Features of the allometric growth and settlement structure of soft-shell clam Mya arenaria Linnaeus, 1758 in the intertidal zone off the Murmansk coast of the Barents Sea

The paper provides the results of a study of the the soft-shell clam Mya arenaria biology in the intertidal zone of the Murmansk coast of the Barents Sea. Settlements are represented by the soft-shell clam with the shell length varying 15.5 to 84.2 mm and aged 3 to 10 years, with the prevalence of middle age groups (6–8 years). The study areas are found that the soil is composed of uneven-grained sands with a different proportions of admixture both large gravel fractions (up to 62.5%) and silty and pelitic fractions (up to 74.6%). Dependence of the shell shape on soil type was analyzed. Mollusks on silty sand with a content of pelite fractions from 4.7 to 7.0% had the largest body size and weight. A decrease in the values of the coefficients of allometric growth was revealed with a change in the type soil from sand to sandy silt.