Summary
A mussel bed dominated by Mytilus edulis contained large concentrations of living consumer biomass, with over 14 kg dry weight/m2 distributed among eleven species. An additional 14.4 kg dry weight/m2 was present as empty shell fragments that contributed to community structure. Field measurements of community respiration for this dense animal system showed a roughly hyperbolic response to increasing current speed. In still water, oxygen uptake was 0.2g O2/m2/hr while in currents over 0.1 m/sec it quickly rose to about 2.7 g O2/m2/hr.
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This research was supported by a grant to the University of Rhode Island by the Office of Sea Grant Programs.
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Nixon, S.W., Oviatt, C.A., Rogers, C. et al. Mass and metabolism of a mussel bed. Oecologia 8, 21–30 (1971). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00345624
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00345624