title: Impacts of the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill on Salt Marsh Periwinkles (Littoraria irrorata).
abstract: Deepwater Horizon was the largest marine oil spill in U.S. waters, oiling large expanses of coastal wetland shorelines. We compared marsh periwinkle (Littoraria irrorata) density and shell length at salt marsh sites with heavy oiling to reference conditions ∼16 months after oiling. We also compared periwinkle density and size among oiled sites with and without shoreline cleanup treatments. Densities of periwinkles were reduced by 80-90% at the oiled marsh edge and by 50% in the oiled marsh interior (∼9 m inland) compared to reference, with greatest numerical losses of periwinkles in the marsh interior, where densities were naturally higher. Shoreline cleanup further reduced adult snail density as well as snail size. Based on the size of adult periwinkles observed coupled with age and growth information, population recovery is projected to take several years once oiling and habitat conditions in affected areas are suitable to support normal periwinkle life-history functions. Where heavily oiled marshes have experienced accelerated erosion as a result of the spill, these habitat impacts would represent additional losses of periwinkles. Losses of marsh periwinkles would likely affect other ecosystem processes and attributes, including organic matter and nutrient cycling, marsh-estuarine food chains, and multiple species that prey on periwinkles.
authors.affiliation: Research Planning, Inc. (RPI), Tallahassee, Florida 32303, United States.
authors.forename: Scott
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Zengel
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental Engineering Sciences, University of Florida , Gainesville, Florida 32611, United States.
authors.forename: Clay L
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Montague
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology and Biochemistry, University of Houston , Houston, Texas 77204, United States.
authors.forename: Steven C
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Pennings
authors.affiliation: Department of Marine Sciences, University of South Alabama and Dauphin Island Sea Lab , Mobile, Alabama 36688, United States.
authors.forename: Sean P
authors.initials: SP
authors.lastname: Powers
authors.affiliation: Assessment and Restoration Division, Office of Response and Restoration, National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) , Seattle, Washington 98115, United States.
authors.forename: Marla
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Steinhoff
authors.affiliation: Industrial Economics, Inc. (IEc), Cambridge, Massachusetts 02140, United States.
authors.forename: Gail
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Fricano
authors.affiliation: Industrial Economics, Inc. (IEc), Cambridge, Massachusetts 02140, United States.
authors.forename: Claire
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Schlemme
authors.affiliation: NewFields, Atlanta, Georgia 30309, United States.
authors.forename: Mengni
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: NewFields, Atlanta, Georgia 30309, United States.
authors.forename: Jacob
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Oehrig
authors.affiliation: Research Planning, Inc. (RPI), Columbia, South Carolina 29201, United States.
authors.forename: Zachary
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Nixon
authors.affiliation: NewFields, Atlanta, Georgia 30309, United States.
authors.forename: Shahrokh
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Rouhani
authors.affiliation: Research Planning, Inc. (RPI), Columbia, South Carolina 29201, United States.
authors.forename: Jacqueline
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Michel
mesh_terms: D017677:Age Distribution; D000818:Animals; D060851:Gulf of America; D008145:Louisiana; D059392:Petroleum Pollution / Q000009:adverse effects*; D011156:Population Density; D012908:Snails / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology*; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000633:toxicity*; D053833:Wetlands
chemical_list: D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical