Ecology Summary - Macoma balthica

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Ecology of Macoma balthica

Main Ref.	Holtmann, S.E., A. Groenewold, K.H.M. Schrader, J. Asjes, J.A. Craeymeersch, G.C.A. Duineveld, A.J. van Bostelen and J. van der Meer, 1996
Remarks	Occurs from the upper part of the intertidal down to the shallow subtidal zone (Ref. 76547). Circumboreal and panarctic. Buries shallow to 20 cm under muddy-sandy substrate, commonly in bays and estuaries (Refs. 95344, 95753). In the northern Baltic Sea, known to thrive in eutrophic conditions (Ref. 95752). It is infaunal on sand and eelgrass beds and epifaunal on eelgrass beds (Ref. 95819). Deposit and suspension feeder (Refs. 76547, 96470). Surface deposit feeder (Ref. 66387). Feeds from the surface of the sediment using their long siphons (Ref. 7882), and is a subsurface detritivore (Refs. 95728, 96470).

Main Ref.

Holtmann, S.E., A. Groenewold, K.H.M. Schrader, J. Asjes, J.A. Craeymeersch, G.C.A. Duineveld, A.J. van Bostelen and J. van der Meer, 1996

Remarks

Occurs from the upper part of the intertidal down to the shallow subtidal zone (Ref. 76547). Circumboreal and panarctic. Buries shallow to 20 cm under muddy-sandy substrate, commonly in bays and estuaries (Refs. 95344, 95753). In the northern Baltic Sea, known to thrive in eutrophic conditions (Ref. 95752). It is infaunal on sand and eelgrass beds and epifaunal on eelgrass beds (Ref. 95819). Deposit and suspension feeder (Refs. 76547, 96470). Surface deposit feeder (Ref. 66387). Feeds from the surface of the sediment using their long siphons (Ref. 7882), and is a subsurface detritivore (Refs. 95728, 96470).

Aquatic zones / Water bodies

	Marine - Neritic	Marine - Oceanic	Brackishwater	Freshwater
Marine zones / Brackish and freshwater bodies	supra-littoral zone littoral zone sublittoral zone	epipelagic mesopelagic epipelagic abyssopelagic hadopelagic	estuaries/lagoons/brackish seas mangroves marshes/swamps	rivers/streams lakes/ponds caves exclusively in caves

Highighted items on the list are where Macoma balthica may be found.

Habitat

Substrate	Benthic: endofauna (infauna); macrobenthos; Soft Bottom: sand ( fine, ); mud;
Substrate Ref.	Degraer, S., J. Wittoeck, W. Appeltans, K. Cooreman, T. Deprez, H. Hillewaert, K. Hostens, J. Mees, E. Vanden Berghe and M. Vincx, 2006
Special habitats	Beds: sea grass;
Special habitats Ref.	Boström, C. and E. Bonsdorff, 1997

Associations

Ref.	Boström, C. and E. Bonsdorff, 1997
Associations	commensalism;
Associated with	Zostera (Ref. 95819).
Association remarks
Parasitism

feeding

Feeding type	mainly plants/detritus (troph. 2-2.19)
Feeding type Ref.	Norling, P. and N. Kautsky, 2008
Feeding habit	browsing on substrate
Feeding habit Ref.	Norling, P. and N. Kautsky, 2008

Trophic Level(s)

Estimation method	original sample		unfished population		Remark
Estimation method	Troph	s.e.	Troph	s.e.	Remark
From diet composition
From individual food items
Ref.

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