Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: http://hdl.handle.net/1893/2394
Appears in Collections:eTheses from Faculty of Natural Sciences legacy departments
Title: Studies on the production ecology of several mollusc species in the Estuarine Firth of Forth
Author(s): Elliott, Michael
Issue Date: 1980
Publisher: University of Stirling
Abstract: The thesis, given in two volumes, deals with., the population ecology of the macrofaunal mollusc species : Macoma balthica (L. ). Cerastoderma edule (L. ). Mya arenaria(L. ), Retusa obtusa (Montagu) and Hydrobia ulvae (Pennant) studied at fourteen stations on Torry Bay, a large intertidal area in the estuarine Firth of Forth, over the period January, 1975 to February, 1977. These species occupy differing ecological niches within the estuarine ecosystem. The environmental factors at the stations, which represent the range of available habitats in the area, are described in Chapter 2. This chapter also outlines the statistical techniques used in ascertaining the relationships between the factors studied. The population dynamics and magnitude of the growth, flesh condition, production and productivity of each species are given in Chapters 3-5. These chapters also discuss the environmental factors affecting the ecology of the species. Multivariate correlation and regression techniques have been used to describe the factors which influence the species' production ecology. The anomalous production ecology of M. balthica found in the Forth Estuary (Chapter 3) was further studied by a field mark and recapture experiment and multivariate laboratory experiments (Chapter 6). Chapter 6 also discusses the mode of feeding of this bivalve in relation to its ecological preferences and describes a small study on heavy metal pollution within M. balthica. The discussion in Chapter 7 gives general conclusions from the studies and their implications in estuarine productivity. Features common to the population ecology of the five species are discussed and a food web detailing the role of the benthic macrofauna on Torry Bay is given.
Type: Thesis or Dissertation
URI: http://hdl.handle.net/1893/2394
Affiliation: School of Natural Sciences
Department of Biological Science

Files in This Item:
File Description SizeFormat 
Elliott-1980-thesis-volume-1.pdfVolume 125.04 MBAdobe PDFView/Open
Elliott-1980-thesis-volume-2.pdfVolume 223.83 MBAdobe PDFView/Open



This item is protected by original copyright



Items in the Repository are protected by copyright, with all rights reserved, unless otherwise indicated.

The metadata of the records in the Repository are available under the CC0 public domain dedication: No Rights Reserved https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/

If you believe that any material held in STORRE infringes copyright, please contact library@stir.ac.uk providing details and we will remove the Work from public display in STORRE and investigate your claim.