Tidal transport of postlarval bivalves in a flood dominated estuary

尽管越来越多的人认识到招募在构建底栖生物群落中的作用，但在我们理解软底生物群落的分布模式和丰度的过程中，幼虫后扩散仍然是一个关键的空白。人们对幼虫后的传播进行了许多观察，但对传播速度或距离及其与物理和生物因素的关系的测量却少得多。特别是，我们对幼虫后扩散发生的尺度知之甚少。了解幼虫扩散后的距离对于理解这种扩散的生态后果，包括它与其他过程的相互作用至关重要。本研究的总体目标是研究双壳类软壳蛤在一个小洪水主导的河口中幼虫后运输的规模和幅度。在实验室水槽实验和实地实验中，研究人员将测量近底水流速度，并检查物理因素（流速、潮汐状态和范围、沉积物类型）与幼虫后运输速率和距离之间的关系。在研究结束时，他们将通过结合物理和生物数据来驱动幼虫后运输的数值模型，来检查幼虫后运输对分布和丰度模式的影响。该研究将大大促进我们对幼虫后扩散在双壳类动物招募中的作用的理解。这项研究将是第一个使用标记再捕获技术对幼虫后扩散规模进行直接实地测量的研究之一。在观察到的物理条件下，量化幼虫后运输的规模和幅度将适用于未来对其他物种和其他系统的研究。拟议的研究将通过为本科生提供进行独立研究的机会，作为跨学科研究的一部分，对教育产生影响。

Despite a growing recognition of the role of recruitment in structuring benthic communities, post-larval dispersal remains a critical gap in our understanding of the processes determining patterns of distribution and abundance in soft bottom communities. There have been many observations of post-larval dispersal, but far fewer measurements of rates or distances of dispersal and their relationship to physical and biological factors. In particular, we know very little about the scales over which post-larval dispersal occurs. Knowledge of the distances post-larvae disperse is crucial in understanding the ecological consequences of this dispersal, including its interaction with other processes. The overall objective of this study is to examine the scale and magnitude of post-larval transport of a bivalve, the soft shell clam Mya arenaria, in a small flood-dominated estuary. In a laboratory flume experiment and field experiments, the investigators will make measurements of near bottom current speeds and examine the relationship between physical factors (flow speed, tidal state and range, sediment type) and rates and distances of post-larval transport. At the end of the study, they will examine the consequences of post-larval transport for patterns of distribution and abundance by combining the physical and biological data to drive a numerical model of post-larval transport. The research will substantially advance our understanding of the role of post-larval dispersal in bivalve recruitment. The study will be one of the first to make direct field measurements of the scale of post-larval dispersal using mark-recapture techniques. Quantifying the scale and magnitude of post-larval transport under observed physical conditions will be applicable to future studies of other species and other systems. The proposed research will have an educational impact by providing undergraduate students with the opportunity to conduct independent research as part of an interdisciplinary study.