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waders and their estuarine food supplies - Vlaams Instituut voor de ...

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SIPHON SIZE AND DEPTH IN BENTHIC BIVALVES<br />

Tabel 4. Ovcrv iew ol existing know ledge about obsei veil <strong>de</strong>pth .mil si/e selection by different bird species on European tidal flats. Actual measiirenienls<br />

on <strong>de</strong>pth selection are rare figures given are <strong>de</strong>rived from bill lengths, which seem to be a good predictor for exploited <strong>de</strong>pth luvcr.<br />

although prey jusi vv iilun reach are rarely taken (Fig. 11).<br />

Prey species taken by bird species Depth, cm Size, mm Sources<br />

s. robicularia plana<br />

Haematopus oslralegus Hughes 1970a. Wanink & Zwarts 1985<br />

Mya arenaria<br />

Haematopus oslralegus 7 >I7<br />

Numenius arquata It >30<br />

Cerasto<strong>de</strong>rma edule<br />

C alidri.s canuliis 3 < 10<br />

Tringa toianus •I < 7<br />

Somateria mollissima 20<br />

Macoma balihica<br />

t 'alidri.s alpina 3 3- 7<br />

Tringa totanus •I 8-12<br />

Calidris canutus 3 8-15<br />

limosa lapponica 7-10 8-18<br />

Haematopus oslralegus 7 > 10<br />

<strong>de</strong>pth levels off for all four species when they reach a<br />

si/e which equals about 50'-i of <strong>their</strong> maximum size.<br />

The burying <strong>de</strong>pth levels off at 1 to 2 cm in Cerasto<strong>de</strong>rma<br />

<strong>and</strong> at 16 to 18 cm in Mya. It is different for<br />

summer <strong>and</strong> winter in the two <strong>de</strong>posit fee<strong>de</strong>rs: Macoma<br />

(2 <strong>and</strong> 5 cm, respectively) <strong>and</strong> Scrobicularia (7<br />

<strong>and</strong> 11 to 12 cm. respectively).<br />

\s shown in Fig. 11. a <strong>de</strong>ep burrow guarantees<br />

maximal survival <strong>and</strong> below a certain level predation<br />

risk is nil. We will analyse in ibis section whether the<br />

observed <strong>de</strong>pth curves level off below which there is<br />

no predation ("<strong>de</strong>pth refuge'). Since the <strong>de</strong>pth refuges<br />

are <strong>de</strong>termined by the predators which can probe at<br />

maximal <strong>de</strong>pths, we will focus our attention on longbilled<br />

bird species (Table 4).<br />

Invertebrate predators play no part in the predation<br />

on bivalves just beyond <strong>their</strong> <strong>de</strong>pth refuges. Shrimp<br />

Crangon crangon. Shore Crab Carcinus maenas.<br />

Plaice Pleuronectus platessa <strong>and</strong> Roun<strong>de</strong>r Plaiichthys<br />

flesus select the smaller bivalves present in the upper<br />

layer of the substrate. Their si/e seleciion is well doc­<br />

Zwarts & Wanink 1984<br />

/.w.rris.v wanink 19X4<br />

Ciuss-Custard etal. 1977b<br />

Burton 1974<br />

Swennen 1976<br />

Hulscher 1976, Goss-Custard el al. 1977b. Sutherl<strong>and</strong> 1982c<br />

Worrall 1984<br />

Goss-Custard 1969. doss-Custard el al. 1977. Blomert & /.wans unpubl. data<br />

I'ratei 119?: i. Cioss-Cusiard .••(•/. 1977b. Zwarts & Blomert (1992)<br />

Cross -Custard

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