Ecology Summary - Arctica islandica

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Ecology of Arctica islandica

Main Ref.	Jennings, S., J. Lancaster, A. Woolmer and J. Cotter, 1999
Remarks	Prefer a temperature range of 1° to 18°C and, although found in brackish waters with salinity levels of 14 and higher, is intolerant of salinities below 10. Found in both shallow and deep waters with preferred depth range between 10 and 280 m. Having a short siphon, it buries shallow beneath the surface, in gravelly, sandy to muddy sediments, and sapropels but preferentially in fine, silty sediment. Maintains a stationary position once it has settled onto the substrate. May burrow below the sediment surface possibly to escape predators or to conserve energy by going into this anaerobic phase which can last up to 7 days. A suspension and detritus feeder on fresh organic matter; filters phytoplankton and able to pick up food particles from the seabed with the tentacles on the end of its siphon, it being a suspension feeder. Dioecious with reproduction continuous throughout the year. Late sexual maturity, at around 5 to 11 years, make its population sensitive to disturbance (Ref. 88171).

Main Ref.

Jennings, S., J. Lancaster, A. Woolmer and J. Cotter, 1999

Remarks

Prefer a temperature range of 1° to 18°C and, although found in brackish waters with salinity levels of 14 and higher, is intolerant of salinities below 10. Found in both shallow and deep waters with preferred depth range between 10 and 280 m. Having a short siphon, it buries shallow beneath the surface, in gravelly, sandy to muddy sediments, and sapropels but preferentially in fine, silty sediment. Maintains a stationary position once it has settled onto the substrate. May burrow below the sediment surface possibly to escape predators or to conserve energy by going into this anaerobic phase which can last up to 7 days. A suspension and detritus feeder on fresh organic matter; filters phytoplankton and able to pick up food particles from the seabed with the tentacles on the end of its siphon, it being a suspension feeder. Dioecious with reproduction continuous throughout the year. Late sexual maturity, at around 5 to 11 years, make its population sensitive to disturbance (Ref. 88171).

Aquatic zones / Water bodies

	Marine - Neritic	Marine - Oceanic	Brackishwater	Freshwater
Marine zones / Brackish and freshwater bodies	supra-littoral zone littoral zone sublittoral zone	epipelagic mesopelagic epipelagic abyssopelagic hadopelagic	estuaries/lagoons/brackish seas mangroves marshes/swamps	rivers/streams lakes/ponds caves exclusively in caves

Highighted items on the list are where Arctica islandica may be found.

Habitat

Substrate	Benthic: endofauna (infauna); macrobenthos; Soft Bottom: sand ( fine, ); silt; mud; ooze (, organic ); Hard Bottom: rubble;
Substrate Ref.	Narberhaus, I., J. Krause and U. Bernitt (eds.), 2012
Special habitats	Other habitats: burrows;
Special habitats Ref.	Narberhaus, I., J. Krause and U. Bernitt (eds.), 2012

Associations

संदर्भ	Narberhaus, I., J. Krause and U. Bernitt (eds.), 2012
Associations	commensalism;
Associated with	Malacobdella grossa.
Association remarks	The commensal nemertean worm lives primarily in the mantle cavity of adult clams where it is able to share with its food without any negative effect (Ref. 88171).
Parasitism

feeding

Feeding type	mainly plants/detritus (troph. 2-2.19)
Feeding type Ref.	Narberhaus, I., J. Krause and U. Bernitt (eds.), 2012
Feeding habit	variable
Feeding habit Ref.	Narberhaus, I., J. Krause and U. Bernitt (eds.), 2012

Trophic Level(s)

Estimation method	original sample		unfished population		टिप्पणी
Estimation method	Troph	s.e.	Troph	s.e.	टिप्पणी
From diet composition
From individual food items	2.00	0.00			Trophic level and s.e. inferred from exclusive plant/detritus food items.
संदर्भ

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Aquatic zones / Water bodies

Habitat

Associations

feeding

Trophic Level(s)