Citation: Wilson, J.G. 1993 Climate change and the future for the cockle Cerastoderma edule in Dublin Bay - an exercise in prediction modelling. Occ.Publ.Ir.biogeog.Soc.: Biogeography of Ireland 2. 9pp. ,
Pages: 141-149
Editor: M.J. Costello & K.S. Kelly (eds)
Series Title: Occ.Publ.Ir.biogeog.Soc.: Biogeography of Ireland
Volume: 2
Keywords: Biogeography, Climate, Dublin, Littoral, Marine, Marine Inlet, Mollusca, Sediment, Temperature
Abstract: The cockle, Cerastoderma edule, is a typical littoral species of Dublin Bay. It is present in just less than 50% of the intertidal and contributes around 60% of the total macrofaunal biomass. This pre-eminence seems to be a position it has held over the centuries. However, the predicted global climate change will alter the environment of the cockle, firstly through an altered temperature regime and secondly through a rise in sea level. Rises in sea level will mean an overall reduction in intertidal area, with a consequent reduction in the cockle population. Rises in temperature, while unlikely to be directly lethal, may promote instability in the population with cycles of scarcity and abundance. Other possible effects, particularly system change such as increased predation or changes in inter- and intra-specific competition, are expected to take place but are very much more difficult to assess.