Abstract
Suspension feeding by bivalves has been hypothesized to control phytoplankton biomass in shallow aquatic ecosystems. Lake Waccamaw, North Carolina, USA is a shallow lake with a diverse bivalve assemblage and low to moderate phytoplankton biomass levels. Filtration and ingestion rates of two relatively abundant species in the lake, the endemic unionid, Elliptio waccamawensis, and an introduced species, Corbicula fluminea, were measured in experiments using natural phytoplankton for durations of 1 to 6 days. Measured filtration and ingestion rates averaged 1.78 and 1.121 ind.−1 d−1, much too low to control phytoplankton at the observed phytoplankton biomass levels and growth rates. Measured ingestion rates averaged 4.80 and 1.50 µg chlorophyll a ind.−1 d−1, too low to support individuals of either species. The abundance of benthic microalgae in Lake Waccamaw reaches 200 mg chlorophyll a m−2 in the littoral zone and averages almost an order of magnitude higher than depth-integrated phytoplankton chlorophyll a. Total microalgal biomass in the lake is therefore not controlled by suspension feeding by bivalves.
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Cahoon, L.B., Owen, D.A. Can suspension feeding by bivalves regulate phytoplankton biomass in Lake Waccamaw, North Carolina?. Hydrobiologia 325, 193–200 (1996). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00014984
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00014984