South Shore Research Articles

What history reveals about Forge River pollution on Long Island, New York’s south shore

Fifty years ago, the Forge River and Moriches Bay, of Long Island’s south shore lagoonal system, achieved notoriety when their polluted conditions were alluded to in a report of the US President’s Science Advisory Committee (1965). The Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution investigated the bay throughout the 1950s, identifying duck farming as the cause of “objectionable”, “highly contaminated” conditions of these waters.Much has changed: duck farming declined; the river was dredged to remove polluted sediments, improve navigation; and barrier island inlets stabilized. Yet, the river remains seasonally eutrophic.Why? This paper reviews what occurred in the Forge River watershed. While governments aggressively curtailed the impacts of duck pollution, they failed to manage development and sewage pollution. The Forge experience indicates that watershed management is a continuing governmental responsibility as development accelerates. Otherwise, we will always be looking for that instantaneous remediation that is usually not affordable and is socially contentious.

AVIAN PARAMYXOVIRUSES IN SHOREBIRDS AND GULLS

There are nine serotypes of avian paramyxovirus (APMV), including APMV-1, or Newcastle disease virus. Although free-flying ducks and geese have been extensively monitored for APMV, limited information is available for species in the order Charadriiformes. From 2000 to 2005 we tested cloacal swabs from 9,128 shorebirds and gulls (33 species, five families) captured in 10 states within the USA and in three countries in the Caribbean and South America. Avian paramyxoviruses were isolated from 60 (0.7%) samples by inoculation of embryonating chicken eggs; isolates only included APMV-1 and APMV-2. Two isolates (APMV-2) were made from gulls and 58 isolates (APMV-1 [41 isolates] and APMV-2 [17 isolates]) were made from shorebirds. All of the positive shorebirds were sampled at Delaware Bay (Delaware and New Jersey) and 45 (78%) of these isolates came from Ruddy Turnstones (Arenaria interpres). The APMV-1 infection rate was higher among Ruddy Turnstones compared with other shorebird species and varied by year. Avian paramyxovirus-2 was isolated from two of 394 (0.5%) Ruddy Turnstones at Delaware Bay in 2001 and from 13 of 735 (1.8%) Ruddy Turnstones during 2002. For both APMV-1 and APMV-2, infection rates were higher among Ruddy Turnstones sampled on the south shore of Delaware Bay compared to north shore populations. This spatial variation may be related to local movements of Ruddy Turnstones within this ecosystem. The higher prevalence of APMV in Ruddy Turnstones mirrors results observed for avian influenza viruses in shorebirds and may suggest similar modes of transmission.

Late-Holocene palaeoecology of a polygonal peatland on the south shore of Hudson Strait, northern Québec, Canada

In order to document climate fluctuations during the late Holocene in Nunavik (in the Québec Arctic), a 182 cm peat core extracted from a polygonal peatland in the Salluit region was subjected to macrofossil and pollen analysis. Peat accumulation began around 4500 cal. BP in the peatland and 2340 cal. BP in the core site following the formation of frost cracks and ice wedges. Four distinct Holocene climatic changes were identified. Between 1910 and 1100 cal. BP, the climate was clement (similar to today’s climate), which favoured the growth of several species of Sphagnum (from poorly minerotrophic to ombrotrophic conditions). Colder and drier conditions starting around 1100 cal. BP are evidenced by the disappearance of Sphagnum and aeolian sedimentation. A short return to more clement conditions occurred around 870 cal. BP and lasted until 670 cal. BP. Subsequently, the climate once again became colder and drier, which induced significant aeolian activity. Late-Holocene local vegetation changes recorded in the peat core were probably induced by permafrost degradation and aggradation, associated with regional warming and a subsequent cooling trend.

Temporal variability modes of floods for catchments in the St. Lawrence watershed (Quebec, Canada)

Summary We analyzed the temporal variability modes of annual maximum flow of 15 pristine tributaries of the St. Lawrence River in Quebec during the 1934–2000 period in relation to six climatic indices, using principal component analysis, linear regression, the Mann–Kendall test, correlation analysis and canonical correlation analysis. As for temporal variability modes, we identified three variability modes: two on the south shore (on both sides of 47°N) and one on the north shore. A statistically significant temporal trend (positive trend) was observed in the flood time series of the north shore mode only. This increase appears to be due to the continental nature of the climate, which features a strong contrast between the rainy decades (positive anomaly) and the dry ones (negative anomaly). The former (the 1970s and 1980s) followed the latter (the 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s). However, the three modes were characterized by two synchronous anomaly periods on a decadal scale: a negative anomaly during the 1950s and a positive anomaly during the 1970s. That said, these two synchronous periods were characterized by greater amplitude on the north shore than on the south shore. Thus, the dry (wet) periods were dryer (wetter) on the north shore than on the south shore. As for the relationship between the climatic indices and streamflow, Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation (AMO) was correlated to the north shore mode. ENSO (El Nino/Southern Oscillation Index) was correlated to the south shore mode located north of 47°N) and AO (Arctic Oscillation) was correlated to the south shore mode located south of this parallel. This study shows that floods are not influenced by the same climatic indices on both shores of the St. Lawrence River in Quebec.

The Duluth, South Shore & Atlantic Railway: A History of the Lake Superior District's Pioneer Iron Ore Hauler by John Gaertner (review)

The Duluth, South Shore & Atlantic Railway: A History of the Lake Superior District's Pioneer Iron Ore Hauler by John Gaertner (review)

Influence of conductivity on life history traits of exotic and native amphipods in the St. Lawrence River

We compared the survival, growth and fecundity of the Ponto-Caspian amphipod Echinogammarus ischnus and the North American amphipod Gammarus fasciatus across a range of conductivities in a fluvial lake at the confluence of the St. Lawrence and Ottawa rivers (Quebec, Canada). Previous work has found that water chemistry (conductivity) regulates the direction and intensity of intraguild predation between these two species. Because E. ischnus evolved in ion-rich waters, we hypothesized that low conductivity has a negative effect on its life history traits, whereas G. fasciatus would be more tolerant. Consistent with this hypothesis, E. ischnus is abundant along the south shore of the lake in water of high conductivity (300 μS/cm), but rare along the north shore where conductivity is subject to strong fluctuations (85-230 μS/cm). In laboratory experiments using water with low (108 μS/ cm), high (300 μS/cm) and intermediate (50:50 mix) conductivities, both species showed reduced growth at low conductivity, but E. ischnus also suffered higher mortality. E. ischnus collected from both shores did not differ in size-specific fecundity, size at reproduction, or size of adults. On the north shore, E. ischnus was present in low abundance at one site and absent from another site where it had been recorded in previous years. We conclude that low conductivity negatively affects the growth rate and mortality of E. ischnus, which is apparently eliminated from the north shore during periods of strong influx of ion-poor water from the Ottawa River, but re-establishes populations temporarily when higher conductivity is restored.

Relationship between the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation index and variability of mean annual flows for catchments in the St. Lawrence watershed (Quebec, Canada) during the past century

This paper, based on an analysis of the mean annual flow (MAF) of 16 natural rivers over the period 1934–2000, has the following goals: (1) to determine the different temporal variability modes of the MAF in the St. Lawrence watershed, (2) to describe the temporal variability of the streamflow in each mode and (3) to analyze the influence of the AMO (Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation) on the interannual and interdecadal variability of mean annual flows in this Quebec watershed. This paper shows that the interannual variability of mean annual flow was not synchronous on both sides of the river. During the period analyzed, MAF variability was characterized by a tendency to decrease on the south shore (right bank) but to increase on the north shore (left bank). A correlation analysis reveals that the influence of the AMO was limited exclusively to the north shore of the river, which is characterized by a continental climate. This correlation is negative. On the south shore, streamflow is correlated negatively to the AO (Arctic Oscillation).

Diversity and population structure of sewage‐derived microorganisms in wastewater treatment plant influent

The release of untreated sewage introduces non-indigenous microbial populations of uncertain composition into surface waters. We used massively parallel 454 pyrosequencing of hypervariable regions in rRNA genes to profile microbial communities from eight untreated sewage influent samples of two wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) in metropolitan Milwaukee. The sewage profiles included a discernible human faecal signature made up of several taxonomic groups including multiple Bifidobacteriaceae, Coriobacteriaceae, Bacteroidaceae, Lachnospiraceae and Ruminococcaceae genera. The faecal signature made up a small fraction of the taxa present in sewage but the relative abundance of these sequence tags mirrored the population structures of human faecal samples. These genera were much more prevalent in the sewage influent than standard indicators species. High-abundance sequences from taxonomic groups within the Beta- and Gammaproteobacteria dominated the sewage samples but occurred at very low levels in faecal and surface water samples, suggesting that these organisms proliferate within the sewer system. Samples from Jones Island (JI--servicing residential plus a combined sewer system) and South Shore (SS--servicing a residential area) WWTPs had very consistent community profiles, with greater similarity between WWTPs on a given collection day than the same plant collected on different days. Rainfall increased influent flows at SS and JI WWTPs, and this corresponded to greater diversity in the community at both plants. Overall, the sewer system appears to be a defined environment with both infiltration of rainwater and stormwater inputs modulating community composition. Microbial sewage communities represent a combination of inputs from human faecal microbes and enrichment of specific microbes from the environment to form a unique population structure.

Review

132 Michigan Historical Review John Gaertner. The Duluth, South Shore & Atlantic Railway: A History of the Lake Superior District’s Pioneer Iron Ore Hauler. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 2009. Pp. 349. Appendix. Bibliography. Illustrations. Index. Maps. Notes. Cloth, $49.95. Formed in 1887 from earlier short-line railroads, the Duluth, South Shore & Atlantic Railway (DSS&A) served Michigan’s Upper Peninsula and northern Wisconsin until it was merged into the Soo Line in 1961. At its most extensive, it ran from Duluth, Minnesota, through northern Wisconsin to Sault Ste. Marie and St. Ignace, Michigan. The latter towns were as close as it ever got to the Atlantic seaboard. The road was controlled through nearly all of its history by the Canadian Pacific Railroad, which treated it as something of a stepchild. As the book’s subtitle indicates, the DSS&A served the Upper Peninsula’s iron fields but it also carried the region’s timber products and passengers as well. Competing with other roads for the traffic of a thinly populated territory, it seldom made money. When the area’s iron and timber resources became depleted and highways increasingly cut into passenger and freight traffic, the road frequently trimmed its services and trackage. It never became part of an intercontinental trunk line as its promoters occasionally hoped. The Duluth, South Shore & Atlantic Railway is a business history written from management’s point of view. Labor and community relations are seldom mentioned. The text, moreover, is exceedingly dense. John Gaertner has done a more than commendable job of research into the road’s records and related sources. He has produced a reference book that no one should ever need to duplicate. But there is a serious forest vs. trees problem: seventy-four years of relentless operational detail are so rarely leavened by summary or evaluation that the book is a burden to read. Of great help, on the other hand, are the maps amply distributed throughout the book, something that cannot be said of every railroad history. There are many illustrations as well, primarily of rolling stock. And finally there is an appendix containing for the years 1886 to 1960 a complete locomotive roster; a fifteen-page list of all stations with the years in which they operated; and a year-by-year list of operating statistics—including miles covered, earnings, expenses, passengers carried, and freight tonnage moved. John Gaertner has done this part of his work very well indeed. Allen W. Trelease University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Emeritus ...

Reproduction in the Land Crab Johngarthia lagostoma on Ascension Island

Reproduction was studied in the land crab Johngarthia lagostoma on Ascension Island in the central South Atlantic from 2005 to 2008. Both sexes are mature by 60-70 mm carapace width (the sample . 4,000 crabs consisted almost entirely of mature specimens). Breeding occurs around the east and south shores of the island, but was studied predominantly at the only easily accessible site at North East Bay. The annual breeding migration extends from January to May, with peak migration in March in most years. The intensity of migration varies between years, and is not obviously related to rainfall. There is lunar entrainment, with increased numbers at the shore in the first quarter, but largest numbers in the last quarter. Both males and females migrate, but with females in greater numbers. At the shore 80% of the crabs are females. A few females mate and lay eggs in the upland residential areas, a greater number do so on the migration route, but the majority only after reaching the shore. Reproductive investment per brood averaged 5% on a dry weight basis, and fecundity averaged 72,000 eggs.

Sinope et les Cimmériens

AbstractSinope and the CimmeriansThe article is devoted to the discussion of the literary tradition, according to which the Cimmerians settled for a long time on the place of Sinope. This tradition is not historical, but is probably base on a historical event: a short raid of the nomadic Cimmerians to the shore of Black Sea, during which a first Greek settlement on place of the future Sinope was destroyed. Two foundations of Sinope mentioned in the literary sources (by Habron and by Kretines and Koos) were not separated by a long period and probably belong to the same generation. The Cimmerians did not settled the south shore of Black Sea, but were present in the region close to the south of the Pontic mountains, as it is attested by archaeological data.

The Psychopharmacology Algorithm Project at the Harvard South Shore Program

This updated version of the bipolar depression algorithm of the Psychopharmacology Algorithm Project at the Harvard South Shore Program aims to provide an organized, sequential, and evidence-supported approach for the treatment of that disorder. After initial evaluation and diagnosis, the psychiatrist should first assess whether there is an urgent indication for ECT. If ECT is not indicated, and the patient has psychotic symptoms, then an antipsychotic should be part of the medication regimen. Next, if the patient is not currently treated with mood stabilizers, there is a slight preference for lithium. If lithium is not effective or tolerated, treatment with quetiapine or lamotrigine should be initiated. If the patient is currently taking other mood stabilizers, their dosage should be optimized, and the clinician should consider adding or switching to lithium, quetiapine, or lamotrigine. Next, if the patient is not at especially high risk of mood destabilization, an antidepressant can be added in the bipolar depressed patient who has failed trials of lithium, quetiapine, and lamotrigine. Rapid-cycling depressed patients may require combinations of two or three mood stabilizers. ECT, along with other psychopharmacological options, could be reconsidered for the treatment of refractory bipolar depressed patients.

Lyngbya wollei in western Lake Erie

We report on the emergence of the potentially toxic filamentous cyanobacterium, Lyngbya wollei as a nuisance species in western Lake Erie. The first indication of heavy L. wollei growth along the lake bottom occurred in September 2006, when a storm deposited large mats of L. wollei in coves along the south shore of Maumee Bay. These mats remained intact over winter and new growth was observed along the margins in April 2007. Mats ranged in thickness from 0.2 to 1.2 m and we estimated that one 100-m stretch of shoreline along the southern shore of Maumee Bay was covered with approximately 200 metric tons of L. wollei. Nearshore surveys conducted in July 2008 revealed greatest benthic L. wollei biomass (591 g/m 2 ± 361 g/m 2 fresh weight) in Maumee Bay at depth contours between 1.5 and 3.5 m corresponding to benthic irradiance of approximately 4.0–0.05% of surface irradiance and sand/crushed dreissenid mussel shell-type substrate. A shoreline survey indicated a generally decreasing prevalence of shoreline L. wollei mats with distance from Maumee Bay. Surveys of nearshore benthic areas outside of Maumee Bay revealed substantial L. wollei beds north along the Michigan shoreline, but very little L wollei growth to the east along the Ohio shoreline.

Coral proxy record of decadal‐scale reduction in base flow from Moloka'i, Hawaii

Groundwater is a major resource in Hawaii and is the principal source of water for municipal, agricultural, and industrial use. With a growing population, a long‐term downward trend in rainfall, and the need for proper groundwater management, a better understanding of the hydroclimatological system is essential. Proxy records from corals can supplement long‐term observational networks, offering an accessible source of hydrologic and climate information. To develop a qualitative proxy for historic groundwater discharge to coastal waters, a suite of rare earth elements and yttrium (REYs) were analyzed from coral cores collected along the south shore of Moloka'i, Hawaii. The coral REY to calcium (Ca) ratios were evaluated against hydrological parameters, yielding the strongest relationship to base flow. Dissolution of REYs from labradorite and olivine in the basaltic rock aquifers is likely the primary source of coastal ocean REYs. There was a statistically significant downward trend (−40%) in subannually resolved REY/Ca ratios over the last century. This is consistent with long‐term records of stream discharge from Moloka'i, which imply a downward trend in base flow since 1913. A decrease in base flow is observed statewide, consistent with the long‐term downward trend in annual rainfall over much of the state. With greater demands on freshwater resources, it is appropriate for withdrawal scenarios to consider long‐term trends and short‐term climate variability. It is possible that coral paleohydrological records can be used to conduct model‐data comparisons in groundwater flow models used to simulate changes in groundwater level and coastal discharge.

East Coast Cool-Weather Storms in the New York Metropolitan Region

Abstract New York coastal regions are frequently exposed to winter extratropical storm systems that exhibit a wide range of local impacts. Studies of these systems either have used localized water-level or beach erosion data to identify and characterize the storms or have used meteorological conditions from reanalysis data to provide a general regional “climatology” of storms. The use of meteorological conditions to identify these storms allows an independent assessment of impacts on the coastal environment and therefore can be used to predict the impacts. However, the intensity of these storms can exhibit substantial spatial variability that may not be captured by the relatively large scales of the studies using reanalysis data, and this fact may affect the localized assessment of storm impact on the coastal communities. A method that uses data from National Data Buoy Center stations in the New York metropolitan area to identify East Coast cool-weather storms (ECCSs) and to describe their climatological characteristics is presented. An assessment of the presence of storm conditions and a three-level intensity scale was developed using surface pressure data as measured at the buoys. This study identified ECCSs during the period from 1977 through 2007 and developed storm climatologies for each level of storm intensity. General agreement with established climatologies demonstrated the robustness of the method. The impact of the storms on the coastal environment was assessed by computing “storm average” values of storm-surge data and by examining beach erosion along the south shore of Long Island, New York. A regression analysis demonstrated that the best storm-surge predictor is based on measurements of significant wave height at a nearby buoy.

White-throated sparrows calibrate their magnetic compass by polarized light cues during both autumn and spring migration

The interaction and hierarchy of celestial and magnetic compass cues used by migratory songbirds for orientation has long been the topic of an intense debate. We have previously shown that migratory Savannah sparrows, Passerculus sandwichensis, use polarized light cues near the horizon at sunrise and sunset to recalibrate their magnetic compass. Birds exposed to a +/-90 deg. shifted artificial polarization pattern at sunrise or sunset recalibrated their magnetic compass, but only when given full access to celestial cues, including polarized light cues near the horizon. In the current study, we carried out cue conflict experiments with white-throated sparrows, Zonotrichia albicollis, during both spring and autumn migration in a transition zone between the species' breeding and wintering areas on the south shore of Lake Ontario. We show that white-throated sparrows also recalibrate their magnetic compass by polarized light cues at sunrise and sunset. Sunrise exposure to an artificial polarization pattern shifted relative to the natural magnetic field or exposure to a shift of the magnetic field relative to the natural sky both led to recalibration of the magnetic compass, demonstrating that artificial polarizing filters do not create an anomalous, unnatural orientation response. Our results further indicate that there is no evidence for a difference in compass hierarchy between different phases of migration, confirming previous work showing that polarized light cues near the horizon at sunrise and sunset provide the primary calibration reference both in the beginning and at the end of migration.

Getting Along with a Little Help from My Friends

The successful launching of the Russian satellite Sputnik in October 1957 changed the course of American science and my future. The shock waves reached my high school in Freeport, NY, a complacent suburb on the south shore of Long Island notable for its easy access to New York City and Jones Beach State Park. The school was uninspiring; its heroes were the athletes and cheerleaders, who were objects of admiration and respect especially by those outside their circle.

Effects of long-term exclusion of the limpet Cymbula oculus (Born) on the distribution of intertidal organisms on a rocky shore

Zonation patterns on rocky shores are typically as a result of both physical factors and biological interactions. Physical factors generally set the upper limits of species distributions whereas biological interactions generally set their lower limits. However, recent research has shown that biological factors can also influence the upper limits of species' recruitment and colonisation. Whereas such evidence has been shown for rocky shores internationally, little experimental evidence exists for South African shores. This study provided such evidence for the biological effects of long-term exclusion (for the period 2003-2008) of the South African herbivorous limpet Cymbula oculus (Born), on the community structure of the Kalk Bay rocky intertidal zone on the South African south-western Cape coast. To demonstrate this, a herbivore exclusion experiment was set up in the mid-eulittoral zone in May 2003. Initially, all herbivores were removed from the exclusion plots; after one year, only C. oculus individuals recruiting into the plots were continually removed. Algal recruitment (percentage cover abundance) was determined monthly for the first 12 months and then annually thereafter, whereas invertebrate recruitment (density) was monitored only annually. The results showed that the natural density of C. oculus had increased markedly during the first year (from 4.87 ± 1.09 individuals m-2 to 12.35 ± 1.70 individuals m-2, p = 0.001), and that grazing by C. oculus is the primary biological factor preventing the recruitment and colonisation of macroalgae and some invertebrates onto the Kalk Bay intertidal zone. Not only does herbivory by C. oculus prevent recruitment and colonisation, but it also decreases algal diversity and prevents algal succession. Within the mid-eulittoral zone of the Kalk Bay rocky intertidal zone, herbivory by C. oculus is thus more important in structuring this marine community than physical factors associated with desiccation stress.

Natal signatures of juvenile Coris julis in the Azores: investigating connectivity scenarios in an oceanic archipelago

To estimate connectivity between populations, we used trace-element composition in otoliths of the temperate wrasse Coris julis as a proxy for the environmental conditions experienced from hatch to settlement. Recruits collected at different sites in the Azores archipelago (northeastern Atlantic) differed significantly in their natal chemical signatures, and were sufficiently diverse to be separated into in 4 distinct natal types. Types 1 and 4 were both low in Mg and Ba, although Mg was dominant in Type 1, and Type 4 was more Ba enriched. Type 2 had high Ba and intermediate Mg con- centrations, while Type 3 showed the highest Mg and intermediate Ba concentrations. We identified at least 2 natal types present in recruits at each site, which suggests multiple larval sources per site. Recruits from 3 sites did not differ greatly in their natal type composition, suggesting a common set of sources, but also limiting our ability to describe meaningful connectivity and dispersal scenarios. In contrast, we found that the prevalent Natal Type 4 was absent at 1 site, suggesting that the source characterized by Natal Type 4 does not contribute to the replenishment of C. julis populations at the site. The most striking difference was observed at the smallest scale (10s of kilometers), where we found distinct natal type compositions between north and south shores on the same island, suggest- ing that these 2 sites have consistent differences in the contribution of specific natal sources. Further, the south shore site had recruits with elevated Mg:Ca concentrations from the otolith core to edge, which suggests that these larvae developed in inshore areas and experienced local retention.

Relationships between reproduction in suspension-feeding hard clams Mercenaria mercenaria and phytoplankton community structure

MEPS Marine Ecology Progress Series Contact the journal Facebook Twitter RSS Mailing List Subscribe to our mailing list via Mailchimp HomeLatest VolumeAbout the JournalEditorsTheme Sections MEPS 387:179-196 (2009) - DOI: https://doi.org/10.3354/meps08083 Relationships between reproduction in suspension-feeding hard clams Mercenaria mercenaria and phytoplankton community structure Roger I. E. Newell1,*, Stephen T. Tettelbach2, Christopher J. Gobler3, David G. Kimmel4 1Horn Point Laboratory, University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science, PO Box 775, Cambridge, Maryland 21613, USA 2Biology Department, Long Island University, Brookville, New York 11548, USA 3School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York 11794-5000, USA 4Department of Biology/Institute for Coastal Science and Policy, East Carolina University, Greenville, North Carolina 27858, USA *Email: rnewell@hpl.umces.edu ABSTRACT: We hypothesized that the decline in hard clam Mercenaria mercenaria populations since the 1970s in many of the south shore bays of Long Island, New York, USA, was due to changes in reproduction caused by variations in phytoplankton available as a food resource. We measured in 2000 and 2001 the reproductive condition of female clams from 5 sites in south shore bays of Long Island and from 2 sites in New Jersey. Phytoplankton composition was measured as the concentration of total and size-fractionated chlorophyll a (chl a), particulate organic carbon (POC), and nitrogen (PON), and the abundance of the harmful picoplankter Aureococcus anophagefferens. Timing of peak hard clam reproduction was nearly identical across sites, and was the same as in archived samples of clams collected in 1978 and 1979. Hard clam condition index differed between sites, with poorest condition being exhibited at the 3 Great South Bay (GSB) sites. There were also appreciable differences in relative reproductive output between locations, with clams again from the 3 GSB sites having the lowest estimated egg production. The central and eastern GSB had the highest levels of total chl a, POC, and PON, however, of any south shore bay, although this was mainly contributed by cells <2 µm, which have low nutritional value for adult hard clams. In addition, the 3 sites in GSB suffered brown tide blooms during 2000 and 2001, which are known to inhibit bivalve feeding. We conclude that changes in the composition of the phytoplankton community at some locations may be reducing hard clam reproductive output. KEY WORDS: Hard clam · Phytoplankton composition · Brown tide · Reproduction · Aureococcus anophagefferens · Mercenaria mercenaria Full text in pdf format Supplementary material PreviousNextCite this article as: Newell RIE, Tettelbach ST, Gobler CJ, Kimmel DG (2009) Relationships between reproduction in suspension-feeding hard clams Mercenaria mercenaria and phytoplankton community structure. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 387:179-196. https://doi.org/10.3354/meps08083Export citation RSS - Facebook - Tweet - linkedIn Cited by Published in MEPS Vol. 387. Online publication date: July 28, 2009 Print ISSN: 0171-8630; Online ISSN: 1616-1599 Copyright © 2009 Inter-Research.