Simulated net primary productivity (NPP) in the southern North Sea 2003-2013 for a simulation with and without consideration of benthic filtration by Mytilus edulis

Blue mussels filter water and transport material to the ocean floor. I investigate with a computer model the effect of such filtration and transport in the southern North Sea and find that up to 10% of the net annually produced biomass is filtered. This effect is not the same everywhere: near-shore, it is up to 50% and it is negligible offshore. Considering filtration is important for understanding the spatial patterns of coastal ecosystems.