Date of Award

Fall 1983

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Department

Biological Sciences

Program/Concentration

Biology

Committee Director

Daniel Dauer

Committee Member

James F. Matta

Committee Member

Ray Alden

Call Number for Print

Special Collections LD4331.B46 H372

Abstract

The effects of the presence of the mud snail Ilyanassa obsoleta (Say) upon the benthic community of Broad Bay, Virginia were examined through artificial removal and exclusion of the snail and artificial increase of the snail population. The enclosure treatment exhibited a significantly higher number of macrofaunal individuals than the control. The control had a significantly higher number of meiofaunal individuals than either treatment. There were no significant differences for the chlorophyll a. The increase in macrofauna and corresponding decrease in meiofauna were probably due to cage effects and not snail densities. The presence of the fences can act as a refuge for macrofaunal individuals such as Palaeomonetes pugio, allowing them to avoid predation and feed upon the meiofauna. The results give evidence of a macrofaunalmeiofaunal interaction.

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DOI

10.25777/9mf4-ky77

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