Nutrient Excretion by the Asiatic Clam Corbicula fluminea

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Abstract
The freshwater Asiatic clam, Corbicula fluminea (uller), has become a prominent component of the benthic community in many lakes and rivers since its introduction to this continent some 50 years ago. Because of its abundance, this filter-feeding clam has the potential to influence nutrient cycling by excretion of metabolic wastes, including NH3 and PO4. Excretion rates of ammonia and orthophosphate were estimated seasonally in Corbicula freshly collected from the Chowan River, a large coastal plain river in eastern Virginia-North Carolina [USA]. Excretion was expressed as a function of clam dry weight, and was highest in May and September for both nutrients. Using Corbicula population estimates from an earlier benthic survey of the Chowan to calculate excretion volumes per square meter suggests that the clams can have a substantial effect on nutrient cycling in summer in the upper Chowan River and a large tributary, the Blackwater River, with ammonia excretion ranging from 357 to 8642 .mu.moles m-2 d-1, and orthophosphate excretion ranging from 161 to 3924 .mu.moles m-2 d-1.

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