Staniek, Maren Annabell; Meysick, Lukas: Effects of marine heatwave intensity on shell sizes and condition index of Wadden Sea intertidal bivalves: a mesocosm experiment conducted on the island of Sylt, Germany, in summer 2022 [dataset]. PANGAEA, https://doi.pangaea.de/10.1594/PANGAEA.971674 (dataset in review)

To investigate the potential impact of marine heatwaves on the intertidal fauna of the German Wadden Sea, a mesocosm experiment was conducted on the island of Sylt, Germany, from June to August 2022. Organisms of the two common bivalve species Cerastoderma edule and Macoma balthica were collected from the upper intertidal of the local Wadden Sea in May 2022. Organisms were then placed into open boxes filled with sieved sediment (1000 µm) from the sampling area, as single-species communities mimicking in-situ observed densities of 119 individuals m-2 (C. edule) and 357 m-2 (M. balthica) and with initial community wet weights corresponding to approximately 35.7 g m-2 (both species) to ensure comparability. The communities were introduced into outdoor land-based mesocosm tanks equipped with tidal simulation, seawater flow through and temperature control on June 1st, 2022. After an adjustment phase of three weeks, four replicate tanks (and communities) were exposed to a single, mild 15-day heatwave with water temperatures of maximum 2.8°C above ambient, entailing nine days at peak temperature and three days onset/ offset each. Another four replicates were exposed to a strong heatwave of the same design but with maximum 4.4°C above ambient, and four more replicates were kept under ambient conditions for control. Two weeks after the heatwave exposure, the mesocosm experiment was terminated and all surviving bivalves were measured for shell size at the widest point and for condition index, determined from the ratio of dry soft tissue mass to dry shell mass. No significant treatment effects on shell size were recorded for either model species. However, condition index appeared lower for both species following exposure to a single, strong heatwave.