scholarly journals Density dependence of growth and production in a Wadden Sea population of the cockle Cerastoderma edule

2015 ◽  
Vol 538 ◽  
pp. 157-167 ◽  
Author(s):  
JJ Beukema ◽  
R Dekker
Keyword(s):  
Density Dependence ◽  
Wadden Sea ◽  
Cerastoderma Edule

scholarly journals Dredging for edible cockles (Cerastoderma edule) on intertidal flats: short-term consequences of fisher patch-choice decisions for target and non-target benthic fauna

2007 ◽  
Vol 64 (9) ◽  
pp. 1735-1742 ◽  
Author(s):  
Casper Kraan ◽  
Theunis Piersma ◽  
Anne Dekinga ◽  
Anita Koolhaas ◽  
Jaap van der Meer
Keyword(s):  
Wadden Sea ◽  
Benthic Fauna ◽  
Marine Science ◽  
International Treaties ◽  
Target Species ◽  
Intertidal Area ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Patch Choice ◽  
Cerastoderma Edule ◽  
Intertidal Flats

Abstract Kraan, C., Piersma, T., Dekinga, A., Koolhaas, A. and van der Meer, J., 2007. Dredging for edible cockles (Cerastoderma edule) on intertidal flats: short-term consequences of fisher patch-choice decisions for target and non-target benthic fauna. – ICES Journal of Marine Science, 64. Intertidal flats in the Dutch Wadden Sea are protected by national and international treaties. Still, mechanical dredging for edible cockles Cerastoderma edule was allowed in 74% of 1200 km2 of intertidal flats. Cumulatively, between 1992 and 2001, 19% of the intertidal area was affected by mechanical cockle-dredging at least once. On the basis of a grid of 2650 stations sampled annually, we evaluate the extent to which cockle-dredging from 1998 to 2003 was selective with respect to non-target macrozoobenthic intertidal fauna. In all 4 years that comparisons could be made, to-be-dredged areas contained greater diversity of macrobenthic animals than areas that remained undredged. Targeted cockles were 2.5 times more abundant in areas that were to be dredged shortly, but other species also occurred in higher densities in these areas. Small amphipods and some bivalves occurred less in to-be-dredged areas than elsewhere. In terms of short-term responses to dredging, four non-target species showed a significant decrease in abundance 1 year after dredging. Only Tellina tenuis showed an increase a year after dredging.

Erodibility of a mixed mudflat dominated by microphytobenthos and Cerastoderma edule, East Frisian Wadden Sea, Germany

2010 ◽  
Vol 87 (2) ◽  
pp. 197-206 ◽  
Author(s):  
T.J. Andersen ◽  
M. Lanuru ◽  
C. van Bernem ◽  
M. Pejrup ◽  
R. Riethmueller
Keyword(s):  
Wadden Sea ◽  
Cerastoderma Edule

scholarly journals Small-Scale and Long-Term Variability in Population Dynamics of the Cockle Cerastoderma edule in a Southern North Sea Tidal Flat System

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julia Meyer ◽  
Ingrid Kröncke ◽  
Alexander Bartholomä ◽  
Mathias Heckroth ◽  
Gregor Scheiffarth
Keyword(s):  
Population Dynamics ◽  
Food Web ◽  
North Sea ◽  
Wadden Sea ◽  
Environmental Changes ◽  
Blue Mussel ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Cerastoderma Edule

The cockle Cerastoderma edule is one of the most common macrofauna species in the Wadden Sea areas of the North Sea. Cockle population dynamics are influenced by various abiotic and biotic factors such as temperature, food availability, and inter- and intraspecific competition. Cockles play an important role in the food web of the Wadden Sea, for instance, large shellfish-eating birds, such as oystercatchers and common eiders, use the cockle C. edule and the blue mussel Mytilus edulis as a main diet component. However, the populations of shellfish-eating bird species have been declining dramatically across the Wadden Sea since the beginning of the 21st century. While there are detailed monitoring programs in blue mussels due to commercial interests, little information is known about the stocks and long-term dynamics of cockles in the German Wadden Sea. To fill this gap, in 2005 a local conservation society (“Der Mellumrat e.V.”) initiated a study to sample cockles at one transect per year south of the island of Mellum, which was extended by 5 more transects in 2011. In addition to the spatial analysis, we analyzed the long-term variability in cockle population dynamics. Min/max autocorrelation factor analysis (MAFA) revealed a decline in cockle abundance, while no clear length trends were found. Canonical and spearman correlation analyses exposed significant correlations between cockle abundance and length and chlorophyll a, mussel bank area as well as oystercatcher and common eider populations. This study clearly shows that there is an urgent need for comprehensive time series of cockle data to analyze and explain ecological long-term changes in cockle population dynamics in relation to environmental changes and to point out how parts of the Wadden Sea food web, such as shellfish-eating birds are affected by these changes.

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