MCCLARY, JR., M.*; WEIS, J.S.; WEIS, P.: Gastropod feeding on detritus of Spartina alterniflora and Phragmites australis from polluted and non-polluted areas

The Hackensack Meadowlands of New Jersey has saltmarsh cordgrass, Spartina alterniflora, and the invasive common reed, Phragmites australis. Since P. australis grows faster and accumulates a lot of sediment, it is often removed and S. alterniflora is replanted in its place. P. australis also takes in metals and retains greater amounts of them while S. alterniflora releases more of the metals into the water. When either plant dies, animals feed upon their detritus. To determine which detritus surface animals would prefer, S. alterniflora (natural and replanted) and P. australis detritus from a polluted site and a “clean site” were placed in agar, fed to mud snails, Nassarius obsoletus, and periwinkles, Littorina littorea, and the number of rasp marks they made were counted. After 2-4 days there was no difference in the number of rasp marks, suggesting that N. obsoletus and L. littorea have no preference for either plant in polluted or non-polluted areas. Funded by NSF Grant #DEB 98-13812 through Rutgers University.