Top-down control of phytoplankton by oysters in Chesapeake Bay, USA: Comment on Pomeroy et al. (2006)

Newell, Roger I. E.; Kemp, W. Michael; Hagy, James D.; Cerco, Carl F.; Testa, Jeremy M.; Boynton, Walter R.

doi:10.3354/meps341293

Cited by 75 publications

(20 citation statements)

References 29 publications

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“…On the other hand, marine suspension-feeding benthic bivalves can effectively control phytoplankton growth, especially in shallow coastal systems (e.g., Prins et al, 1998;Dame and Olenin, 2005), leading to the suggestion that mussels, oysters and other reefforming benthic bivalves could potentially regulate phytoplankton sufficiently to reduce hypoxia in eutrophic coastal systems (e.g., Officer et al, 1982;Newell and Ott, 1999). A requirement for this to be effective is that benthic grazers must have access to upper mixed layer water where they can graze rapidly growing cells and retain organic matter in the shallow aerobic waters (e.g., Pomeroy et al, 2006;Newell et al, 2007). Although field-scale documentation of benthic grazing impacts mitigating coastal hypoxia is limited, several modeling studies have demonstrated potential effectiveness (e.g., Cerco and Noel, 2007;Banas et al, 2007).…”

Section: Internal Ecological Processesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The rapid increase in surface water temperatures (∼0.7 • C) that occurred over two decades around 1985 (Kaushal et al, in press) would be sufficient to reduce O 2 saturation level by ∼0.20 mg l −1 and possibly increase respiration by ∼5-10% (Sampou and Kemp, 1994). The relative abundance and filtering capacity of the eastern oyster (Crassostera virginica) in Chesapeake Bay have declined by almost 100-fold over the past 150 years due to over-fishing and two disease outbreaks (Newell, 1988;Newell and Ott, 1999;Newell et al, 2007). The drought-induced final decline in oyster harvest during the 10-15 yr around 1985 was ∼10% of this overall drop between 1900 and the present (Fig.…”

Section: Chesapeake Baymentioning

confidence: 99%

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Temporal responses of coastal hypoxia to nutrient loading and physical controls

et al. 2009

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Abstract. The incidence and intensity of hypoxic waters in coastal aquatic ecosystems has been expanding in recent decades coincident with eutrophication of the coastal zone. Worldwide, there is strong interest in reducing the size and duration of hypoxia in coastal waters, because hypoxia causes negative effects for many organisms and ecosystem processes. Although strategies to reduce hypoxia by decreasing nutrient loading are predicated on the assumption that this action would reverse eutrophication, recent analyses of historical data from European and North American coastal systems suggest little evidence for simple linear response trajectories. We review published parallel time-series data on hypoxia and loading rates for inorganic nutrients and labile organic matter to analyze trajectories of oxygen (O 2 ) response to nutrient loading. We also assess existing knowledge of physical and ecological factors regulating O 2 in coastal marine waters to facilitate analysis of hypoxia responses to reductions in nutrient (and/or organic matter) inputs. Of the 24 systems identified where concurrent time series of loading and O 2 were available, half displayed relatively clear and direct recoveries following remediation. We explored in detail 5 well-studied systems that have exhibited complex, non-linear responses to variations in loading, including apparent "regime shifts". A summary of these analyses suggests that O 2 conditions improved rapidly and linearly in systems where remediation focused on organic inputs from sewage treatment plants, which were the primary drivers of hypoxia. In larger more open systems where diffuse nutrient loads are more important in fueling O 2 depletion and where Correspondence to: W. M. Kemp (kemp@umces.edu) climatic influences are pronounced, responses to remediation tended to follow non-linear trends that may include hysteresis and time-lags. Improved understanding of hypoxia remediation requires that future studies use comparative approaches and consider multiple regulating factors. These analyses should consider: (1) the dominant temporal scales of the hypoxia, (2) the relative contributions of inorganic and organic nutrients, (3) the influence of shifts in climatic and oceanographic processes, and (4) the roles of feedback interactions whereby O 2 -sensitive biogeochemistry, trophic interactions, and habitat conditions influence the nutrient and algal dynamics that regulate O 2 levels.

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Section: Internal Ecological Processesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Chesapeake Baymentioning

confidence: 99%

Temporal responses of coastal hypoxia to nutrient loading and physical controls

et al. 2009

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“…Therefore, restoration of oyster reefs has received increasing attention and investment from coastal municipalities. However, the wisdom of pursuing restoration is controversial [11][12][13][14][15][16]. Part of this disagreement may stem from differences in how the goals of each restoration project are defined, the complexity of ecosystem services rendered by oysterreefs, and whether benefits from all of these services are includedin the assessment of restorationsuccess [1,2].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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confidence: 99%

Changes in Sediment Characteristics upon Oyster Reef Restoration, NE Florida, USA

Southwell¹,

Veenstra²,

Adams³

et al. 2017

J Coast Zone Manag

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debated [11,12,14,15], but less research has been devoted to the effect of oyster reefs on the surrounding sediment. Reefs act to attenuate wave energy, possibly facilitating deposition of fine sediment [8]; this process may work in concert with oyster filtration to increase light penetration that may then shift ecosystems towards more benthic primary producers [6]. Finer particles and much higher organic matter (OM) content in oyster-associated sediments suggests a substantial role for carbon and nutrient removal by burial [8,17] and benthic algal uptake where light penetration is sufficient [6]. However, mesocosm experiments show that physical factors such as bottom shear can influence sediment resuspension and benthic micro-algal biomass, making the system more complex and the likelihood of OM burial versus remineralization more difficult to predict [7]. Several recent studies suggest that sediments associated with natural and restored oyster reefs have high rates of denitrification and may thus represent important sites for long term nitrogen removal [17][18][19][20]. Whole-creek studies and some mesocosm studies do not parse the contributions of the oysters themselves versus the associated sediments but rather consider the reef-sediment system as a whole [3,5,17]. Indeed, it is difficult to separate these effects because the presence of the reef will likely alter the depositional environment and ultimately the biogeochemistry of the surrounding sediment.

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“…This argument has been criticized as inaccurate, emphasizing the need for nutrient removal (Boesch et al 2001). While it would seem obvious that both influences contribute to degraded estuarine waters, disagreement on the main influence still leads to situations like the pro and con discussions on restoration of conditions in the Chesapeake Bay by top-down control, i.e., enhancement of higher trophic level consumers (Newell et al 2007), as opposed to bottom-up nutrient controls (Pomeroy et al 2007). These different characterizations of the problem can lead to quite different remedial action.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Estuarine oxygen dynamics: What can we learn about hypoxia from long‐time records in the Delaware Estuary?

Sharp

2009

Limnology & Oceanography

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Hypoxia and anoxia occurred in the upper Delaware Estuary throughout much of the 20th century and diminished over the past several decades. I reviewed 30 yr of data from my laboratory's research efforts, 40 yr of consistent monitoring data from a multistate agency, results from inconsistent data collection from the past century, and anecdotal information to construct a long-time picture of the decline and increase of dissolved oxygen concentrations (DO) in the urban region of the estuary. The primary cause of the DO decline appeared to be inputs or allochthonous materials from urban sources (reduced nitrogen and carbon). In spite of extremely high nutrient concentrations, excess algal production did not influence DO anywhere along the tidal freshwater stretch or the saline portion of the well-mixed Delaware Estuary; and it does not have an influence today. The nutrient loading to the Delaware Estuary is very high, yet the typical signs of eutrophication are not obvious. Based on a model of apparent oxygen utilization, the Delaware Bay apparently had higher primary production 50 yr ago, a time when nutrient concentrations were as high or higher than today, shellfish and finfish production were apparently also higher, and DO was close to saturation. This analysis is offered as guidance in assessing and managing estuarine eutrophication, which is too often considered narrowly to be the result of inadvertent overfertilization by nutrients or a single nutrient element.

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Top-down control of phytoplankton by oysters in Chesapeake Bay, USA: Comment on Pomeroy et al. (2006)

Cited by 75 publications

References 29 publications

Temporal responses of coastal hypoxia to nutrient loading and physical controls

Temporal responses of coastal hypoxia to nutrient loading and physical controls

Changes in Sediment Characteristics upon Oyster Reef Restoration, NE Florida, USA

Estuarine oxygen dynamics: What can we learn about hypoxia from long‐time records in the Delaware Estuary?

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