Publication Date:
2022-05-26
Description:
Author Posting. © The Author(s), 2017. This is the author's version of the work. It is posted here under a nonexclusive, irrevocable, paid-up, worldwide license granted to WHOI. It is made available for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Journal of Coastal Research 34 (2018): 1157-1175, doi:10.2112/JCOASTRES-D-17-00119.1.
Description:
This paper describes the results of three qualitative surveys of marine molluscs conducted in
December 2010 and May 2011 and 2012 in nearshore benthic habitats along the Arabian Gulf and
Gulf of Oman coasts of the United Arab Emirates. Findings are compared to historical studies,
focusing on extensive surveys from the 1960s and 1970s. Molluscan species of public health
significance are identified based on their potential as vectors of algal toxins in light of the recent
occurrence of harmful algal blooms (HABs) in the region. Habitats sampled included intertidal
sand or gravel beaches, rocks and jetties, sheltered soft-sediment flats and mangroves, and shallow
subtidal coral reefs. The present study showed differences in taxonomic composition and
decreased species richness of gastropods compared to a previous mollusc survey conducted in the
early 1970s, reflecting the probable impacts of extensive, ongoing coastal development activities,
although other environmental stressors may play a contributing role. The major habitat change
found in the current survey was replacement of natural “rocky” substrates with manmade jetties
and breakwaters. Of the 27 live gastropod species collected, 7 predatory or scavenging species
were identified as potential biotoxin vectors: Thais savignyi, T. tissoti, T. lacera, Murex scolopax,
Nassarius persicus, Hexaplex kuesterianus and Rapana sp. Of the 22 live bivalve species
collected, the following 11 suspension-feeders were deemed to be potential vectors of HAB toxins
based on their body size and feeding mode: three venerid clams (Circenita callipyga, and Tivela
ponderosa that are consumed locally, and Amiantis umbonella), the widespread encrusting rock
oyster, Saccostrea cuccullata, also consumed locally, two pearl oyster species, Pinctada spp., the
prickly pen shell Pinna muricata, the scallop Chlamys livida, the cockle Acrosterigma lacunosa,
and the facultative suspension-feeding tellinids Asaphis violascens and Hiatula rosea.
Description:
This study was funded by the Ministry of Climate Change
and Environment (formerly the Ministry of Environment and Water), UAE, as part of a
consultancy led by Don Anderson, Anderson Consulting Associates, Marion, Massachusetts,
USA.
Keywords:
Distribution
;
Gastropods
;
Bivalves
;
Harmful algal blooms
Repository Name:
Woods Hole Open Access Server
Type:
Preprint
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