Website

http://acer.disl.org/research/oysters/

Region(s)

NW

Summary

Shell heights of up to 20 live oysters per size class (spat, seed, market) as well as densities (#/0.25m^2) of oysters per size class (spat, seed, market) and densities of about 45 other taxa found in oyster reefs sampled in 2015 - 2017. Four embayments were sampled from Louisiana to the Florida panhandle, with sites that were previously oiled or non-oiled after the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill. Within oiled and non-oiled sites, oyster quadrat samples were taken from intertidal, nearshore (along the marsh edge) and subtidal areas, and also from mesohaline and high salinity sites. The top 10 cm of material was collected from the quadrats and returned to the lab for processing and measurement of shell height with calipers.

Parameters

Oyster shell height (mm), water temperature (C), salinity (ppt), dissolved oxygen (mg/L), density of oysters per size class and approximately 45 other taxa (#/0.25m^2)

Notes

This program is a combination of four datasets that are separate records in the GRIIDC database: two for 2015-2016 and two for 2017. Similar methods were used to collect both datasets, but the 2017 taxonomic diversity dataset reports counts with a multiplier column because some densities were extrapolated from subsamples.

Application

The purpose of these datasets is to describe the taxonomic diversity and distribution of oyster sizes in areas with documented exposure to oil from the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill in 2010, as well as control sites (no documented oil exposure). These oyster shell height and taxonomic diversity measurements will help determine the recovery trajectories of oysters and the genetic, taxonomic, and functional diversity of oyster reefs in the northern Gulf of Mexico in regards to oiling and the associated response activities.

Publications

GRIIDC database

Start

2015

End

2017

Frequency

Annual

Method

Three 0.25m^2 quadrats deployed at each site and the top 10cm of material excavated from each. Up to 20 live oysters in each of three size classes were measured: spat (0-25mm), seed (25-75mm) and market (>75mm). All oysters were enumerated by size class and associated taxa in each sample were identified and enumerated. High abundance samples were subsampled - 25% enumerated and then multiplied by four to calculate density value.

Discontinuity

There were no samples from Florida collected in 2015.

Data Location

https://data.gulfresearchinitiative.org/data/R4.x262.000:0039 ; https://data.gulfresearchinitiative.org/data/R4.x262.213:0003 ; https://data.gulfresearchinitiative.org/data/R4.x262.213:0001 ; https://data.gulfresearchinitiative.org/data/R4.x262.000:0040

Data Format

.csv
Yes

Habitats

Water Column Oyster/Oyster Reef

SEACAR Citation

Alabama Center for Ecological Resilience (ACER). (2017). Oyster shell heights and taxonomic diversity in 2015-2017 among previously documented oiled and non-oiled reefs in Louisiana, Alabama, and the Florida panhandle. Updated 09/17/2020. Distributed by: SEACAR Data Discovery Interface, Office of Resilience and Coastal Protection, Florida Department of Environmental Protection. https://data.florida-seacar.org/programs/details/5071

Alternative Citation

indicates priority attributes