Zeitweilige Schillzunahme als Voraussetzung starker Miesmuscheljahrgänge

The sandy and muddy bottom of tbe German Waddensea offers a great diversity of secondary substrates to mussel larvae ready to settle. But every substrate with the exception of dead shell material may result in very small mussel colonies only. Large mussel beds of a size up to many hectares depend on aggregations of molluscan shells covering comparably areas of ground. Such shell aggregations are created by extremely cold winters and during years with extended stormy periods.