Population dynamics of the Argentinean surf clams

Studying the population dynamics of the surf clamsDonax hanleyanus and Mesodesma mactroides fromexposed sandy beaches off Argentina, there were founddifferences in the spatial and temporal scale of thepopulation structure, growth and reproduction biologyof this two dominant species. Histological analyseson three Argentinean sandy beaches with contrastingmorphodynamics not only revealed the size at firstmaturity and a distinct reproductive cycle comparedwith historical data, but also negated the habitatharshness hypothesis which was commonly used forsandy beach communities. Furthermore, realizingfluorescent tagging-recapture experiments, a new timesaving method to estimate growth was developed.