Quantifying clearance rates of restored oyster reefs using modular baskets

Maja Paulina Andersson; Karen L Cheney; Robbie Porter; Ben Gilby; Benjamin Mos

doi:10.32942/X2C32T

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Quantifying clearance rates of restored oyster reefs using modular baskets

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Quantifying clearance rates of restored oyster reefs using modular baskets

Maja Paulina Andersson, Karen L Cheney, Robbie Porter, Ben Gilby and Benjamin Mos

EcoEvoRxiv, Vol.8 December 2023

Society for Open, Reliable, and Transparent Ecology and Evolutionary biology (SORTEE)

2023

DOI: https://doi.org/10.32942/X2C32T

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Abstract

oyster reef restoration

filtration

clearance rate

bivalve

climate change

marine heatwave

flood

Oyster reefs are one of the most threatened marine ecosystems, prompting substantial global efforts to restore them. While biodiversity gains of restored reefs are well documented, other ecosystem services, such as water filtration, remain overlooked. This study tested whether modular baskets could provide a practical way to measure water filtration by bivalve communities on restored oyster reefs and assess community responses to light, a simulated heatwave, and a simulated flood. A seawater system was designed to host ten restoration baskets that had been deployed intertidally for 19 months in Moreton Bay, Australia. We measured baseline clearance rates and then tested the effects of (1) light by covering tanks with or without black polyethylene, (2) temperature by heating half of the tanks ~4 °C above ambient for five days, and (3) reduced salinity by addition of freshwater from ambient (~36) to ~25 or ~15 respectively. Nannochloropsis oceanica (CS-246) was added at a density of 1–1.5 × 10^6 cells mL-1, and clearance rates were measured every 30 min for 2 h. Mean baseline clearance rates were 119.06 L h-1 ± 14.76 SE. Clearance rates were generally reduced by ~1/3rd when the salinity was ~15, but were not affected by light (light vs dark) or temperature (ambient vs +4 °C). Our results demonstrate modular restoration baskets can be used to better understand the ecosystem services provided by restored reefs and to assess the vulnerability of natural and restored bivalve communities to current and future threats such as heatwaves and floods.

Details

Title: Quantifying clearance rates of restored oyster reefs using modular baskets
Authors: Maja Paulina Andersson (Author) - The University of Queensland
Karen L Cheney (Author) - The University of Queensland
Robbie Porter (Author) - OzFish Unlimited (Ballina, NSW, Australia)
Ben Gilby (Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, School of Science, Technology and Engineering
Benjamin Mos (Corresponding Author) - The University of Queensland
Publication details: EcoEvoRxiv, Vol.8 December 2023
Publisher: Society for Open, Reliable, and Transparent Ecology and Evolutionary biology (SORTEE)
Date published: 2023
DOI: 10.32942/X2C32T
Copyright note: CC-By Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International
Data Availability: Open data/code are not available.
Grant note: Australian Research Council-funded DAATSIA (Discovery Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Award, IN2000100026).
Organisation Unit: School of Science, Technology and Engineering
Language: English
Record Identifier: 99982998002621
Output Type: Preprint

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