Adapted for the MSc Project Earth Sciences at IBED UVA
The maximum length of a proposal is 12 pages, including a maximum of 4 pages for the description of the proposed research
***NOTE FOR EACH ITEM TOTAL PERCENTAGE FOR FINAL GRADE ARE ALOCATED *** 1a. Details of proposal (ITEM 1, 2 and 6: 10%)
Title: Determining sediment erosion thresholds for burrowing juvenile bivalves using an erosion flume Area: x Geo and Biosphere Ο from Molecule to Organism
1b. Field(s) of research
code + field of research; please see the NWO research field list: http://www.nwo.nl/financiering/nwo-disciplinecodes
main field of research
code: description:
22.40.00 Ecology
If applicable: other fields of research (in order of relevance):
code: description:
22.60.00 Zoology
15.30.00 Geodynamics, sedimentation, tectonics, geomorphology
50.90.00 Environmental science
1c. Details of applicant Name: Taylor Craft
Gender:x Male Ο Female E-mail: taylor.b.craft2@gmail.com Date of birth: 16-09-1993 MSc study start date: 4-02-2019
Institution: Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics (IBED)
Position: Ο Professor Ο Associate professor (UHD) Ο Assistant professor (UD) x Student: Research School: Universiteit van Amsterdam (UvA) – Science Park
Name and address of the responsible person at your institution (e.g. scientific director of the institute or dean of the faculty): prof. dr. K.F. (Kenneth) Rijsdijk
Visiting address: Science Park 904 Room number: C4.204 Postal address: Postbus 94240 1090 GE Amsterdam
1d. Applying for: MSc Thesis Project
2a. Composition of the research group List all staff members involved in the proposed research: provide name, initials, titles and type of involvement, e.g. daily guidance, technician, thesis supervisor, advisor.
Name and title Specialization Institution Involvement
dr. K.F. (Kenneth) Rijsdijk Dynamics of abiotic processes that shape the earth's surface and affect biota
Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics (IBED), University of Amsterdam
Examiner
mw.dr.P.M. (Petra) Visser Physiology and ecology of cyanobacteria and algae
Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics (IBED), University of Amsterdam
mw.L. (Lauren) Wiesebron MSc Sediment dynamics in relation to benthic communities
Estuarine and Delta Systems Department
Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research (NIOZ)
Daily Supervisor
2b. Top 5 publications related to the proposed research
1. Beukema J.J., Cadee G.C., Dekker R., Philippart C.J.M., 2014. Annual and spatial variability in gains of body weight in Macoma balthica (L.): Relationships with food supply and water temperature. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology 457, 105–112.
2. Hunt H.L., 2004. Transport of juvenile clams: effects of species and sediment grain size. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology 312, 271– 284.
3. Tallqvist M., 2001. Burrowing behaviour of the Baltic clam Macoma balthica: effects of sediment type, hypoxia and predator presence. Marine Ecology Progress Series 212, 183–191.
4. Widdows J., Brinsley M.D., Salkeld P.N., Elliot M., 1998. Use of annular flumes to determine the influence of current velocity and bivalves on material flux at the sediment-water interface. Estuaries 21(4A), 552-559.
5. Zwarts L., Wanink J., 1989. Siphon size and burying depth in deposit- and suspension-feeding benthic bivalves. Marine Biology 100, 227-240.
3. Scientific embedding of the proposed research
Mention any partnership, collaboration or affiliation with national and international research programmes, national and international collaborations.
The research will be provided with logistical and technical support by the Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research (NIOZ). Training and educational guidance will be also be provided by research staff at NIOZ, as well as the Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics Department at the University of Amsterdam (UvA).
3a. Scientific summary (ITEM 3a and 3b: 10%) (max. 250 words) Please provide the scientific summary (similar as on the fact sheet). Please note that this summary will be used to invite reviewers to assess your proposal, it should therefore have sufficient scientific content.
Our capacity to make effective natural resource management decisions relies on our fundamental understanding of biotic and abiotic interactions within ecosystems. In this study, we are concerned with primary driving factors in the abiotic domain of intertidal zones that govern biotic processes. This research aims to lend evidence in this arena by determining the effect sexual maturity has on the erosion susceptibility of two species in the class Bivalvia – the endemic Limecola (Macoma) balthica and invasive Ruditapes philippinarum. Juvenile bivalves tend to burrow at shallower depths than adults, display different burrowing behaviors, and are smaller in size, all of which may influence their susceptibility to erosion-induced dislodgement and passive transport. If juveniles are more vulnerable to erosion than adults, there would be significant implications for benthic infauna recruitment and population structure, and thereby warranting an investigation into the role that sexual maturity plays in bivalve erosion vulnerability. In this study, I will use an erosion flume designed by researchers at the Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research (NIOZ) to test the capacity of juvenile bivalves to withstand sediment erosion compared to their adult counterparts across different conditions, including different species, sediment grain sizes, and sediment erosion rates. We expect that juveniles will experience higher rates of dislodgement in coarser sediments and with high sediment erosion speeds compared to adults, while species type is not expected to contribute significantly to erosion susceptibility. This research builds upon previous erosion flume experiments and in doing so, will produce data that have the potential for use in conservation schemes that aim to mitigate the impact of more intense storm seasons, trophic cascades, and coastal retreat.
3b. Summary for the general public (max. 100 words) Please provide both a title and summary for the general public, preferably in Dutch.
Coastal zones are experiencing increasing pressure from natural and man-made threats such as biodiversity loss, rising sea levels, and land-use change. Complex interactions between animals and their habitats require in-depth studies for natural resource managers to make science-based decisions. Intertidal organisms play a fundamental role in structuring coastal ecosystems. Physical processes, such as erosion, have been shown to influence the behavior of various species, but the impact of erosion on juvenile clams is unclear. This study will address this gap in understanding through the use of a controlled experiment that tests erosion thresholds for juvenile clams.
4. Description of the proposed research (ITEM 4 60%) Max. 8 pages (and max. 2400 words excluding literature references). Theoretical Framework
Tidal Flats
Tidal flats provide a large range of ecosystem services such as habitat for migratory birds during stop-overs, coastal flood defense, and refuge for biodiversity (Bouma et al. 2014). High gradients in salinity, nutrient fluxes, and hydrology make tidal flats highly dynamic biomes with an abundance of non-linear relationships between biota and their physical environment. An in-depth examination of the highly dynamic ecological processes within tidal flats can contribute to conservation and restoration plans designed to relieve the globally-rising pressure on coastal zones. Current coastal zone management plans in the Netherlands rely heavily on elaborate hydro-engineering systems that integrate natural coastal defense systems, such as protecting and stimulating the development of coastal sand dunes combined with artificial barriers and man-made water catchments. Tidal flats are naturally subjected to perpetually fluctuating cycles of erosion and sedimentation but large-scale engineering projects in the Netherlands have altered the natural hydrogeomorphology by reducing sediment fluxes, changing the course of waterways, and altering natural tidal inputs. These manipulations of the physical landscape are further amplified by climate change which has led to sea-level rise and an increasing occurrence of severe storm events (Seneviratne et al. 2012), thereby reinforcing the need for large-scale coastal defense projects. As the importance of tidal flats is becoming more evident, we are also developing knowledge on how life structures, and is structured by, these important ecosystems.
Macrobenthos
Macrobenthic organisms such as bivalves serve vital roles as ecosystem engineers in tidal flats through behaviors such as reef-building, sediment disturbance, and wave impact attenuation which protects coastlines. Additionally, many bivalve species are filter feeders capable of removing suspended material from the water and thus assist in removing pollutants from the water. Macrobenthic bivalves can also function as bioturbators through their burrowing activities, which is an essential process in intertidal zones that contributes to physical developments such as increasing variability in sediment dynamics and fine-scale geodiversity, as well as biochemical processes such as redox reactions and creation of microhabitats (Loubere 1989). Several species of macrobenthic bivalves are also valued as a food source for humans, with the shellfish culture industry in the Netherlands harvesting over 54 million kg of shellfish in 2018, primarily consisting of oysters, mussels, and razor clams (Mol 2019). A deeper understanding of the processes that connect infaunal macrobenthos to intertidal environments is thus beneficial to scientific researchers, shellfish culture and the greater fisheries industry, as well as natural resource managers.
While the impact of macrobenthos on sediment erodibility has been well-documented (Wheatcroft 2016; Widdows et al. 1998; Willows et al. 1998), less is known about the effect of erosion on macrobenthos and less still on juvenile macrobenthos. This study proposes to address this by using an erosion flume to determine the erosion threshold for the juvenile bivalves Limecola balthica and Ruditapes philippinarum. Previous flume studies measuring erosion impact have found associations between sediment size, species, bivalve size, and flow velocity (Tallqvist 2001; Jennings & Hunt 2009), but less research exists regarding juvenile bivalves’ resilience to erosion compared to their adult counterparts. However, previous studies have found that juveniles burrow at shallower depths (Zwarts & Wanink 1989), bivalve erosion is inversely correlated with size (Hunt 2004), and juveniles are passively transported further than adults (de Montaudouin et al. 2003; Jennings & Hunt 2009). Hunt (2004) found that the clam Mya arenaria was protected from high shear erosion velocities after a certain size reached during maturity and could only be eroded under the levels of shear erosion velocity found in storm events, whereas the smaller juveniles remained vulnerable under lower velocities. This finding implies that increased wave-current induced erosion due to climate change ( Seneviratne et al. 2012) may also disproportionately impact juvenile bivalves.
STORMY
The erosion flume known as STORMY, designed and tested by researchers at the Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research (NIOZ), will be used for the experiment. Thus far, two experiments have been conducted with STORMY, analyzing variables such as sediment grain size, species type, and bivalve size. Until now, the difference in erosion thresholds between juveniles and
Research Aims
This research aims to determine how sexual maturity influences erosion vulnerability in macrobenthic bivalves. Erosive processes in soft-bottom habitats can govern species dispersal, recruitment patterns, and the subsequent population structure. This poses the following research question:
Are juvenile bivalves more susceptible to erosion compared to adults? In answering this research question, the following sub-questions will be addressed:
1) What is the threshold in an erosion flume that surpasses the burrowing ability of juvenile and adult L. balthica, and juvenile and adult R. philippinarum ?
2) How does sediment grain size influence the burrowing ability of juvenile and adult L. balthica, and juvenile and adult R. philippinarum?
3) How does species type influence bivalve susceptibility to erosion?
Methods
Limecola balthica and Ruditapes philippinarum
The tellinid bivalve Limecola (Macoma) balthica has experienced drastic declines in population in the past decade, largely attributed to a warming climate (Beukema 2009, Compton et al. 2016). L. balthica possesses dual feeding mechanisms – deposit-feeding through siphons, as well as the ability to filter feed. Suspension deposit-feeding in L. balthica has been shown to occur more often in the subtidal due to a greater abundance of suspended matter; whereas deposit-feeding occurs with greater frequency in the upper intertidal zone (Beukema et al. 2014). Deposit feeding is optimized in upper intertidal zones where reduced currents allow for the retention of benthic microphytobenthos on the sediment surface (Beukema et al. 2014). Juvenile L. balthica are known to primarily feed closer to the surface of the sediment, while adults take advantage of highly elastic and elongated siphons to feed on microphytoplankton suspended above the sediment surface (Rossi et al. 2004). This would imply that juvenile L. balthica may be subjected to lower current velocities and concomitant sediment erosion due to chosen habitat characteristics. R. philippinarum, also known as the Japanese carpet shell, small-neck clam, or Manila clam, is a bivalve species native to the western Pacific that has colonized coastlines of continental Europe following importation in the 1970s (FAO 2020), placing it in direct competition with the native L. balthica. R. philippinarum has a significantly higher growth rate and maximum size than L. balthica; therefore, a comparative analysis of the two competing species helps us separate the connection between species, size, sexual maturity, and burrowing ability in eroding sediment. According to Harvey and Vincent (1989), sexual maturity based on gonad histology in L. balthica is a function of shell size, not age, with L. balthica larger than 6 mm classified as sexually mature and R. philippinarum larger than 2.9 cm being sexually mature (Moura et al. 2018).
Flume Operation
STORMY operates by pumping water at a current velocity of 0.41 m s-1 through a network of hoses into a channel containing a section into which a sediment core can be placed flush with the bottom surface of the flume. The sediment core will contain a burrowed bivalve and can be moved upward at the desired rate with a pneumatic piston, exposing the top of the sediment core to the current as shown in Figure 1. The sediment upward core speed, which represents erosion speed, will be set at three different speeds depending on the treatment: slow, medium, and fast. The exact speeds within each category will be chosen following the first week of experimentation, which will serve as an opportunity to calibrate the flume settings and verify the proposed experimental design based on initial settings established in previous STORMY experiments. After the water flows over the sediment core, it enters a back basin supporting up to three pumps that send water back to the front basin through hoses. After the water returns to the front basin, it is cooled by a Lauda WKL 3200 Recirculating Chiller® to mitigate heating from the pumps. Next, the water flows through a frame of PVC pipes to create a laminar flow before again passing over the sediment core. The duration of an entire flume run is 60 mins. Following each flume run, the bivalve will be measured and placed in a Ziplock bag labeled with an ID and placed in cold storage in the event of any further necessary measurements until the project completion. A GoPro HERO Session® installed behind a plexiglass panel adjacent to the sediment core will capture the activity within the flume. Due to their small size, juvenile bivalves will be marked with a waterproof fluorescent dye before being placed on the sediment core in order to increase visibility during flume runs. In this experiment, there are two criteria for dislodgement: 1) the bivalve is passively transported by the current or 2) the bivalve becomes fully exposed but is able to resist passive transport.
Figure 1: STORMY Flume. I=flume channel; II=back basin with pump; III= circulation tubes; IV=sediment core; V= laminar flow frame
Experimental Design
L. balthica and R. philippinarum will be collected at low tide in between two-week intervals for 10 weeks at the Oesterdam in the Oosterschelde estuary located in the southwest of the Netherlands. Samples will be collected with hand rakes and buckets before being transported for approximately 30 minutes from the Oesterdam to NIOZ Yerseke in buckets filled with seawater. Collected bivalves will be organized by species and size (L. balthica juveniles < 6 mm and R. philippinarum juveniles < 2.8 cm), and then stored and acclimated within specially designed tidal tanks inside a climate room at least 48 hours before a flume run. The temperature within the climate room will be set in accordance with current surface water temperatures in the Oosterschelde based on temperature data from The Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute. The tidal tanks will be filled with filtered Oosterschelde water which is available on tap at NIOZ and consist of two stacked 0.6 m3 basins connected by a pump that is activated by a six-hour timer to simulate tidal cycles. At six-hour intervals, water will be pumped up from the bottom basin to the top where the water will then drain, continuing the cycle. Similar to previous STORMY experiments, bivalves will be fed once weekly by dropping 20 ml of Reed Shellfish Diet 1800® in the bottom basin which will be mixed and pumped up into the top basin. Additionally, the top basin will contain 12 sediment cores arranged in four rows and three columns in which the bivalves used for the following day’s flume runs will be allowed to burrow inside. The sediment cores will alternate weekly between sandy and sandy clay. Three bivalves of each species and maturity will be allowed to burrow in the sediment cores as shown in Figure 2. After 24 hours, one juvenile L. balthica, one adult L. balthica, one juvenile R. philippinarum, and one adult R. philippinarum will be selected to use in the flume. To exclude dead/inactive specimens, only bivalves that have burrowed will be selected. Following each flume run, the following measurements and notes of the selected bivalves will be recorded for data processing, as well as for use in post-hoc analyses: species type, shell size (length/width/thickness), activity level, and collection date. Additionally, an ID number will be assigned to each selected bivalve based on the following format: date of flume run, species, maturity. So, a juvenile R. philippinarum tested on July 1st would have the ID number 0107RPJ.
II
V
I
Figure 2: Sediment core top view. One bivalve from each row (four total) to be selected for daily flume cycle. MB = L. balthica, RP = R. philippinarum.
Two soil types will be used to analyze the influence of sediment grain size on bivalve burrowing ability: 1) sandy soil and 2) sandy clay mix. Both soils are characteristic of the sediment types commonly found in the tidal flats and are readily available at NIOZ. Sediment samples will be collected from on-site storage containers and sieved through a 1-mm mesh sieve to remove large substrates and provide a uniform distribution. Sediment grain size will then be calculated using a Malvern Mastersizer 2000® laser diffraction particle size analyzer. Prior to beginning the experiment, a week of flume test runs will be conducted to calibrate the proposed flume settings and determine if juvenile bivalves are visible after being marked with fluorescent dye. After the setup, flume runs will be scheduled on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, which opens Monday for bivalve collection and weekly experiment preparations. Fridays will be reserved to make up for any issues or interruptions that occurred during flume runs earlier in the week. As shown in Figure 3, this design allows four daily flume runs, three times a week, for eight weeks, with four repeats of each applied condition, and a total of 128 flume runs.
Week (1-8) Week 1 Week 2
Day (Tue-Thu) Tue Wed Thu Tue Wed Thu
Soil Type Sandy Sandy Clay
Core Speed Slow Medium High Slow Medium High
Species/Maturity Juvenile L. balthica Juvenile L. balthica Juvenile L. balthica Juvenile L. balthica Juvenile L. balthica Juvenile L. balthica Species/Maturity Adult L. balthica Adult L. balthica Adult L. balthica Adult L. balthica Adult L. balthica Adult L. balthica Species/Maturity Juvenile R. philippinarum Juvenile R. philippinarum Juvenile R. philippinarum Juvenile R. philippinarum Juvenile R. philippinarum Juvenile R. philippinarum Species/Maturity Adult R. philippinarum Adult R. philippinarum Adult R. philippinarum Adult R. philippinarum Adult R. philippinarum Adult R. philippinarum
Figure 1: First two flume experiment weeks alternating between sandy and sandy clay mix. Subsequent weeks will follow the same pattern until completion in week 8.
Statistical Analysis
All statistical analyses will be executed using R version 3.6.2. A power analysis will be conducted during the preprocessing stage to determine the amount of flume runs required to produce statistically significant results at a given significance level. A multiple logistic regression analysis will be performed for a total of 24 separate analyses that answer the research questions comparing the sediment erosion thresholds from the following flume variables shown in Figure 4:
Sediment Type Core Speed Species Maturity
sandy slow L. balthica juvenile
sandy clay medium R. philippinarum adult
fast
Figure 2: Variables to be used for logistic regression model in R. Expected Results
While Tallqvist (2001) found that smaller L. balthica were able to burrow faster than larger ones, results from Zwarts & Wanink (1989) show a negative relationship between shell size and burrowing depth. Operating under the assumption that both of these findings are valid, I expect that juveniles will use their relatively faster burial speed to compensate for their initial shallower burial depth up until a certain current velocity. If this is the case, I expect that juveniles and adult bivalves will maintain an equal capacity to resist sediment erosion at slow to medium current velocities, but at higher current velocities juveniles will become dislodged while their adult counterparts will be able to continue burrowing due to their greater weight which enables them to resist the current (Hunt 2004).
Sediments with a larger grain size such as sand may allow juvenile bivalves to burrow faster due to less locomotory friction but the overall higher erodibility of less cohesive sediments will most likely contribute to higher rates of juvenile dislodgement and transport, as well as adults but to a lesser degree in regards to passive transport. While burrowing behavior can be influenced by traits displayed by individual zoobenthos (MacLachlan et al. 1995), it is unclear if trait differences between L. balthica and R. philippinarum are large enough to produce significant differences in erodibility. A previous STORMY experiment determined that R. philippinarum was frequently inactive during the flume runs and eroded more frequently compared to the endemic clam Cerastoderma edule, but did not experience passive transport during any of the cycles. I also expect here that R. philippinarum will avoid passive transport more frequently compared to the smaller L. balthica, both as juveniles and adults. Nonetheless, both species are expected to experience similar rates of dislodgment as defined by both passive transport or full exposure.
Final Pitch
Addressing the dynamicity of intertidal zones demands a holistic understanding of organismal functioning within these valuable and susceptible areas. While it is known that the challenges faced by intertidal biota are multifaceted and vary throughout their life cycle, the extent and timing of these challenges require a greater deal of scrutiny. This study addresses this by building upon a foundation of ongoing research that aims to increase the resilience of coastal zones in a changing world using an innovative approach.
REFERENCES
Beukema J.J., Dekker R., Jansen J.M., 2009. Some like it cold: populations of the tellinid bivalve Macoma balthica (L.) suffer in various ways from a warming climate. Marine Ecology Progress Series 384, 135–145.
Beukema J.J., Cadee G.C., Dekker R., Philippart C.J.M., 2014. Annual and spatial variability in gains of body weight in Macoma balthica (L.): Relationships with food supply and water temperature. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology. 457, 105–112.
Bouma T.J., van Belzen J.V., Balke T., Zhu Z., Airoldi L., Blight A.J. …Herman M.J., 2014. Identifying knowledge gaps hampering application of intertidal habitats in coastal protection: Opportunities & steps to take. Coastal Engineering 87, 147-157. Compton T.J., Bodnar W., Koolhaus A., Dekinga A., Holthuisjen S., ten Horn J., McSweeney N., van Gils J.A., Piersma T., 2016.
Burrowing behavior of a deposit feeding bivalve predicts change in intertidal ecosystem state. Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution, 4, 19. https://doi.org/10.3389/fevo.2016.00019
de Montaudouin X., Bachelet G., Sauriau P.G., 2003. Secondary settlement of cockles Cerastoderma edule as a function of current velocity and substratum: a flume study with benthic juveniles. Hydrobiologia 503, 103–116.
FAO, 2020. Cultured Aquatic Species Information Programme: Ruditapes philippinarum. Accessed at: http://www.fao.org/fishery/culturedspecies/Ruditapes_philippinarum/en
Harvey M., Vincent B., 1989. Spatial and ternporal variations of the reproduction cycle and energy allocation of the bivalve Macoma balthica (L.) on a tidal flat. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology 129, 199-217.
Hunt H.L., 2004. Transport of juvenile clams: effects of species and sediment grain size. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology 312, 271– 284.
Jennings L.B., Hunt H.L., 2009. Distances of dispersal of juvenile bivalves (Mya arenaria (Linnaeus), Mercenaria
mercenaria (Linnaeus), Gemma gemma (Totten)). Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology 376, 76–84. Loubere P., 1989. Bioturbation and sedimentation rate control of benthic microfossil taxon abundances in surface sediments: A
theoretical approach to the analysis of species microhabitats. Marine Micropaleontology, 14, 317-325.
McLachlan A., Jaramillo E., Defeo O., Dugan J., de Ruyck A., Coetzee P., 1995. Adaptations of bivalves to different beach types. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology 187, 147-160.
Mol A., 2019. Agrimatie - Informatie over de agrosector. Visserij in Cijfers. Wageningen University and Research. https://agrimatie.nl/?subpubid=2526.
Moura P., Vasconcelos P., Pereira F., Chainho P., Costa J.L., Gaspar M.B., 2018. Reproductive cycle of the Manila clam (Ruditapes philippinarum): an intensively harvested invasive species in the Tagus Estuary (Portugal). Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 98(7), 1645-1657.
Rossi F., Herman P.M.J., Middelburg J.J., 2004. Interspecific and intraspecific variation of d13C and d15N in deposit- and suspension feeding bivalves (Macoma balthica and Cerastoderma edule): Evidence of ontogenetic changes in feeding mode of Macoma balthica. Limnology and Oceanography, 49(2), 408–414.
Seneviratne, S.I., Nicholls N., Easterling D., Goodess C.M., Kanae S., Kossin J… Zhang X., 2012: Changes in climate extremes and their impacts on the natural physical environment. A Special Report of Working Groups I and II of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK, and New York, NY, USA, pp. 109-230.
Tallqvist M., 2001. Burrowing behaviour of the Baltic clam Macoma balthica: effects of sediment type, hypoxia and predator presence. Marine Ecology Progress Series 212, 183–191.
Wheatcroft R.A., 2006. Time-series measurements of macrobenthos abundance and sediment bioturbation intensity on a flood-dominated shelf. Progress in Oceanography 71, 88–122.
Widdows J., Brinsley M.D., Salkeld P.N., Elliot M., 1998. Use of annular flumes to determine the influence of current velocity and bivalves on material flux at the sediment-water interface. Estuaries 21(4A), 552-559.
Willows R.I., Widdows J., Wood R.G., 1998. Influence of an infaunal bivalve on the erosion of an intertidal cohesive sediment: A flume and modeling study. Limnology and Oceanography, 43(6), 1332–1334.
Zwarts L., Wanink J., 1989. Siphon size and burying depth in deposit- and suspension-feeding benthic bivalves. Marine Biology 100, 227-240.
5. Timetable of the project (ITEM 5 and 8: 10%)
Please provide the time schedule of the entire project. Specify the activities to be carried out as part of the project.
Items March April May June July August
Literature review Visit NIOZ/Orientation Submit Proposal
Build statistical framework Online R training module Create technical log Relocate to Yerseke Flume calibration Bivalve collection Run Flume Interim Assessment Return to UvA
Process Data Statistical Analysis Finalize Report Present Findings
6. Budget
Please provide 100 words of explanation for the various items requested. Estimate for lab instruments and measurements are allowed!
The following pieces of equipment/consumables will be provided by NIOZ to conduct the experiment at no cost to the researcher: Equipment: STORMY flume, collection buckets for sample collection, caliper for measuring shell size, laboratory scale for weighing bivalves, Lauda WKL 3200 Recirculating Chiller® for primary cooling system, Malvern Mastersizer 2000® laser diffraction particle size analyzer, 1000 L intermediate bulk container for second cooling system, thermometer for periodic water temperature checks, PVC pipes x 12 for sediment cores, 1-mm mesh sieve to sift sediment, and RStudio for statistical analysis. The Malvern Mastersizer 2000® and Lauda WKL 3200 Recirculating Chiller® are estimated at €30,000 and €20,000 respectively and comprises the vast majority of the budget.
Consumables: 200 mL Reed Shellfish Diet 1800® to feed bivalves, Oosterschelde water for bivalve storage and running the flume, fluorescent nail polish for marking juveniles, small plastic zipper bags to store bivalves after flume cycle, and sandy and sandy clay soils for the flume.
Personnel (in research
months) April May Jun Jul Aug Total
MSc student 1 1 1 1 1 6
Research costs (in €) 112,250
Equipment 0 50,650 50,650 50,650 0 111,950
Consumables** 0 100 100 100 0 300
Fieldwork** 0 0 0 0 0 0
7. Knowledge utilisation (ITEM 7: 10%)
7A: Beneficiaries identified: Please specify which other scientific disciplines and/or companies/organisations will benefit from the results of the proposed research (who are the potential knowledge users?).
This research will build upon previous projects involving the STORMY flume at NIOZ. The resulting data is potentially useful for researchers in the field of estuarine and delta systems that aim to better understand benthic organismal behavior. Additionally, this research may be of use to natural resource managers and environmental engineers with coastal zone development projects. 7B: Stakeholder feedback: Are stakeholder meetings or other forms of feedback planned with the under 7A identified potential knowledge users?
Both the research proposal and final results will be presented to research staff at NIOZ. Additional updates will occur upon request to affiliated stakeholders.
7C: Beneficiaries confirmed: Which potential knowledge users are involved in, and have committed themselves to the research project?
The Estuarine and Delta Systems Department at NIOZ has committed to the research by providing supervision, equipment, and technical support for the project.
7D: Education: Will the researcher applied for in this project receive an education? If yes, please specify how.
This project will contribute to the completion of the researcher’s Master’s degree by fulfilling the research proposal and MSc thesis EC.
The data management plan is designed in accordance with the FAIR principles and the regulations associated with the affiliated institutions, NIOZ and UvA. The results and accompanied datasets with complete metadata including an RMarkdown file containing the script used for statistical analyses will be saved onto NIOZ’s institutional data portal and the final report will be uploaded onto UvA Scripties. A data management plan will be created and applied using the online DMPTool from the University of California Curation Center.
7F: Data distribution or integration: In which international data center will the data be deposited after the project is finished? In case there are conditions to use the foreseen data center, please indicate how you will meet these conditions.
The data will be made publicly available via UvA Scripties, as well as the NIOZ data portal. If permitted, a DOI will be minted to the datasets uploaded onto NIOZ’s Data Archive System (DAS). Using this method, the final report will be accessible via the web and all datasets will be linked.
7G: Outreach method identified: Do you have a plan to communicate the results of the proposed research to the under 7A identified potential knowledge users or the general public? If yes, please specify your plan.
Results will be presented at the beginning and end of the research process at both affiliated institutions, UvA and NIOZ. Furthermore, results will be made publicly available via the web.
7H: Outreach time schedule and budget: Please indicate the timetable for the knowledge utilisation plan described under 7G. Also describe which financial and/or material resources will be used to achieve the knowledge utilisation objectives of the research project. Please also explicitly indicate this if no financial resources are needed.
The proposal for this research will be presented in the first month of research planning, with periodic updates given approximately once a month, as well as upon request. The final results will be presented following the completion of the research in month 6. Financial resources are no expected to be required at this time; however, funds may be requested for per diem if opportunities arise to present at conferences.
8. Statements by the applicant
YES/NO I endorse and follow the Code Openness Animal Experiments (if applicable). YES/NO I endorse and follow the Code Biosecurity (if applicable).
YES/NO By submitting this document I declare that I satisfy the nationally and internationally accepted standards for scientific conduct as stated in the Netherlands Code of Conduct for Scientific Practice 2012 (Association of Universities in the Netherlands (VSNU)).
YES/NO I have completed this form truthfully.
YOUR DETAILS: Name: Taylor Craft Place: Amsterdam Date: 08-04-2020
---Please submit the application to NWO in electronic form (pdf format is required) using NWO’s electronic application system, which can be accessed via the NWO website. The application must be submitted from the account of the main applicant. For any technical questions regarding submission, please contact the helpdesk (iris@nwo.nl).
