Publication Date:
2022-05-31
Description:
Recruitment and survival of Nereis diversicolor and Corophium volutator was studied in an artificial Saltwater Lagoon in the Danish Wadden Sea. The two species were the most successful colonizers of this lagoon and they have temporarily accounted for more than 80 % of the benthic individuals. Predation by waders, emigration and a low salinity in winter(〈2‰) appeared to be important regulators of the population sizes. Various field experiments have been performed to examine the effect of selected infaunal species on recruitment of C. volutator and N. diversicolor. The density of recruits of C. volutator was negatively affected by adult individuals of its own species, by C. arenarium, by Macoma balthica, and by Nereis diversicolor. C. arenarium was the only species that had a negative effect on N. diversicolor. At the intertidal flat a high recruitment of both, C. volutator and N. diversicolor, took place within cages enclosing the natural fauna, while the density of recruits on the adjacent bottom was low. The importance of epibenthic predators and cage artifacts on the density of recruits is discussed.
Type:
Article
,
NonPeerReviewed
Format:
text
