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Effects of freshwater discharges and habitat architecture on oyster reef community development and diversity
- Date Issued:
- 2012
- Summary:
- Oyster reefs support diverse estuarine communities and food webs. Factors controlling oyster reef community development were studied on restored reefs in the St. Lucie Estuary. Freshwater discharges create stresses that cause oyster mortality, habitat loss and reduction in reef community diversity. Using structural equation modeling, it was demonstrated that salinity, turbidity, and chlorophyll-a gradients influence oysters and some reef invertebrate species, but did not support the predictions of the Intermediate Disturbance Hypothesis. In contrast, diversity and species richness were greatest at low stress sites. A field experiment showed that topographic relief and architectural complexity enhanced colonization and growth of reef-building species (e.g.oysters and mussels). The relief by complexity interaction had a higher order, synergistic effect on oyster abundance. When considered separately, increasing relief further enhanced dominant sessile taxa (cirripeds and ascideans) ; while, increasing complexity supported greater species richness and the abundance of cirripeds.
Title: | Effects of freshwater discharges and habitat architecture on oyster reef community development and diversity. |
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Name(s): |
Salewski, Elizabeth a. Charles E. Schmidt College of Science Center for Environmental Studies |
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Type of Resource: | text | |
Genre: | Electronic Thesis Or Dissertation | |
Date Issued: | 2012 | |
Publisher: | Florida Atlantic University | |
Physical Form: | electronic | |
Extent: | xiii, 114 p. : ill. (some col.) | |
Language(s): | English | |
Summary: | Oyster reefs support diverse estuarine communities and food webs. Factors controlling oyster reef community development were studied on restored reefs in the St. Lucie Estuary. Freshwater discharges create stresses that cause oyster mortality, habitat loss and reduction in reef community diversity. Using structural equation modeling, it was demonstrated that salinity, turbidity, and chlorophyll-a gradients influence oysters and some reef invertebrate species, but did not support the predictions of the Intermediate Disturbance Hypothesis. In contrast, diversity and species richness were greatest at low stress sites. A field experiment showed that topographic relief and architectural complexity enhanced colonization and growth of reef-building species (e.g.oysters and mussels). The relief by complexity interaction had a higher order, synergistic effect on oyster abundance. When considered separately, increasing relief further enhanced dominant sessile taxa (cirripeds and ascideans) ; while, increasing complexity supported greater species richness and the abundance of cirripeds. | |
Identifier: | 820951342 (oclc), 3355881 (digitool), FADT3355881 (IID), fau:3970 (fedora) | |
Note(s): |
by Elizabeth A. Salewski. Thesis (M.S.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2012. Includes bibliography. Mode of access: World Wide Web. System requirements: Adobe Reader. |
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Subject(s): |
American oyster -- Florida -- St. Lucie River Estuary Reef ecology -- Florida -- St. Lucie River Estuary Habitat conservation -- Florida -- St. Lucie River Estuary Predation (Biology) |
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Persistent Link to This Record: | http://purl.flvc.org/FAU/3355881 | |
Use and Reproduction: | http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/ | |
Host Institution: | FAU |