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Growth and recruitment of the tellinid bivalve Macoma balthica at the southern limit of its geographical distribution, the Gironde estuary (SW France)

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Abstract

Growth of the bivalve Macoma balthica (L.) has been studied in 3 intertidal populations in the Gironde estuary, South-West France. This locality is supposed to be at the southern limit of the zoogeographical range of this species in the European waters. Investigations on the annual reproductive cycle and the seasonal evolution of a condition factor indicate a protracted spawning period from the spring to the autumn, giving 2 or 3 settlements per year. The main growth in length occurs between April and July–August. Growth is faster during the first growing season, the recently settled individuals being 3 to 8 mm in length during the first winter after settlement; growth then regularly decreases with increasing age. Growth rates are not affected by salinity but are significantly higher in high intertidal areas than at the low-water level. Theoretical growth equations (von Bertalanffy, Gompertz and logistic curves) were used to describe growth in M. balthica. The von Bertalanffy model gives an adequate description of growth during the life span of an individual, but a better fit is found with incorporation of temperature in the von Bertalanffy equation. Using published data on rates of growth of M. balthica, the growth constant K of von Bertalanffy was computed for populations located on a wide geographical range. A linear relationship was found between K and the latitude, suggesting a dependence of growth on latitude and temperature.

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  1. Institut de Biologie marine, Université de Bordeaux I, 33120, Arcachon, France

    G. Bachelet

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Communicated by J. M. Pérès, Marseille

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Bachelet, G. Growth and recruitment of the tellinid bivalve Macoma balthica at the southern limit of its geographical distribution, the Gironde estuary (SW France). Mar. Biol. 59, 105–117 (1980). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00405460

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