Spatiotemporal Variability in Sedimentation Drives Habitat Loss on Restored Subtidal Oyster Reefs

Caretti, Olivia N; Bohnenstiehl, D. R.; Eggleston, David B.

doi:10.1007/s12237-021-00921-6

Cited by 8 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 72 publications

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“…Multiple stressors often interact with each other to affect individual responses ( Cole et al, 2016 ; Lenihan et al, 1999 ), and can ultimately have cascading effects to the ecosystem level ( Hewitt, Ellis & Thrush, 2016 ; Rogers-Bennett & Catton, 2019 ). While the negative impacts of sedimentation on oyster reefs and restoration projects are well known ( Caretti, Bohnenstiehl & Eggleston, 2021 ; Colden, Latour & Lipcius, 2017 ; Fodrie et al, 2014 ), the effects of groundwater are still poorly defined and highly complex. Research should continue to explore the site-specific responses to multiple stressors, since in other regions, SGD may be beneficial for oysters ( Hosono et al, 2012 ; Spalt, Murgulet & Adbulla, 2020 ) and may not lead to similar outcomes.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Submarine groundwater discharge interacts with creek geomorphology to affect eastern oyster Crassostrea virginica growth rates in a coastal Georgia creek

Carroll

Kelly

2023

PeerJ

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Eastern oysters, Crassostrea virginica, are commercially important coastal species that provide many ecosystem services for coastal communities. Unfortunately, 85% of oyster reefs have been lost globally, prompting investments in restoration efforts to rebuild populations. Managers often consider several well-studied environmental and water quality parameters when making restoration site decisions. However, recent research suggests that submarine groundwater discharge (SGD) may play a role in driving the distribution of oysters in some estuaries. Specifically, SGD may result in localized areas of low dissolved oxygen and low pH that could inhibit oyster recruitment and survival. However, SGD may interact with other potential oyster stressors, including creek geomorphology. On point bars, sediment accumulation could alter growth rates of oysters and physiology, and it is possible that the two factors, SGD and creek geomorphology, could interact to impact oyster growth. We conducted a field experiment to examine the effects of SGD and creek geomorphology on oyster growth rates in a marsh-lined tidal creek in Georgia, USA. High and low SGD sites were paired within point bars and cut banks. Oysters were deployed in cages for 72 days and growth rates were determined. We found a significant interaction between SGD and creek geomorphology on oyster growth rates. Oysters grew at significantly faster rates at locations on accretionary point bars regardless of SGD flux, whereas, on erosional cut banks, high SGD flux significantly reduced oyster growth rate relative to low SGD flux. It appears that SGD may negatively influence oyster growth at specific creek locations, likely due to the presence of other stressors. Therefore, it is important to consider potential interacting and confounding stressors when managing oyster populations. As SGD is still a relatively understudied potential stressor for oysters, it is critical to continue to examine how groundwater might influence oysters in other locations and in combination with other stressors. Regardless, this study provides further evidence that SGD should be considered in future management efforts.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Submarine groundwater discharge interacts with creek geomorphology to affect eastern oyster Crassostrea virginica growth rates in a coastal Georgia creek

Carroll

Kelly

2023

PeerJ

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“…2). Caretti et al (2021) describes the reef classification and calculation of habitat characteristics in detail. We provide an abbreviated description of these methods here.…”

Section: Changes In Reef Habitat Characteristics Over Timementioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, cumulative oyster density plateaued by August 2018 due to a significant decrease in recruitment and an increase in oyster mortality. A combination of the loss of reef area due to sedimentation recorded in May 2018 (Caretti et al 2021), poor water quality in summer 2018, and the arrival and prolonged freshwater flooding caused by Hurricane Florence in September 2018 (Paerl et al 2019(Paerl et al , 2020 may have limited the survival of settling oysters and buried pre-existing oysters at this site.…”

Section: Oyster Demographics and Relationship With Reef Locationmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Effective restoration siting and design should consider the spatial location and arrangement of habitat patches relative to larger‐scale processes, such as hydrodynamic and sediment transport patterns (Colden et al 2016; Caretti et al 2021), metapopulation dynamics, and larval connectivity pathways (Puckett & Eggleston 2016; Kroll et al 2018; Theuerkauf et al 2021), and spatial proximity to other habitats (Grabowski et al 2005; Geraldi et al 2009). Practitioners should also consider which two‐ and three‐dimensional habitat characteristics (Lenihan 1999; Schulte et al 2009; Colden et al 2017) and configurations of habitat patches (Colden et al 2016) should be implemented at the reef‐scale to promote oyster restoration success.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Location and reef size drive oyster reef restoration success

Caretti,

Eggleston,

Puckett

et al. 2024

Restoration Ecology

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Optimizing habitat restoration success requires understanding how restoration location and design enhance the persistence and function of a restored habitat. Particular attention to the configuration of structure and its interaction with landscape‐scale processes is critical for enhancing the habitat value of restored areas. We monitored six subtidal restored oyster reefs in Pamlico Sound, North Carolina, United States, to identify how oyster demographics responded to initial habitat characteristics (e.g. reef area, volume, vertical relief, and perimeter‐to‐area ratio) and how changes in habitat characteristics over time altered suitability for oysters. Changes in reef habitat were measured by repeated mapping using bathymetric and side‐scanning sonar systems. A 2‐year time series of oyster demographic data quantified oyster response to habitat changes over time. All reefs provided habitat for the settlement and growth of oysters. Within 2 years of restoration, relative differences in oyster recruitment and survival emerged and were related to variations in reef location and two‐dimensional habitat characteristics among reefs, namely reef area and perimeter‐to‐area ratio. Larger reefs that were less fragmented resisted burial from sedimentation and enhanced oyster densities and biomass relative to smaller, more fragmented reefs that became heavily sedimented and failed to support oyster recruitment and survival. Positive feedback mechanisms between habitat characteristics and oyster recruitment success were established within 1 year of restoration and were likely driven by landscape‐scale processes such as sediment dynamics and larval supply. To improve restoration success, we recommend creating larger reef surfaces with low perimeter‐to‐area ratios in areas that promote habitat persistence.

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“…However, there are three important reasons to focus on sediments. First, sedimentation has been identified by several authors as an important variable in larval settlement, health, and long-term persistence of oyster reefs [19][20][21][22][23][24]. Second, the particle size distribution of the sediment itself may be a useful time-integrated indicator of the physical energy of the system [15,[25][26][27].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Controls on Surface and Downcore Sedimentary Organic Matter in a Constructed Oyster Reef

Southwell,

Veenstra,

Blanco

et al. 2023

Sustainability

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Oysters provide a suite of important ecosystem services, and recent research shows that oyster restoration rapidly enhances sedimentary organic carbon deposition. In 2012, an oyster reef enhancement project began in the GTM National Estuarine Research Reserve in Northeast FL, USA. We analyzed the spatial and downcore variability in sedimentary organic matter (OM) and particle sizes in the intertidal zone between the reefs and the marsh, along with oyster reef characteristics, to better understand physical and/or biological influences on sediment. Our data indicate that OM in the top 20 cm of sediment cores was negatively correlated with reef age. Similar decreases in particles <63 μm suggest remobilization of sediment, likely driven by the degradation of the reef structure over its approximately 9-year lifetime. Likewise, a survey of surface sediments showed that adjacent reef structural metrics were the best predictor of sediment OM and particle size. These results highlight the importance of reef structure as a control on sedimentary organic carbon deposition and stability in areas where physical energy is relatively high. This result is discussed in the context of implications for carbon budgets and biogeochemical ecosystem services of oysters as a part of living shorelines.

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Spatiotemporal Variability in Sedimentation Drives Habitat Loss on Restored Subtidal Oyster Reefs

Cited by 8 publications

References 72 publications

Submarine groundwater discharge interacts with creek geomorphology to affect eastern oyster Crassostrea virginica growth rates in a coastal Georgia creek

Submarine groundwater discharge interacts with creek geomorphology to affect eastern oyster Crassostrea virginica growth rates in a coastal Georgia creek

Location and reef size drive oyster reef restoration success

Controls on Surface and Downcore Sedimentary Organic Matter in a Constructed Oyster Reef

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