Ecology of Marine Bivalves: An Ecosystem Approach

Exploring the potential use of bivalves as indicators and monitors of ecosystem health, this book describes live and computer simulated experiments, mesocosm studies, and field manipulation experiments. This second edition discusses major new developments, including phase shifts in many coastal and estuarine ecosystems dominated by suspension-feeding bivalves, the invasion or introduction of alien bivalve species, the rapid growth of environmental restoration focused on bivalves, and the examination of geological history with regard to global climate change and its impact on bivalve-dominated systems.

Richard F. Dame, Ph.D., is Distinguished Palmetto Professor Emeritus of Marine Science at Coastal Carolina University in South Carolina. Dr. Dame received his B.S. degree from the College of Charleston, South Carolina in 1964. He obtained his M.A. degree from the University of North Carolina in 1967 and his Ph.D. degree from the University of South Carolina in 1971. He was a founding member of the Marine Science Program (1971-2006) at CCU. During the same time frame he was a very active research associate of the Belle W. Baruch Institute for Marine Biology and Coastal Research, University of South Carolina. He has served as the external member on numerous Ph.D. candidate committees in the United States and Europe.In addition to these academic activities, he served a two-year tour as the Ecosystems Program Director at the National Science Foundation. In recognition of his achievements he is listed in Who's Who in America and Who's Who in the World.Dr. Dame is an active scholar in the area of coastal and estuarine ecosystems. He is currently a review editor for the leading marine ecological journal, Marine Ecology Progress Series. The majority of his work has been funded by the National Science Foundation.

IntroductionHistorical/Geological SettingEcosystemsHistorical Ecology of BivalvesPhysical Environmental InteractionsTemperatureSalinityTemperature–Salinity and Other Factor CombinationsAcidificationWater FlowTidesSedimentsOrganismic Scale ProcessesFeedingSuspension-FeedingLarviphagyDeposit FeedingShipwormsSymbiotic NutritionChemoautotrophic SymbiosesPopulation ProcessesLife CycleStatistical Measures of PopulationsDensityReproductionPopulation GrowthBivalves As Open Or MetapopulationsLife and Fecundity TablesMortalityAbiotic MortalityPredationCompetition-Induced MortalityAggregated DistributionsZonationDiseases and ParasitesPopulation Energy BudgetsEcosystem GrazingIntroductionGrazing Theory as Applied to BivalvesConceptualizing GrazingMethods Used to Estimate System GrazingUpstream–Downstream ObservationsLaboratory FlumesEcosystem ComparisonsEcosystem Metabolism and Nutrient CyclingNutrient CyclingTheoretical BackgroundConclusionsThe Case of the Missing NitrogenEcosystem ExperimentsModelsModel FormulationModel AnalysisEcosystem Field ExperimentsCase StudyEcosystem Health, Restoration, and ServicesBivalve ResponsesSystems MeasuresEcosystem ServicesBiodiversityA Case Study: The Wadden Sea and the Invasion of Crassostrea gigasIndex