators for which detailed knowledge on consumption and size-selection was available could explain the mortality pattern in time, but underestimated mortality rate by a factor 1.5. An extended model that included higher densities of some of the predators, additional predator species, starvation, and death due to parasitism could explain all observed mortality.
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