Impacts of a bivalve mass mortality event on an estuarine food web and bivalve grazing pressure

Declines in bivalve populations have been quite common worldwide, often associated with coastal development, pollution and climate change. In addition to the impacts of these chronic stressors, occasional mass mortality events may have severe consequences on ecosystem services and biodiversity. In this study, we examined the impact of a mass mortality event of the clam (Austrovenus stutchburyi) on an estuarine food web and the grazing pressure exerted by the bivalve population. In February 2009, c. 60% of the clam population died in Whangateau Harbour, New Zealand. Population clearance rate calculations suggest that the clam population do not exert significant top-down control on phytoplankton biomass in the estuary, and thus the impact of the mortality event on bivalve grazing pressure was less severe than the reduction in abundance would suggest. A trophic model shows that phytoplankton play a limited role in the estuary food web, which is instead dominated by microphytobenthos and clams. This study highlights the importance of microphytobenthos in shallow estuaries, and the application of the trophic model is a useful tool that can identify key components of the ecosystem and could help inform monitoring programmes.