A Resident Fish Guild as a Higher Trophic Level Indicator of Oyster Reef Restoration Success

Eastern oysters (Crassostrea virginica) are critical foundation species in estuarine waters, but due to a combination of natural and anthropogenic pressures, oyster abundance has declined. Restoring oyster reefs and monitoring restoration success often focuses on oyster metrics, but relatively infrequently, responses of higher trophic level species and the production of related ecosystem services are accounted for. To address this, we compare the response of a resident reef fish guild (gobies, blennies, toadfish) to standard metrics of oyster restoration success. Using lift nets and seines, natural and restored reefs were monitored over a two-year period within Mosquito Lagoon, Florida, USA. Standard metrics are indicative of restoration success; live oyster density and reef thickness increased in restored reefs after 12 and 24 months. Combined, live oyster density and reef thickness were the best predictors of annual resident reef fish abundance compared to water quality metrics. These results suggest that the benefits of restoring oyster reef habitat are conferred to broader components of the food web, with benefits accruing to reef resident fishes that are a key trophic linkage between lower trophic level foundation species and higher trophic level predators inhabiting coastal ecosystems.

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Success of concrete and crab traps in facilitating Eastern oyster recruitment and reef development

PeerJ ◽

10.7717/peerj.6488 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 7 ◽

pp. e6488

Author(s):

Emma E. Johnson ◽

Miles D. Medina ◽

Ada C. Bersoza Hernandez ◽

Gregory A. Kusel ◽

Audrey N. Batzer ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Low Cost ◽

Concrete Structures ◽

Oyster Shell ◽

Cost Effective ◽

Eastern Oyster ◽

Market Size ◽

Oyster Reefs ◽

Reef Development ◽

Reef Restoration ◽

Oyster Restoration

Background Abundance of the commercially and ecologically important Eastern oyster, Crassostrea virginica, has declined across the US Eastern and Gulf coasts in recent decades, spurring substantial efforts to restore oyster reefs. These efforts are widely constrained by the availability, cost, and suitability of substrates to support oyster settlement and reef establishment. In particular, oyster shell is often the preferred substrate but is relatively scarce and increasingly expensive. Thus, there is a need for alternative oyster restoration materials that are cost-effective, abundant, and durable. Methods We tested the viability of two low-cost substrates—concrete and recycled blue crab (Callinectes sapidus) traps—in facilitating oyster recovery in a replicated 22-month field experiment at historically productive but now degraded intertidal oyster grounds on northwestern Florida’s Nature Coast. Throughout the trial, we monitored areal oyster cover on each substrate; at the end of the trial, we measured the densities of oysters by size class (spat, juvenile, and market-size) and the biomass and volume of each reef. Results Oysters colonized the concrete structures more quickly than the crab traps, as evidenced by significantly higher oyster cover during the first year of the experiment. By the end of the experiment, the concrete structures hosted higher densities of spat and juveniles, while the density of market-size oysters was relatively low and similar between treatments. The open structure of the crab traps led to the development of larger-volume reefs, while oyster biomass per unit area was similar between treatments. In addition, substrates positioned at lower elevations (relative to mean sea level) supported higher oyster abundance, size, and biomass than those less frequently inundated at higher elevations. Discussion Together, these findings indicate that both concrete and crab traps are viable substrates for oyster reef restoration, especially when placed at lower intertidal elevations conducive to oyster settlement and reef development.

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Habitat value of Sydney rock oyster (Saccostrea glomerata) reefs on soft sediments

Marine and Freshwater Research ◽

10.1071/mf18197 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 71 (7) ◽

pp. 771 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

I. M. McLeod ◽

L. Boström-Einarsson ◽

C. Creighton ◽

B. D'Anastasi ◽

B. Diggles ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Coastal Waters ◽

Oyster Reef ◽

Economic Value ◽

Biomass Productivity ◽

Macroinvertebrate Communities ◽

Oyster Reefs ◽

Reef Restoration ◽

Habitat Value ◽

Rock Oyster ◽

Saccostrea Glomerata

Estimates of the ecological and economic value of ecosystems can provide important information for the prioritisation of conservation and restoration actions. Oyster reefs that were once common in temperate coastal waters have now been largely degraded or lost. Oyster reefs provide a suite of ecological services, including habitat and a food supply for a range of other species. In Australia, there is growing interest in oyster reef restoration, but there are knowledge gaps with regard to their structure and habitat value. Here, we describe the structure of eight remnant Sydney rock oyster (Saccostrea glomerata) reefs and estimate the density, biomass, productivity and composition of mobile macroinvertebrate and infaunal communities associated with them. The oyster reefs had a distinct assemblage of macroinvertebrates, with fivefold higher density of larger (≥2mm) macroinvertebrates, fivefold higher biomass and almost fivefold higher productivity, than that of adjacent bare sediments. The productivity of infaunal communities was twice as high under oyster reefs than in adjacent bare sediments. Therefore, S. glomerata reef restoration is likely to provide important habitat for macroinvertebrate communities and boost local secondary production.

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Relationship of biological communities to habitat structure on the largest remnant flat oyster reef (Ostrea angasi) in Australia

Marine and Freshwater Research ◽

10.1071/mf19171 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 71 (8) ◽

pp. 972 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

C. Crawford ◽

G. Edgar ◽

C. L. Gillies ◽

G. Heller-Wagner

Keyword(s):

Oyster Reef ◽

Three Dimensional ◽

Soft Sediment ◽

Oyster Reefs ◽

Biological Communities ◽

Reef Restoration ◽

Naturally Occurring ◽

Faunal Abundance ◽

North Eastern ◽

Relationship Of

Oyster reef restoration is a growing field in Australia, yet formal descriptions of associated biological communities for reefs created by native flat oysters (Ostrea angasi) do not currently exist. Native flat oysters once formed extensive and complex three-dimensional habitats in bays and estuaries across southern Australia until indiscriminate fishing, sedimentation and disease led to their near disappearance. To determine the diversity and abundance on naturally occurring oyster reefs, we sampled four sites on the last known naturally occurring oyster reef ecosystem, which resides in north-eastern Tasmania, and compared them to the surrounding soft sediment regions. Assemblages were related to environmental variables to determine whether consistent patterns were present. Oyster reef sites contained three times the faunal abundance of the surrounding soft sediment regions. Abundance among echinoderms, arthropods, molluscs and fish was much elevated, whereas annelids showed similar levels of abundance but differed in terms of species composition. These results show that oyster reefs do support abundant and diverse assemblages, emphasising the probable loss of community-level biodiversity associated with their historical decline around southern Australia.

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Accounting for Multiple Foundation Species in Oyster Reef Restoration Benefits

Restoration Ecology ◽

10.1111/rec.12107 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 22 (4) ◽

pp. 517-524 ◽

Cited By ~ 18

Author(s):

Keryn B. Gedan ◽

Lisa Kellogg ◽

Denise L. Breitburg

Keyword(s):

Oyster Reef ◽

Foundation Species ◽

Reef Restoration

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Contemporary Oyster Reef Restoration: Responding to a Changing World

Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution ◽

10.3389/fevo.2021.689915 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 9 ◽

Author(s):

Alice H. Howie ◽

Melanie J. Bishop

Keyword(s):

Oyster Reef ◽

Water Filtration ◽

Oyster Reefs ◽

Reef Restoration ◽

Design Considerations ◽

Road Map ◽

Shoreline Protection ◽

Novel Approaches ◽

Selection Of ◽

Growth And Reproduction

Globally, there is growing interest in restoring previously widespread oyster reefs to reinstate key ecosystem services such as shoreline protection, fisheries productivity and water filtration. Yet, since peak expiration of oysters in the 1800s, significant and ongoing environmental change has occurred. Estuaries and coasts are undergoing some of the highest rates of urbanization, warming and ocean acidification on the planet, necessitating novel approaches to restoration. Here, we review key design considerations for oyster reef restoration projects that maximize the probability that they will meet biological and socio-economic goals not only under present-day conditions, but into the future. This includes selection of sites, and where required, substrates and oyster species and genotypes for seeding, not only on the basis of their present and future suitability in supporting oyster survival, growth and reproduction, but also based on their match to specific goals of ecosystem service delivery. Based on this review, we provide a road map of design considerations to maximize the success of future restoration projects.

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Changes in Sediment Characteristics upon Oyster Reef Restoration, NE Florida, USA

Journal of Coastal Zone Management ◽

10.4172/2473-3350.1000442 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 20 (1) ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Melissa W Southwell ◽

Jessica J Veenstra ◽

Charles D Adams ◽

Elizabeth V Scarlett ◽

Kristy B Payne

Keyword(s):

Oyster Reef ◽

Sediment Characteristics ◽

Reef Restoration

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Oyster reef restoration in the northern Gulf of Mexico: Extent, methods and outcomes

Ocean & Coastal Management ◽

10.1016/j.ocecoaman.2013.12.002 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 89 ◽

pp. 20-28 ◽

Cited By ~ 57

Author(s):

Megan La Peyre ◽

Jessica Furlong ◽

Laura A. Brown ◽

Bryan P. Piazza ◽

Ken Brown

Keyword(s):

Gulf Of Mexico ◽

Oyster Reef ◽

Reef Restoration ◽

Northern Gulf Of Mexico

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Seascape context modifies how fish respond to restored oyster reef structures

ICES Journal of Marine Science ◽

10.1093/icesjms/fsz019 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 76 (4) ◽

pp. 1131-1139 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Ben L Gilby ◽

Andrew D Olds ◽

Christopher J Henderson ◽

Nicholas L Ortodossi ◽

Rod M Connolly ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Species Richness ◽

Fish Species ◽

Fish Assemblages ◽

Oyster Reef ◽

Pivotal Role ◽

Oyster Reefs ◽

Total Abundance ◽

Fish Recruitment ◽

Abundance And Diversity ◽

Species Specific

Abstract The seascape context of coastal ecosystems plays a pivotal role in shaping patterns in fish recruitment, abundance, and diversity. It might also be a principal determinant in structuring the recruitment of fish assemblages to restored habitats, but the trajectories of these relationships require further testing. In this study, we surveyed fish assemblages from 14 restored oyster reefs and 14 control sites in the Noosa River, Queensland, Australia, that differed in the presence or absence of seagrass within 500 m, over four periods using baited cameras. Fish assemblages at oyster reefs differed from those at control sites, with higher species richness (1.4 times) and more individuals of taxa that are harvested by fishers (1.8 times). The presence or absence of seagrass nearby affected the abundance of a key harvestable fish species (yellowfin bream Acanthopagrus australis) on oyster reefs, but not the overall composition of fish assemblages, species richness, or the total abundance of harvestable fishes overall. These findings highlight the importance of considering species-specific patterns in seascape utilization when selecting restoration sites and setting restoration goals, and suggest that the effects of restoration on fish assemblages might be optimized by focusing efforts in prime positions in coastal seascapes.

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