The sulfide in rnariculture environments could not only influence directly the seawater environmental qualities and result in impairments of the organisms cultured, but also induce the aging of rnariculture environments. In this paper a simulation experiment was carried outto study the effect of clam （Ruditapes philippinarum） culture on the acid voatile sulfide（AVS） in sediments and to analyze the relations between AVS and other experimental factors. The aim of this study was to offer theoretical base for ecological rehabilitation in aging mudflat of mariculture areas. In this paper the experimental ecology method was used in laboratory. The period of the simulation experiment persisted for 4 months from August 23 to December 24 in 2003. The experiment site was located in the scientific base of Yellow Sea Fisheries Research Institute in Xiao-maidao, Qingdao. The 7 plastic experimental containers（60 cm ?35 cm ? 25 cm） were filled with 15 cm mud fetched from Rushan Bay. The mean weight and length of the clams tested were 5.87 g and 3.19 cm respectively. The clam culture densities were classified into high （5 233 g?m^-2）, middle （3 733 g?m^-2）, low （2 233 g?m^-2） densities and the control （0 g?m^-2）. The intervals of the sampling were 10 day （3 times）, 15 day （4 limes） and 30 day respectively. The items of determinations included AVS, temperature, redox potentials （Eh）, organic matter （OM）, active iron, heavy metals, sulfate reducing-bacteria （SRB） and the simultaneous extracted metals （SEM）. The mean values were used to illuminate the effect of clam cultures on the AVS. The results showed that the clam culture activities could affect the concentration of AVS. The AVS concentrations of the 3 tests were higher than that of the control, and he.came higher with the increase of the culture densities. Meanwhile, the tendencies of the AVS concentration were just the same at different temperatures.The relation between Eh and AVS was negative correlation, the coefficients of them in middle and high densities tests were r = -0. 6867（ P 〈 0.05 ） and r = - 0.6621 （ P 〈 0.05）, respectively. The relation between OM and AVS was positive correlation, the coefficients of them in high densities tests was r = 0. 6919 （ P 〈 0.05）. Both of the highest value of Fe^3＋/Fe^2＋ and the concentration of AVS appeared at the middle of the experimental period. The relation between SRB and AVS was positivly correlated, the coefficient of them in low and middle densities tests were r = 0.7591 （ P 〈 0.05 ） and r = 0.8317 （ P 〈 0.05 ）, respectively. The values of SEM/AVS among all the 3 tests and the control were lower than 1. It was concluded that the clam culture could increase the concentration of AVS in the sediments, and that the concentrations of AVS became higher with the increase of culture density. It was the values of temperature, redox potential, organic matter, Fe^3 ＋/Fe^2 ＋ and the number of sulfate reducing-bacteria in the sediments that were correlative with the concentration of AVS. The clam culture induced decrease in the ratio of SEM to AVS, which became lower than 1, so that the biological activity and/or toxicity of these heavy metals were restricted. There are many factors that may affect AVS in shellfish culture environments. To quantify the relationships among them exactly, a lot of field mud flat simulation experiments need to be practiced.