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Motile Suspension-Feeders in Estuarine and Marine Ecosystems

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The Comparative Roles of Suspension-Feeders in Ecosystems

Part of the book series: NATO Science Series IV: Earth and Environmental Series ((NAIV,volume 47))

Abstract

Motile suspension-feeders are defined as macroinvertebrates, fishes, and mammals that strain multiple small particles from the water column during each feeding event. Motile suspension-feeders include some of the most economically and ecologically important species in estuarine, coastal, and open ocean ecosystems. Major fisheries are based on fishes such as anchovies, herrings, and mackerels that feed either mainly or partially on plankton. A variety of mechanisms are used to procure, extract, and select food particles, but particles are not selected and targeted individually. Selectivity for certain-size particles coupled with pulses of high abundance can have major effects on food web and ecosystem structure. Although benthic and motile suspension-feeders share many characteristics, two major distinctions can be identified. Unlike benthic species, water column based forms do not create the kind of stable structures that provide habitat and affect hydrography. A unique character of the motile forms is the ability to migrate, often over long distances, effectively transferring nutrients and energy and otherwise impacting multiple ecosystems.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Haskin Shellfish Research Laboratory, Rutgers University, Port Norris, NJ, USA

    David Bushek

  2. Baruch Marine Field Laboratory, University of South Carolina, Georgetown, SC, USA

    Dennis M. Allen

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  1. David Bushek
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  2. Dennis M. Allen
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Marine Science Department, Coastal Carolina University, Conway, SC, USA

    Richard F. Dame

  2. Coastal Research and Planning Institute, Klaipeda University, Klaipeda, Lithuania

    Sergej Olenin

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Bushek, D., Allen, D.M. (2005). Motile Suspension-Feeders in Estuarine and Marine Ecosystems. In: Dame, R.F., Olenin, S. (eds) The Comparative Roles of Suspension-Feeders in Ecosystems. NATO Science Series IV: Earth and Environmental Series, vol 47. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/1-4020-3030-4_4

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