Ingestion rate of the deposit-feeder Hydrobia ulvae (Gastropoda) on epipelic diatoms: effect of cell size and algal biomass

Authored by AG Haubois, JM Guarini, P Richard, D Fichet, G Radenac, GF Blanchard

Date Published: 2005

DOI: 10.1016/j.jembe.2004.11.009

Sponsors: No sponsors listed

Platforms: No platforms listed

Model Documentation: Other Narrative Mathematical description

Model Code URLs: Model code not found

Abstract

The effects of cell size of epipelic diatoms and sediment Chl a content (as an index of algal biomass) on the ingestion rate of Hydrobia ulvae adults and juveniles were investigated in experimental microcosms. Results showed that both adults and juveniles ingested small and large diatoms without exhibiting cell size selection behaviour. The functional response of H. ulvae, juveniles (< 4 mm) and adults (> 4 mm), over a wide range of sediment Chl a content, was characterized by an increase of the ingestion rate according to a power law. Ingestion rate varied from 0.75 to 10 ng Chl a ind(-1) h(-1) forjuveniles and from 1 to 52 ng Chl a ind(-1) h(-1) for adults, in the range ca. 10-100 mu g Chl a (g dry weight sediment)(-1). The ingestion rate was about three times higher for adults than for juveniles. Based on these experimental results, we further proposed a mechanistic approach, using an individual based-model, to identify simple feeding mechanisms that might be involved in H. ulvae functional response. (c) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Tags

selection Population-dynamics Particle-size Chlorophyll-a Mud snails hydrobiidae Absorption efficiencies Abarenicola-pacifica Ems-dollard Sediment Microphytobenthos