Chapter 31, Problem 41A

Summary Introduction

To write: The size of mussels which is preferred by the oyster catchers.

Introduction:

Oyster catchers are the shorebirds who feed largely on mollusks (oysters, clams, mussels), they attack when the shells are partially opened. These birds lay 2-4 eggs in the sand while nesting on the ground.

Explanation of Solution

Oyster-catchers tend to select the mussels between $30-45mm$ long. The oyster catchers mostly go for the mussels with shell thickness at minimum. They also looked that there is no barnacles overgrown on the mussels. However, with the introduction of waste management activities in both the viability and the diet model and the estimate of the available prey population. It is compared with the predictions of an optimal diet model.

Conclusion

Oyster catchers prefer the size between $30-45mm$ for the mussels. They are specialized in eating shellfish, particularly mussels.