Oyster reef

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Oyster reef at about mid-tide off fishing pier at Hunting Island State Park, South Carolina

The term oyster reef refers to dense aggregations of

spat
settling on the shells of older or nonliving oysters. The dense aggregations of oysters are often referred to as an oyster reef, oyster bed, oyster bank, oyster bottom, or oyster bar interchangeably. These terms are not well defined and often regionally restricted.

Degradation of oyster reefs

Oyster reefs were once common in estuaries around the world.

cyprid larvae of barnacles may outcompete larval oysters in settling onto substrate, a prerequisite for completing their respective life cycles.[4]
: 40–48 

In the United States Crassostrea virginica, the

Sydney rock oyster, Saccostrea glomerata, of eastern Australia have both been heavily impacted by harmful fishing practices.[6] While most research has focused on temperate zones it is likely that significant declines have also been observed in tropical regions.[7]

The

IUCN's Overall Risk Category assessment of the oyster reef ecosystem in southern and eastern Australia has labeled them as critically endangered.[8]

Oyster reef ecology

Natural oyster reefs are composed of living and dead oyster shells and provide important habitat for various species.[5] For example, the complex three-dimensional interstitial spaces within oyster reefs provide refugia for prey or juvenile species, which increases prey biomass and thereby enhances trophic transfer. Oyster reefs also stabilize shorelines by promoting sediment deposition and buffering wave energy, thereby allowing other habitats such as sea grass beds and marsh areas to form while simultaneously decreasing erosion of the shoreline.[9][10][11][12]

Ecosystem services

The filter feeding behavior of oysters can buffer against environmental degradation caused by human-induced eutrophication of estuary systems. Oysters feed on suspended phytoplankton and other organic matter. Disruption of the filter feeding by oysters can lead to a decrease in the elimination of organic matter from the water column and increase phytoplankton abundance. This in turn may lead to seasonal anoxia, which could increase mortality for other estuary animals, such as fish.[5]

Oyster reefs can also impact the carbon sequestration and excess nutrient uptake. Oyster reefs also stabilize shorelines by promoting sediment deposition and buffering wave energy, thereby allowing other habitats such as sea grass beds and marsh areas to form while simultaneously decreasing erosion of the shoreline.[9][13][14][15] Oyster reef habitats have been recognized as green infrastructure for shoreline protection.[16]

Restoration

Oyster reef restoration has accelerated in recent decades.[17] Oyster reef restoration projects often place the sanitized shells of dead oysters, concrete, or limestone pieces on a soft bottom to encourage oyster spat settlement.[10] Restoration of intertidal eastern oyster reefs can match natural densities of oysters and mud crabs, and recover oyster stability in about 6 years.[18] Additional benefits to restoring these habitats includes suppressing phytoplankton blooms via increasing filter feeding behavior,[19] increase nutrient sequestration and denitrification rates,[20] increase nekton biomass, and potentially increase commercial fishery value.[21] However, data on previously implemented restoration projects can be difficult to access, hindering future restoration efforts.[22]

See also

  • Rudists – extinct group of major reef-building bivalves in the Mesozoic Era

References

  1. ^
    S2CID 4993209
    .
  2. PMID 15326294
    .
  3. ^ a b "Notes from the Field: Indian River Lagoon Oyster Reef Restoration Project" (PDF). The Nature Conservancy Indian River Lagoon Program. Retrieved 29 January 2023.
  4. ^ Boudreaux, Michelle L. (2005). Native and Invasive Competitors of the Eastern Oyster Crassostrea virginica in Mosquito Lagoon, Florida (MSc thesis). Orlando: University of Central Florida. 532. Retrieved 30 January 2023 – via UCF STARS.
  5. ^
    doi:10.1016/j.ecss.2004.10.004
    .
  6. PMID 15326294
    .
  7. hdl:10072/416403
    .
  8. ISSN 2351-9894
    .
  9. ^
    doi:10.1016/j.ocecoaman.2013.12.002
    .
  10. ^
    S2CID 84109311
    .
  11. doi:10.3354/meps11269
    .
  12. S2CID 54732481
    .
  13. S2CID 84109311
    .
  14. doi:10.3354/meps11269
    .
  15. S2CID 54732481
    .
  16. ISSN 1758-678X
    .
  17. S2CID 233279016
    .
  18. S2CID 247990521
    .
  19. S2CID 22032465
    .
  20. doi:10.3354/meps10331
    .
  21. PMID 26336635
    .
  22. doi:10.1016/j.ocecoaman.2013.12.002
    .

External links
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