To identify the factors of green macroalgae (GMA) accumulation that cause cockles to rapidly emerge from the sediment, we conducted a series of laboratory experiments to isolate the effects of anoxia, surficial pressure/barrier, GMA presence, and the interaction of GMA presence and a surficial pressure/barrier on the emergence behavior of buried cockles. We quantified the emergence response of cockles in each of these five treatments with six replicates (emergent proportion of cockles tank-1) per treatment (n = 30 tanks). After the start of each trial, subjects were examined at 0.5, 1, 2, 4, 6, and 8 hrs for changes in burial depth; those that were partially or completely exposed at the sediment surface were considered to have exhibited an emergence response.

This dataset is associated with the following publication: Lewis, N., and T. DeWitt. Effect of Green Macroalgal Blooms on the Behavior, Growth, and Survival of Cockles (Clinocardium nuttallii) in Pacific NW Estuaries. MARINE ECOLOGY PROGRESS SERIES. Inter-Research, Luhe, GERMANY, 582: 105-120, (2017).