Plum Island Ecosystem LTER Database

http://ecosystems.mbl.edu/PIE

Acceptance and utilization of PIE-LTER data requires that:

· The Principal Investigator be sent a notice stating reasons for acquiring any data and a description of the publication intentions.

· The Principal Investigator of the data set be sent a copy of the report or manuscript prior to submission and be adequately cited in any resultant publications.

· A copy of any resultant publications should be sent to:

(Principal Investigator)
Ecosystems Center;
Marine Biological Laboratory
Woods Hole, MA 02543

PLUM ISLAND ECOSYSTEM LTER DATABASE

DATA FILE:

MON-RO-GDAMusselSnail2002.xls MON-RO-GDAMusselSnail2002.txt

DOCUMENTATION FILE: MON-RO-GDAMusselSnail2002.doc

YEAR: 2002

PI: Linda Deegan

OTHERS: Susan Oleszko-Szuts, Carl Noblitt and Tobi Szuts

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DATA FILE:

Mussel and snail surveys of tidal creeks on Rowley River during the summer of 2002.

KEYWORDS: mussel, snail, Rowley, creek

SITE TYPE: Monitoring

RESEARCH LOCATION: Tidal creeks, Clubhead, Nelson Island, Sand, Shad, Sweeney, West Creek, Mud East, Mud West, Sawyer Creeks off Rowley and Ipswich River.

EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN AND METHODS:

Creeks typically sampled from confluence and up two branches, labeled by distance from the confluence and yellow (Y) or blue (B) after the flagging tape used on site markers; for example, a site 100 m upstream from the confluence on Clubhead Creek would be designated Clubhead B100 or Y100. Distance up the creek was determined by stakes laid out in 50 meter intervals.

Sampling was conducted at or near low tide as much as possible. At each site, sampling transect would start at the edge of the Spartina patens zone, and continue until reaching the center of a drained creek or until reaching water. Quadrats were laid out by deploying a ladder-like template: 1 meter wide by 2 meter long, divided into sections at 25cm increments. This ladder would be repeatedly laid across the creek bank to cover the entire transect from S. patens to the creek center. Each section of the ladder would enclose an area of 0.25 m² in which all mussels (Geukensia sp) and snails, Ilyanassa sp. and Littorina littoria. Notes on zonations (eg. Beginning and end of S. alterniflora zone), and surface features, as well as presence of other large organisms (eg. Oysters or other snails) were noted.

NOTES AND COMMENTS:

Sampling site locations were either:

At the confluence of two tidal creek branches.

Y or B followed by a number referring to meters upstream from the Confluence for those creeks with paired branches.

A number, referring to meters upstream of an area in a creek without paired branches which is equivalent to the confluence of branched creeks.

D100, referring to 100 meters downstream of the confluence or equivalent

Zone: refers to the increment along the sampling ladder where organisms were counted.

VARIABLE DESCRIPTION:

NAME	DESCRIPTION	UNIT	PRECISION
Date	Date of sampling	dd-mmm-yyyy
Creek	Name of creek sampled
Location	Sampling site location
Zone	Transect sampling increment	cm
Area	Surface area sampled	square meter
#Geukensia	Number of Geukensia in quadrat
#Ilyanassa	Number of Ilyanassa in quadrat
#Littorina	Number of Littorina in quadrat
Comments	Comments about specific data

CALCULATIONS:

FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT:

Hap Garritt

OTHER DATA FILES TO REFERENCE:

REFERENCE CITATIONS:

DATA AVAILABILITY STATUS:

Type 2

ARCHIVE INFORMATION:

Date of entry: January 27, 2004

Data entered by: J. Tucker

Comments: