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Journal article
Potential of Mussel Habitat Enhancement to Alleviate Eutrophication in Nutrient‐Enriched Estuaries
Ecological management & restoration, Vol.26(2), e70004
2025
Abstract
Through altered freshwater flow regimes and excessive anthropogenic nutrient input, many estuaries around the world are showing signs of eutrophication. As shellfish can alleviate some of these issues through their water filtration capacity, shellfish habitat restoration efforts have increased markedly in the past decade. This study quantifies, for the first time, the water filtration capacity of the Black Pygmy Mussel Xenostrobus securis and the potential for habitat enhancement to alleviate eutrophication issues in a hypereutrophic estuary in south Western Australia. Substrate, comprising coir matting, was deployed by community volunteers in four‐panel arrangements in the rivers of the Swan‐Canning Estuary onto which X. securis recruited naturally. In the Swan River, average mussel densities were 3377 individuals m −2 , based on 10% mat coverage. River water comprised relatively high particulate organic matter (POM) concentrations, particularly in spring (up to 9.2 mg L −1 ). Standardised clearance rates (CR; g −1 mussel tissue) were typically greater (> 5.0 L h −1 ) in summer when chlorophyll a concentrations, salinities and water temperature were elevated, whereas CR was often < 2.0 L h −1 in early spring. In the Swan River, it was estimated that for every square metre of habitat enhanced, 9.2 × 10 5 L of water could be potentially cleared during spring and 1.7 × 10 6 L over summer, the latter incorporating 5.3 kg of organic matter into mussel biomass. On a larger scale, 1000 m 2 of deployed habitat over the course of summer has the potential to clear 24.5% of the volume of the tidal portion of the Swan River and 64.4% of the volume of the smaller Canning River. The results thus demonstrate the efficacy of using cost‐effective soft substrates deployed by community volunteers to enhance habitat for mussels and its potential to assist in alleviating eutrophication issues.
Details
- Title
- Potential of Mussel Habitat Enhancement to Alleviate Eutrophication in Nutrient‐Enriched Estuaries
- Authors/Creators
- Alan Cottingham - Centre for Sustainable Aquatic Ecosystems, Harry Butler Institute Murdoch University Perth Western Australia AustraliaAndrew Bossie - Australian Wildlife ConservancyFiona Valesini - Australian Wildlife ConservancyCharles Maus - Murdoch UniversitySorcha Cronin-O'Reilly - Centre for Sustainable Aquatic Ecosystems, Harry Butler Institute Murdoch University Perth Western Australia AustraliaJames R. Tweedley - Murdoch University, Centre for Sustainable Aquatic EcosystemsEve Galimany - Institut Català de Ciències del Clima
- Publication Details
- Ecological management & restoration, Vol.26(2), e70004
- Publisher
- Ecological Society of Australia and John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd.
- Number of pages
- 13
- Grant note
- Australian GovernmentSevero Ochoa Center of Excellence': CEX2019-000928-S Council of Australian University Librarians
This project was funded by the Australian Government. The authors acknowledge the Whadjuk Noongar people as the traditional custodians of the land on which the research was conducted. We would like to express our gratitude to the community volunteer groups Ozfish Unlimited, Friends of Bardon Park and Bassendean Preservation Group for their exceptional efforts. The authors declare that no funds, grants or other support were received during the preparation of this manuscript. This work acknowledges the accreditation of the 'Severo Ochoa Center of Excellence' (CEX2019-000928-S). Open access publishing facilitated by Murdoch University, as part of the Wiley - Murdoch University agreement via the Council of Australian University Librarians.
- Identifiers
- 991005743936807891
- Copyright
- © 2025 The Author(s).
- Murdoch Affiliation
- Centre for Sustainable Aquatic Ecosystems
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Journal article
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- Citation topics
- 3 Agriculture, Environment & Ecology
- 3.2 Marine Biology
- 3.2.1002 Bivalve Ecology
- Web Of Science research areas
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