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A HABITAT SUITABILITY INDEX FOR THE BAY SCALLOP ARGOPECTEN IRRADIANS
Citation:
WEISSBERGER, E. J. AND M. M. CHINTALA. A HABITAT SUITABILITY INDEX FOR THE BAY SCALLOP ARGOPECTEN IRRADIANS. Presented at US EPA Office of Research and Development Science Formum Postdoc Meeting, Washington, DC, May 15, 2006.
Description:
Poster presentation at a scientific meeting. A survey of Lagoon Pond, Martha's Vineyard, MA, USA was conducted in September 2005 to determine the combination of habitat factors most highly correlated with the bay scallop Argopecten irradians) abundance. A stratified random sampling design was used. Within each stratum, divers surveyed two adjacent 25 m transects for scallops, sediment type, and type and amount of vegetative cover. Temperature, dissolved oxygen, salinity, and turbidity were measured at the bottom and just below the surface. Non-parametric multiplicative regression was used to generate models relating the habitat characteristics to both presence/absence and abundance of scallops. Temperature and salinity were excluded from analyses because they did not vary among the sites sampled. Depth and surface turbidity were important predictors of scallop presence. Depth, bottom dissolved oxygen, algal cover, total plant cover, both bottom and surface turbidity, and sediment type were correlated with scallop abundance. When plant cover types were analyzed individually, eelgrass (thought to be the preferred habitat for juvenile scallops) abundance alone was not a strong predictor of scallop abundance. Macroalgal cover, however, was a strong predictor of scallop abundance. In the summer and fall of 2006 we plan to examine our model's predictive ability using data from other water bodies, including Nantucket Harbor, MA and Ninigret Pond, RI. The approach used in this study will help managers evaluate estuarine habitats for protection and restoration. This research supports EPA's goals of developing scientifically valid approaches for protecting and restoring aquatic ecosystems.