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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 Benthic Ecology Meeting, Quebec City, QC, CANADA, March 08 - 12, 2006.
Description:
Platform 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 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 relate 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 correlated with the presence or absence of scallops. Depth, bottom dissolved oxygen, algal cover, total plant cover, both bottom and surface turbidity, and sediment type were correlated with scallop abundance. Although eelgrass is usually considered the primary habitat for bay scallops, this study suggests that macroalgae may also support substantial numbers of scallops. We plan to examine our model's predictive ability using data from other coastal lagoons.