Rising seas are drowning coastal marshlands. This amphibious terrain, part land, part water, cleanses pollutants, calms beach-eating waves, and stores climate-warming carbon. As filter feeders, mussels siphon streams of seawater, capturing bits of detritus as well as grit and sand. Sediment that might collect in the bottom of a kitchen bowl will, in the wild, settle around the mussels. These shellfish capture sediments floating in the water that might otherwise flow back out to sea, gluing them to mucus-infused clumps that sink. Mussels also deposit nutrient-rich feces that can spur plant growth. They have been shown to increase the elevation of marshlands. Since they are disproportionately important in driving accretion and other ecosystem functions, we should prioritize their protection, or outplanting.
www.anthropocenemagazine.org/2023/03/the-astonishing-salt-marsh-building-power-of-the-humble-tiny-mussel/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=the-astonishing-salt-marsh-building-power-of-the-humble-tiny-mussel