ZEUS

The ZEUS project investigated the role of Zostera noltei intertidal beds as nursery areas and adult habitats for three commercial clam species, and as habitats that favour the response of different clam species to heat waves and fluctuations in salinity conditions. As the positive effect may be bidirectional, the possible effects of clams on Zostera were also studied. The fieldwork was conducted  in the Rías of Pontevedra, Arousa and Muros, where there are important shellfish beds such as those of Cambados, Combarro and Testal.

Furthermore, using various modelling approaches, ZEUS assessed the contribution of Zostera beds to the sustainability of clam populations and changes in the economic value of this habitat for shellfish resources under a climate change scenario.