Distribution pattern, density and growth of the stout razor clam Tagelus plebeius in a Southwest Atlantic estuarine system

BREY T,; KLÜGEL A.,; BETINA JUDITH LOMOVASKY; IRIBARNE O.

JOURNAL OF THE MARINE BIOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION OF THE UNITED KINGDOM

CAMBRIDGE UNIV PRESS

Lugar: Cambridge; Año: 2018 vol. 98 p. 485 - 494

0025-3154

The population biology of the stout razor clam Tagelus plebeius is poorly understood, despite the species? current wide distribution, and the potential use of its Holocene shell deposits to infer past environmental and ecological conditions. This study investigates distribution and growth pattern of T. plebeius in the southwestern Atlantic Mar Chiquita Coastal lagoon (37º 32?S; 57° 19?W), Argentina. The population includes the oldest individuals (up to 27 years) reported so far with shell length up to 77.9 mm. A von Bertalanffy model with L= 67.60 mm (95% CI = 64.55; 70.64), k = 0.181 year ?1 (CI = 0.142; 0.218), and t0 = -0.77 (CI = -1.46; -0.08) best described their individual growth for the whole population. The higher density, growth rate k, t0 and maximum age and lower L where in the low intertidal than in the medium intertidal, but there were no difference in density and age between medium and high intertidal. Given the results and the current knowledge on the effects of different factors influencing this species, we conclude that the distribution pattern and shell growth observed in our study reflect a response to metabolic necessities in combination with a strong influence of biological interactions.