CCE Scientist’s Work Featured in 2 Scientific Journal Publications!
A Whelk preying upon a bay scallop.
Acoustic telemetry tags and ‘burial’ tags (for retrieval by divers between experiments) were attached to the whelk!
These tags monitored the the whelks movements!
Channeled and knobbed whelks are known to be predatory, with scallops making up a portion of their diet.
In order to conduct a successful shellfish restoration effort, many parameters need to be evaluated. Some of the biggest factors for consideration in terms of bay scallop restoration work is predation and site suitability. Both of these factors are explored in two recent publications of CCE Marine Program scientists.
“Variability in site characteristics linked to bay scallop abundance but not tethered survival: Implications for restoration” was published in the Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology in January 2022. Read the full article here!
The second article features the findings of an extensive evaluation of the impacts of whelk predation on bay scallops, with a particular focus on how this predator relationship impacts the bay scallops we plant as part of ongoing restoration efforts. Their process and findings are detailed in a recent publication available here. To sum it up, while whelks definitely prey on scallops, they are not the most significant predators that effect the potential success of a restoration planting. This paper was selected by the editor as a Highlighted Article, one deemed to be of “exceptional significance”. Editorial comment from the journal editor, Dr. Patricia Ramey-Balci was given and helps further frame the issue and importance of this research by our scientists:
Making connections: predatory behavior, prey availability and environment. Editorial comment on the highlight article “Predation on planted and wild bay scallops (Argopecten irradians irradians) by busyconine whelks: studies of behavior incorporating acoustic telemetry” by M. Sclafani et al. 2022
Patricia Ramey-Balci
Biological Sciences, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
Patricia.Ramey-Balci@umanitoba.ca
Predator movement and foraging behavior require locating resources across spatially and temporally heterogeneous landscapes in which they live. Therefore, quantifying how predator behavior changes with prey availability, prey attributes, and environmental factors over space and time is essential in understanding the underlying mechanisms driving predatory behavior (Campanella et al. 2019). Sclafani et al. 2022 take an important step in this direction within the framework of shellfish restoration strategies, by investigating predator-prey interactions among three commercially important species of benthic marine invertebrates. To say that the design and implementation of in situ experiments examining real-time movement, habitat selection and feeding of subtidal benthic species is challenging, would be an understatement. One of the remarkable aspects of the authors research differentiating it from others, is their successful integration of acoustic telemetry technology with carefully planned complementary manipulative field and laboratory experiments. The authors rely on the synergistic power of these methodological approaches to better understand movement and behavior of predatory gastropods (channeled whelks, Busycotypus canaliculatus; knobbed whelks, Busycon carica) in response to varying bay scallop (Argopecten irradians irradians) density and environmental factors. By tracking predation dynamics over time, the authors demonstrate scallop density effects on whelk movement behavior and feeding rates. Channeled whelks moved shorter distances and spent more time in plots planted with scallops compared to control plots without scallops. Whelks also spent more time in low versus high scallop density plots but consumed more scallops at the high density. Whelk movement rates were 5x higher in experimental trials without scallops, possibly due to increased exploratory behavior, and were most active during crepuscular hours and during periods of increasing wind speeds. Although this work clearly demonstrates that whelks are attracted to planted bay scallop aggregations and feed on juvenile and adult scallops, feeding rates were low. Thus, the contribution of whelks to the overall mortality of scallops in free (unprotected) plantings used in restoration efforts is expected to be minimal. An equally important finding is that the authors were able to estimate that as much as 46% of the planted scallops used in their experiments were likely lost to predation which is equivalent to ~3−5% predation d-1. This highlights the need to examine predation behavior of other species of invertebrates and fish that are abundant in the area and feed on scallops. This line of research is particularly relevant since northern bay scallop populations were decimated by brown tide algal blooms in the mid-1980’s in Peconic Bays, New York where the study took place. Despite extensive restoration efforts, recovery of the bay scallop is still on-going. Their research and its integrative approach thus provide new and important information on predator-prey interactions that brings a new perspective into existing restoration strategies.
Campanella F, Auster PJ, Taylor JC, Muñoz RC (2019) Dynamics of predator-prey habitat use and behavioral interactions over diel periods at sub-tropical reefs. PLoS One 14(2):e0211886. https://doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0211886
Sclafani, M, Bopp, J, Havelin, J, Humphrey, C, Hughes, SWT, Eddings, J, Tettelbach, ST (2022) Predation on planted and wild bay scallops (Argopecten irradians irradians) by busyconine whelks: studies of behavior incorporating acoustic telemetry Mar. Biol.
Great job to Dr. Matt Sclafani, Dr. Steve Tettelbach, Dr. Justin Bopp, Scott Hughes, Jason Havelin from the CCE Marine Team and all the additional contributors to this research on your publications! For questions and more information, please reach out to Dr. Matt Sclafani at ms332@cornell.edu.