Reef building bivalves such as mussels and oysters provide many ecosystem services. Mussels are filter feeders that increase the water quality, stabilize shorelines and provide habitats for many other species. Recognition of the ecosystem services mussels provide has increased awareness of their usefulness and importance for ecosystem functioning. It has resulted into an increase in management activities to protect the still existing natural systems and even led to several attempts to restore lost mussel beds in certain places. However restoration of mussel beds has proven to be difficult. Many attempts were only partly successful or failed completely. In the summer of 2016 a large field experiment will start to test whether improved construction technics may increase the restoration success of blue mussel beds in the Eastern Scheldt. In total, 48 mussel beds of each 25 m² will be constructed using different technics.
During this internship you will monitor the development of the restored mussel beds. Which means that you will survey the survival, growth and condition of the mussels and the development of the mussel beds as a whole. This information will contribute to our knowledge of mussel bed restoration which can be used to improve future restoration projects.
Research type: Field work, lab work and data analysis
Research level: Minor or Internship
Prerequisite: Interest in aquatic ecology
Partners: HZ, NIOZ
Client: Jildou Schotanus and Anneke van den BrinkMonitoring the survival of restored mussel beds
Research type: Field work, lab work and data analysis
Research level: Minor or Internship
Prerequisite: Interest in aquatic ecology
| Start date: | 1 augustus 2016 |
| End date: | 1 februari 2017 |
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