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Escape Burrowing Of Modern Freshwater Bivalves As A Paradigm For Escape Behavior In The Devonian Bivalve Archanodon Catskillensis, Katja Knoll, Rebecca B. Chamberlain, John A. Chamberlain

Publications and Research

Many freshwater bivalves restore themselves to the sediment water interface after burial by upward escape burrowing. We studied the escape burrowing capacity of two modern unionoids, Elliptio complanata and Pyganodon cataracta and the invasive freshwater venerid Corbicula fluminea, in a controlled laboratory setting varying sediment grain size and burial depth. We found that the relatively streamlined E. complanata is a better escape burrower than the more obese P. cataracta. E. complanata is more likely to escape burial in both fine and coarse sand, and at faster rates than P. cataracta. However, successful escape from 10 cm burial, especially in fine …