Quantifying the Effects of Floating Oyster Aquaculture on Nitrogen Cycling in a Temperate Coastal Embayment

Labrie, Micheline S.; Sundermeyer, Miles A.; Howes, Brian L.

doi:10.1007/s12237-022-01133-2

Cited by 2 publications

(1 citation statement)

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“…One mechanistic explanation for this may be that organic fractions of biodeposits are more readily remineralized locally while mineralogical fractions more effectively redistribute across salt marsh platforms. As far as we know, our results are the first of their kind to address the effect of mussel biodeposits on salt marsh sediment geochemistry beyond their natural aggregations; thus, there remains a paucity of research on the spatial extent of biodeposit dispersal and its landscape-scale effects on salt marsh biogeochemistry (although see this considered for other bivalves species in aquaculture settings in Giles et al (2009), Labrie et al (2022), andPusceddu et al (2007)).…”

Section: Mussel Effects On Organic Matter Accumulation In Sedimentsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Role of a Faunal Engineer, Geukensia demissa, in Modifying Carbon and Nitrogen Regulation Services in Salt Marshes

Williams,

Rogers,

Fischman

et al. 2023

JGR Biogeosciences

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Interest in leveraging suspension feeders, such as marine bivalves, to exert top‐down control on organic matter (OM) loading in estuaries is gaining momentum. Not only can these faunal engineers alleviate the consequences of nutrient pollution, but they may also bolster the critical blue carbon services provided by coastal ecosystems—a potential dual, mitigating effect on cultural eutrophication and climate change. Ribbed mussels, Geukensia demissa, offer a useful model for assessing faunally driven carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) processes in these systems and their relationships with faunal density. Combining bulk geochemical analyses with Bayesian stable isotope mixing model frameworks (MixSIAR), we quantified the effect of mussels on the source and amount of organic C and N deposited to the benthic floor (i.e., sedimentation), accumulated in surface sediments, and stored in aboveground Spartina alterniflora in Georgia salt marshes. Relative to areas without mussels, mussel presence shifted the source of deposited and accumulated OM to a more allochthonous makeup; amplified the amount of deposited, but not accumulated, allochthonous and autochthonous OM; and enhanced aboveground storage of C and N. Both sources of OM accumulated in sediments as well as standing stocks of C and N were highly and positively correlated with local mussel density (ind. m−2) but unrelated to neighboring mussel density (ind. ∼25 m−2) in adjacent, non‐mussel areas. This work provides new evidence that suspension feeders, through their faunal engineering activities, can interact powerfully and synergistically with primary producers to enhance the blue carbon services of marshes and counteract coastal eutrophication.

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Section: Mussel Effects On Organic Matter Accumulation In Sedimentsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Role of a Faunal Engineer, Geukensia demissa, in Modifying Carbon and Nitrogen Regulation Services in Salt Marshes

Williams,

Rogers,

Fischman

et al. 2023

JGR Biogeosciences

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Refining the Farm Aquaculture Resource Management Model for Shellfish Nitrogen Removal at the Local Scale

Bayer,

Cubillo,

Rose

et al. 2024

Estuaries and Coasts

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Nutrient-related environmental degradation in coastal waters is a continuing global problem. Bivalve shellfish farms show nutrient removal capabilities similar to some traditional management strategies and in some places have been incorporated into nutrient management programs to help achieve water quality goals. Bioextractive nutrient removal varies by farmed species and is influenced by environment parameters; thus, data and information for both are needed to estimate nutrient mitigation potential of shellfish farms. The Farm Aquaculture Resource Management (FARM) model, calibrated for farmed species, uses local environmental and farming practice data to simulate interactions between the farmed population and the local environment and to optimize cultivation practices for economic gain. We calibrated the model to predict nitrogen removal by Eastern oyster (Crassostrea virginica) farms with specific field and experimental data on oysters, their local environment, and farm practices in Long Island Sound, CT, USA. Previous FARM applications were not validated for nitrogen removal with local data. In the harvest when ready (HWR) model scenario (oysters are harvested when they reach harvest size), the farm removed 159 kg N ha−1 year−1 while the non-HWR scenario (all oysters are harvested at one time) removed 274 kg N ha−1 year−1. These estimates are within the range of previously reported in-water bioextraction studies in the Northeastern USA. The robust outputs from this validated model can be reliably used in marine spatial planning efforts and by nutrient managers to predict the nitrogen removal benefits that could be achieved through new or expanded eastern oyster farms in eutrophic environments.

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Quantifying the Effects of Floating Oyster Aquaculture on Nitrogen Cycling in a Temperate Coastal Embayment

Cited by 2 publications

References 36 publications

The Role of a Faunal Engineer, Geukensia demissa, in Modifying Carbon and Nitrogen Regulation Services in Salt Marshes

The Role of a Faunal Engineer, Geukensia demissa, in Modifying Carbon and Nitrogen Regulation Services in Salt Marshes

Refining the Farm Aquaculture Resource Management Model for Shellfish Nitrogen Removal at the Local Scale

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