The Olympia Oyster<i>Ostrea lurida</i>: Recent Advances in Natural History, Ecology, and Restoration

Pritchard, Catharine E.; Shanks, Alan L.; Rimler, Rose Nina; Oates, Mark Stephen; Rumrill, Steven S.

doi:10.2983/035.034.0207

Cited by 38 publications

(53 citation statements)

References 66 publications

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“…We observed reduced Olympia and Pacific oyster performance in regions impacted by moderate levels of riverine runoff; therefore, increased frequency or duration of high precipitation events could severely negatively impact native and commercial oyster populations. Additionally, changes to both upwelling and runoff seasonality will likely impact the duration and characteristics of the relaxation season, a period of general atmospheric stability that coincides with Olympia oyster spawning (Pritchard et al ). As demonstrated in this study, Olympia oyster larvae are vulnerable to exposure to upwelled waters and high temperature inner‐bay conditions, both of which may occur later in the season in the future (Cayan et al ; García‐Reyes and Largier ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of seasonal upwelling and runoff on water chemistry and growth and survival of native and commercial oysters

Hollarsmith

Sadowski

Picard

et al. 2019

Limnology & Oceanography

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The effects of climate change, including ocean acidification and ocean heatwaves, on biological communities in estuaries are often uncertain. Part of the uncertainty is due to the complex suite of environmental factors in addition to acidification and warming that influence the growth of shells and skeletons of many estuarine organisms. The goal of this study was to document spatial and temporal variation in water column properties and to measure the in situ effects on larval and recently settled stages of ecologically important Olympia oysters (Ostrea lurida) and commercially important Pacific oysters (Crassostrea gigas) in a low‐inflow estuary with a Mediterranean climate in Northern California. Our results reveal that seasonal inputs of upwelled or riverine water create important and predictable gradients of carbonate system parameters, temperature, salinity, dissolved oxygen (DO), and other variables that influence oyster performance, and that the influence of these gradients is contingent upon the location in the estuary as well as seasonal timing. During upwelling events (dry season), temperature, carbonate chemistry, and DO had the greatest impact on oyster performance. During runoff events (wet season), gradients in salinity, nutrient concentrations, and total alkalinity driven by river discharge were comparatively more important. These results suggest that the spatial importance of carbonate chemistry and temperature are seasonally variable and are two of several other factors that determine oyster performance. We use these results to discuss future impacts on oysters given projected regional changes in the frequency and magnitude of upwelling and precipitation‐driven runoff events.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of seasonal upwelling and runoff on water chemistry and growth and survival of native and commercial oysters

Hollarsmith

Sadowski

Picard

et al. 2019

Limnology & Oceanography

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“…Understanding spatial and temporal patterns of recruitment is important for management of this species that was once common, but now is quite rare in many estuaries, and is facing a variety of threats (Pritchard et al. , Wasson et al. ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, various lines of evidence suggest larval retention is more typical of Olympia oysters, at least for more isolated estuaries (Peteiro and Shanks , Pritchard et al. ). Recruitment is highest in areas where retention is likely; mid to upper estuarine areas generally have higher recruitment than estuarine mouths (Kimbro et al.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Recruitment is considered a key limiting factor for adult densities, and restoration projects have focused on providing additional hard substrates to enhance recruitment in systems where substrates large enough to prevent burial by sediments are limited (Pritchard et al. , Zacherl et al. ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Another source of synchrony among neighboring estuaries might be a shared larval pool (Carson ), though larval retention within the area of production is considered the rule for many estuaries (Pritchard et al. ). We thus expected synchrony among estuaries to decline rapidly with distance, as has often been shown for marine species (Myers et al.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Coast‐wide recruitment dynamics of Olympia oysters reveal limited synchrony and multiple predictors of failure

Wasson

Hughes

Berriman

et al. 2016

Ecology

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Recruitment of new propagules into a population can be a critical determinant of adult density. We examined recruitment dynamics in the Olympia oyster (Ostrea lurida), a species occurring almost entirely in estuaries. We investigated spatial scales of interannual synchrony across 37 sites in eight estuaries along 2,500 km of Pacific North American coastline, predicting that high vs. low recruitment years would coincide among neighboring estuaries due to shared exposure to regional oceanographic factors. Such synchrony in recruitment has been found for many marine species and some migratory estuarine species, but has never been examined across estuaries in a species that can complete its entire life cycle within the same estuary. To inform ongoing restoration efforts for Olympia oysters, which have declined in abundance in many estuaries, we also investigated predictors of recruitment failure. We found striking contrasts in absolute recruitment rate and frequency of recruitment failure among sites, estuaries, and years. Although we found a positive relationship between upwelling and recruitment, there was little evidence of synchrony in recruitment among estuaries along the coast, and only limited synchrony of sites within estuaries, suggesting recruitment rates are affected more strongly by local dynamics within estuaries than by regional oceanographic factors operating at scales encompassing multiple estuaries. This highlights the importance of local wetland and watershed management for the demography of oysters, and perhaps other species that can complete their entire life cycle within estuaries. Estuaries with more homogeneous environmental conditions had greater synchrony among sites, and this led to the potential for estuary-wide failure when all sites had no recruitment in the same year. Environmental heterogeneity within estuaries may thus buffer against estuary-wide recruitment failure, analogous to the portfolio effect for diversity. Recruitment failure was correlated with lower summer water temperature, higher winter salinity, and shorter residence time: all indicators of stronger marine influence on estuaries. Recruitment failure was also more common in estuaries with limited networks of nearby adult oysters. Large existing oyster networks are thus of high conservation value, while estuaries that lack them would benefit from restoration efforts to increase the extent and connectivity of sites supporting oysters.

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Rapid enhancement of multiple ecosystem services following the restoration of a coastal foundation species

Beheshti

Williams

Boyer

et al. 2021

Ecological Applications

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The global decline of marine foundation species (kelp forests, mangroves, salt marshes, and seagrasses) has contributed to the degradation of the coastal zone and threatens the loss of critical ecosystem services and functions. Restoration of marine foundation species has had variable success, especially for seagrasses, where a majority of restoration efforts have failed. While most seagrass restorations track structural attributes over time, rarely do restorations assess the suite of ecological functions that may be affected by restoration. Here we report on the results of two small‐scale experimental seagrass restoration efforts in a central California estuary where we transplanted 117 0.25‐m2 plots (2,340 shoots) of the seagrass species Zostera marina. We quantified restoration success relative to persistent reference beds, and in comparison to unrestored, unvegetated areas. Within three years, our restored plots expanded ~8,500%, from a total initial area of 29 to 2,513 m2. The restored beds rapidly began to resemble the reference beds in (1) seagrass structural attributes (canopy height, shoot density, biomass), (2) ecological functions (macrofaunal species richness and abundance, epifaunal species richness, nursery function), and (3) biogeochemical functions (modulation of water quality). We also developed a multifunctionality index to assess cumulative functional performance, which revealed restored plots are intermediate between reference and unvegetated habitats, illustrating how rapidly multiple functions recovered over a short time period. Our comprehensive study is one of few published studies to quantify how seagrass restoration can enhance both biological and biogeochemical functions. Our study serves as a model for quantifying ecosystem services associated with the restoration of a foundation species and demonstrates the potential for rapid functional recovery that can be achieved through targeted restoration of fast‐growing foundation species under suitable conditions.

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The Olympia OysterOstrea lurida: Recent Advances in Natural History, Ecology, and Restoration

Cited by 38 publications

References 66 publications

Effects of seasonal upwelling and runoff on water chemistry and growth and survival of native and commercial oysters

Effects of seasonal upwelling and runoff on water chemistry and growth and survival of native and commercial oysters

Coast‐wide recruitment dynamics of Olympia oysters reveal limited synchrony and multiple predictors of failure

Rapid enhancement of multiple ecosystem services following the restoration of a coastal foundation species

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