Article
Ecology
Donna Marie Bilkovic, Robert E. Isdell, Amanda G. Guthrie, Molly M. Mitchell, Randolph M. Chambers
Summary: The study found that the abundance of ribbed mussels in natural and nature-based living shoreline designs is low, potentially due to sediment organic matter content and plant density. It is recommended to facilitate self-sustaining populations of ribbed mussels in these restored habitats by modifying design and implementation practices.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Ahmed T. Abbas, Anais Cardenas, Darius LaFond, Brandon Guasaquillo, Leila Belgaid, Priscilla Lee, Mary Alldred, Chester B. Zarnoch
Summary: The mutualism between Smooth Cordgrass and Ribbed Mussels can increase ecosystem services by removing excess nitrogen through denitrification. However, mussel beds can persist in areas where cordgrass has been lost due to sea-level rise and eutrophication. The function of these remnant mussel beds, in the absence of cordgrass, remains unclear. This study found that remnant mussel beds had larger mussels and similar rates of denitrification compared to mudflats, suggesting that the presence of mussels may not enhance nitrogen removal in eroded marsh sediments.
WETLANDS ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Sarah E. Donaher, Robert P. Dunn, Annelise K. Gonzales, Bryanna D. Wattier, Brian A. Powell, Nicole E. Martinez
Summary: The bioavailability of aqueous radium and other dissolved metals to marine bivalves remains unclear, and this study aimed to examine the tissue-specific disposition of aqueous 226Ra in a coastal mussel.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
William K. Annis, Elizabeth A. Hunter, John M. Carroll
Summary: Ribbed mussel distributions are influenced by both within-marsh and landscape factors, with the most effective restoration locations being at appropriate elevations and away from the marsh-creek ecotone.
ESTUARIES AND COASTS
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Ryann E. L. Rossi, Charles A. Schutte, Jordan Logarbo, Caleb Bourgeois, Brian J. Roberts
Summary: The study reveals a mutualistic relationship between Gulf ribbed mussels (G. granosissima) and smooth cordgrass (S. alterniflora), in which the mussels enhance the growth and productivity of cordgrass, leading to improved salt marsh stability and function.
MARINE ECOLOGY PROGRESS SERIES
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Jennifer Zhu, J. Stephen Gosnell
Summary: The study found that the presence of predators may reduce the activity of ribbed mussels, but does not affect their positive impacts on water quality and denitrification rates. Variability in feeding rates and other factors may play a larger role than predator presence in determining mussel activity.
ESTUARIES AND COASTS
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Sheron Luk, Meagan J. Eagle, Giulio Mariotti, Kelsey Gosselin, Jonathan Sanderman, Amanda C. Spivak
Summary: Salt marsh ponds expand and deepen over time, potentially reducing ecosystem carbon storage and resilience. Erosion and decomposition are two mechanisms of carbon loss in the ponds, with erosion accounting for redistributed carbon and decomposition causing loss. The study found that ponding effects on carbon dynamics are shallow and mainly affect the surface soils, while the properties and organic matter composition of deeper soil horizons are similar to the marsh. Overall, the ponds negatively impact ecosystem carbon storage but at current densities, they are not causing widespread degradation of marshes in the studied system.
JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH-BIOGEOSCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Dezhi Chen, Jieping Tang, Fei Xing, Jun Cheng, Mingliang Li, Yiyi Zhang, Benwei Shi, Lianqiang Shi, Ya Ping Wang
Summary: Extremely shallow water stages have significant impacts on sediment dynamics and morphological changes in salt marshes, leading to obvious accretion in vegetated areas and erosion in unvegetated areas. Strong winds have a greater impact on deposition during these stages compared to calm weather.
FRONTIERS IN MARINE SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Sinead M. Crotty, Daniele Pinton, Alberto Canestrelli, Hallie S. Fischman, Collin Ortals, Nicholas R. Dahl, Sydney Williams, Tjeerd J. Bouma, Christine Angelini
Summary: This study reveals that the mussel, Geukensia demissa, has a significant effect on saltmarsh accretion in the southeastern US, with deposition being 2.8-10.7 times higher on mussel aggregations compared to other marsh locations. The study also predicts that mussels drive substantial changes to the magnitude and spatial patterning of accretion at marsh domain scales. Moreover, a manipulative experiment involving over 200,000 mussels shows that the faunal engineer has a much larger impact on relative marsh accretion rates than expected. Therefore, there is a critical need for empirical, experimental, and modeling work to understand the importance of faunal engineers in modifying the persistence of coastal ecosystems globally.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Kelly Elschot, Martin J. Baptist, Marinka E. B. van Puijenbroek
Summary: A global concern for coastal ecosystems is the predicted rise in sea-level for which salt marshes must keep pace. Variables that control this elevation change need to be identified to predict the adaptability of marshes to future sea-level rise. Grazing by livestock can significantly reduce the annual rates of elevation gain and affect the future adaptability of salt marshes to grow vertically for rising sea levels. Trampling by grazing cattle, along with other factors like precipitation deficit and extreme drought, can lead to biocompaction and reduce the total elevation change.
FRONTIERS IN MARINE SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Marcella Roner, Massimiliano Ghinassi, Alvise Finotello, Adele Bertini, Nathalie Combourieu-Nebout, Sandra Donnici, Adrian Gilli, Martina Vannacci, Luigi Vigliotti, Luca G. Bellucci, Mariaelena Fedi, Lucia Liccioli, Laura Tommasini, Andrea D'Alpaos
Summary: Many salt-marsh systems are threatened by drowning and lateral erosion due to insufficient sediment supply. Contrary to expectations, changes in sediment availability may not significantly impact marsh dynamics in the vertical plane. A time lag exists between enhanced sediment input and its impact on salt-marsh succession, with sediment stocking along marsh margins playing a key role in horizontal expansion before vertical accretion occurs.
FRONTIERS IN MARINE SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Plant Sciences
Jesus M. Castillo, Blanca Gallego-Tevar, Eloy M. Castellanos, Manuel Enrique Figueroa, Anthony J. Davy
Summary: The study reveals that in the process of salt marsh succession, as halophytic species transition to those less tolerant of reducing conditions, the increasing sediment accretion gradually mitigates abiotic stress, promoting colonization and competition among different populations.
JOURNAL OF ECOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Joseph A. M. Smith, Michael Pellew
Summary: Ponds in salt marshes are often misinterpreted as a sign of degradation, but they can also be part of a natural cyclical process. This study found that in unditched salt marshes, the net pond area has remained stable since 1970, indicating a dynamic equilibrium between pond formation and recovery. Changes in pond dynamics may be occurring independently of each other, possibly due to factors such as a decrease in pond formation rate, an increase in pond breaching rate, and a lag in vegetation recovery rate.
ESTUARIES AND COASTS
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
G. E. Moore, D. M. Burdick, M. R. Routhier, A. B. Novak, A. R. Payne
Summary: In mid-winter 2018, there was an unprecedented sediment deposition event in the Great Marsh of Massachusetts, which covered 29.2 hectares with an average thickness of 30.1 mm. The study found that the deposited sediment could potentially increase the marsh's resilience to sea level rise.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Hallie S. Fischman, Ashley R. Smyth, Christine Angelini
Summary: Mutualisms enhance ecosystem biodiversity, functioning, and service provisioning. However, invasive species, such as hogs, can interrupt mutualisms and disrupt ecosystem functions, as seen in their effects on cordgrass-mussel mutualism in marsh ecosystems. This disruption leads to significant reductions in mussels, cordgrass biomass, crab biomass, sediment deposition, and alterations in denitrification rates.
BIOLOGICAL INVASIONS
(2023)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Rebecca L. Morris, Donna M. Bilkovic, Maura K. Boswell, David Bushek, Just Cebrian, Joshua Goff, Kelly M. Kibler, Megan K. La Peyre, Giovanna McClenachan, Josh Moody, Paul Sacks, Jenny P. Shinn, Eric L. Sparks, Nigel A. Temple, Linda J. Walters, Bret M. Webb, Stephen E. Swearer
JOURNAL OF APPLIED ECOLOGY
(2019)
Article
Ecology
Joshua Moody, Danielle Kreeger
JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL MARINE BIOLOGY AND ECOLOGY
(2020)
Article
Ecology
Rebecca L. Morris, Megan K. La Peyre, Bret M. Webb, Danielle A. Marshall, Donna M. Bilkovic, Just Cebrian, Giovanna McClenachan, Kelly M. Kibler, Linda J. Walters, David Bushek, Eric L. Sparks, Nigel A. Temple, Joshua Moody, Kory Angstadt, Joshua Goff, Maura Boswell, Paul Sacks, Stephen E. Swearer
Summary: Oyster reef living shorelines aim to achieve sustained and adaptive coastal protection by combining ecological and engineering goals. The effectiveness of different reef designs in wave attenuation was evaluated in a large-scale comparison along the US coasts, taking into account the ecological limitations of oysters in terms of inundation duration. The research found that the reef crest elevation (freeboard) should be determined by the inundation duration requirements of oysters to optimize wave attenuation capacity.
ECOLOGICAL APPLICATIONS
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Joshua A. Moody, Sarah A. Bouboulis, LeeAnn Haaf, Ella R. Rothermel, Danielle A. Kreeger
Summary: Bivalve shellfish in living shorelines can attenuate wave energy, provide habitat, and improve water quality. This study found that using different shellfish species in appropriate spatial positions can help maintain or enhance overall filtration capacity.
ECOLOGICAL ENGINEERING
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Joshua A. Moody, Matthew J. Gentry, Sarah A. Bouboulis, Danielle A. Kreeger
JOURNAL OF COASTAL RESEARCH
(2020)