A combination of historical bivalve surveys spanning 30–50 years and contemporary sampling were used to document the changes in bivalve community structure over time at four southern California and one northern Baja California estuaries. While there are limitations to the interpretation of historic data, we observed generally similar trends of reduced total bivalve species richness, losses of relatively large and/or deeper-dwelling natives, and gains of relatively small, surface dwelling introduced species across the southern California estuaries, despite fairly distinct bivalve communities. A nearly 50-year absence of bivalves from two wetlands surveyed in a Baja California estuary continued. A combination of site history and current characteristics (e.g., location, depth) likely contributes to maintenance of distinct communities, and both episodic and gradual environmental changes likely contribute to within-estuary temporal shifts (or absences). We highlight future research needed to determine mechanisms underlying patterns so that we can better predict responses of bivalve communities to future scenarios, including climate change and restoration.
Department of Environmental and Ocean Sciences, University of San Diego, San Diego, California, United States of America;Department of California Sea Grant Extension Program, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California, United States of America;Department of Environmental and Ocean Sciences, University of San Diego, San Diego, California, United States of America;Department of Tijuana River National Estuarine Research Reserve, Imperial Beach, California, United States of America;Department of Environmental and Ocean Sciences, University of San Diego, San Diego, California, United States of America
Recommended Citation:
Anai Novoa,Theresa S. Talley,Drew M. Talley,et al. Spatial and Temporal Examination of Bivalve Communities in Several Estuaries of Southern California and Northern Baja California, MX[J]. PLOS ONE,2016-01-01,11(2)