A new paper out in Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology by Anna Törnroos, Marie Nordström, Katri Aarnio and Erik Bonsdorff investigates the plasticity in feeding behavior of the Baltic Clam (Macoma balthica), a key benthic species in European coastal waters.
Determining when and how the environment affects morphology, physiology and behavior of species is essential for understanding the adaptability of species to changes in their surrounding habitat as well as their functional role in the ecosystem. The tellinid clam Macoma balthica can vary its feeding behavior and shift between deposit- and suspension feeding, but defining the factors that control this behavior have proved challenging. Here we studied the context-dependency of this trophic plasticity in adult clams by using stable isotope signatures to assess food uptake and show that immediate hydrographical and biotic settings were attributed to the contrasts in signatures and switch in feeding of clams transplanted to a new environment.
The paper can be found here:
Environmental context and trophic trait plasticity in a key species, the tellinid clam Macoma balthica L. (2015) Törnroos A., Nordström M.C., Aarnio A., Bonsdorff E. JEMBE 472:32-40.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0022098115001719