Mussel Addition Experiment Dr. Christine Angelini University of Florida

Department of Environmental Engineering Sciences University of Florida Gainesville Florida 32611 USA

christine.angelini@essie.ufl.edu http://www.angeliniecologylab.com/the-lab.html https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6669-5269 Georgia Coastal Ecosystems LTER Project

Dept. of Marine Sciences University of Georgia Athens Georgia 30602-3636 USA

gcelter@uga.edu https://gce-lter.marsci.uga.edu/ Dr. Christine Angelini University of Florida

Department of Environmental Engineering Sciences University of Florida Gainesville Florida 32611 USA

christine.angelini@essie.ufl.edu http://www.angeliniecologylab.com/the-lab.html https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6669-5269 Principal investigator Dr. Brian R. Silliman Duke University

135 Duke Marine Lab Rd. Duke University Marine Lab Beaufort North Carolina 28516-9721 USA

brian.silliman@duke.edu https://nicholas.duke.edu/people/faculty/silliman https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6360-650X Co-investigator Dr. John Griffin University of Swansea

Department of Biosciences University of Swansea Swansea SA2 8PP Wales, United Kingdom

J.N.Griffin@swansea.ac.uk http://www.sillimanlab.com/people-griffin.php Co-investigator 2026

This project aims to test the hypothesis that ribbed mussels increase Spartina productivity and that the magnitude of mussel facilitation of spartina depends on the density of mussels in a mound. To test this hypothesis, we propose a mussel addition experiment in which we would transplant 0, 1, 3, 5, 10, 20, 40 and 80 mussels into a Spartina monoculture (n=3 replicates per mussel density) at Airport marsh. We will then take intial, 6-month and 12- month data on the sediment conditions (nitrogen, salinity), infaunal community and cordgrass characteristics. We would then like to pair this experiment with a survey of 30 natural mussel mounds in which we will excavate all the mussels in mounds across a size gradient and collect all the same infaunal, sediment and grass characteristics (live and dead stem height, density, biomass, belowground root and rhizome biomass) so that we can compare our experimental results to natural patterns

marsh biomass nutrients oxygen salinity LTER NSF GCE crustaceans Geukensia infauna plants Spartina Uca invertebrate ecology plant ecology Overall geographic extent of the research project -81.307978 -81.176185 31.536369 31.380150 2012-05-15 2013-05-15

None

estuary marsh complex Sapelo Island - Sapelo Island on the Southeast Georgia Coast -81.307978 -81.176185 31.536369 31.380150 Map (Google Earth KML/KMZ or map image) https://gce-lter.marsci.uga.edu/private/registration/files/Maps/GCE-29-2012_Maps_Addition_Experiment_Location.jpg Map (Google Earth KML/KMZ or map image) https://gce-lter.marsci.uga.edu/private/registration/files/Maps/GCE-29-2012_Maps_Airport_Marsh.kml

Airport marsh: 31°25'18.99"N, 81°17'29.54"W

We will just be transplanting mussels from adjacent marsh areas into the experimental area and will mark our plots with flags

Ribbed mussels and Spartina will be collected as a part of this study