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The Role of Bivalve Filter Feeder Material Fluxes in Estuarine Ecosystems

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Bivalve Filter Feeders

Part of the book series: Nato ASI Series ((ASIG,volume 33))

Abstract

Bivalve reefs and beds are a common feature of many estuarine and coastal environments. Bivalve filter feeders dominate these communities removing food from and releasing waste materials to the overlaying waters. The surrounding shallow tidal waters provide a habitat for growing phytoplankton and an environment for nutrient recycling. In essence, these systems are natural “feed lots” with the herbivorous bivalves playing the same role as large mammals in cultivated terrestrial systems. This feature of bivalves has been recognized and exploited through culture for millennia. With the application of modern technology to bivalve cultivation, many estuarine systems are approaching and even exceeding the capabilities of these ecosystems to maintain their environmental quality. In this paper, I will review modern ecosystem concepts with respect to material processing and nutrient cycling emphasizing the role bivalve filter feeders play in shallow estuarine and coastal ecosystems. In addition, the published evidence of bivalve filter feeder influence on these ecosystems will be examined, synthesized and potential areas of research identified.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Coastal Carolina College, Conway, SC, 29526, USA

    Richard F. Dame

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  1. Richard F. Dame
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Marine Science Department, Coastal Carolina University, P. O. Box 1954, Conway, SC, 29526, USA

    Richard F. Dame

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© 1993 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

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Dame, R.F. (1993). The Role of Bivalve Filter Feeder Material Fluxes in Estuarine Ecosystems. In: Dame, R.F. (eds) Bivalve Filter Feeders. Nato ASI Series, vol 33. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-78353-1_7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-78353-1_7

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-642-78355-5

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-642-78353-1

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