Document Type

Article

Department/Program

Virginia Institute of Marine Science

Publication Date

12-1-1986

Journal

Ecology

Volume

67

Issue

5

First Page

1361

Last Page

1371

Abstract

Adult soft-shelled clams (Mya arenaria) persist at low densities in Chesapeake Bay sandy habitats despite Intense predation by blue crabs (Callinectes sapidus). Clam persistence may be a consequence of variation in blue crab foraging rates as a function of clam density and sediment composition. In laboratory aquaria, we measured the functional responses (prey consumption per predator as a function of prey density) of large blue crabs to six densities of adult soft-shelled clams buried at natural depths in two sediment types (mud and sand). Functional responses in sand and mud were differentiated statistically by analyses of(1) residuals and residual sums of squares of discrete and continuous-time models, and (2) the exponent {3 of a general functional response model. .

Keywords

blue crabs, predation, soft shelled clams

Publication Statement

Copyright by the Ecological Society of America.

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