Theme F: Enhanced knowledge on populations and ecosystems from releases of cultured animals
49. EARLY DEVELOPMENT OF SESSILE AND EPIFAUNAL COMMUNITY ON A CREATED INTERTIDAL OYSTER CRASSOSTREA ARIAKENSIS REEF IN THE YANGTZE RIVER ESTUARY, CHINA
Weimin Quan , Yaqu Chen, Yunlong Wang
Key And Open Laboratory Of Marine And Estuarine Fishery Resources And Ecology, Ministry Of Agriculture, East China Sea Fisheries Research Institute, Chinese Academy Of Fishery Sciences, China
300 Jungong Road, Yangpu District, Shanghai, China
qunweim@163.com
Oyster reef habitats are increasingly restored along the Atlantic coast of USA and Yangtze River estuary of China as coastal ecosystems may be vulnerable to collapse in the near future due to human disturbance such as over-fishing, pollution, degradation of water quality and anthropogenic climate change. These restoration programs were droved by fishery stock enhancement (establishment of oyster population at self-sustaining levels) in early stage. Recent emphasis has shift to restore the ecosystem services that natural oyster reefs provide. Although oyster reef is increasing restored for fishery or ecological goals, little efforts were done to describe reef-associated community of resident benthic organisms and the effects of living oyster population on reef-associated community metrics. The present study examined the development of oyster Crassostrea ariakensis population and its associated community of resident benthic organisms on a created intertidal reef in the Yangtze River estuary, and analyzed the correlation between reef inhabitants and oyster metrics. By 3 years after restoration, sustainable oyster populations were well established on the created reef. The market-size oysters (>70 mm SH) make up more than 20% of total oysters and have mean abundances of 95-225 ind./m2. Community metrics (species number, abundance and biomass) of total benthic organisms and each taxonomic group (crustaceans, mollusks and annelids) on created reef showed generally increasing trends with reef development. The barnacle (Balanus albicostatus) abundances and biomass were significantly and conversely correlated with oyster metrics. It is absent of evident associations among total community descriptors and oyster metrics. In contrast to molluscans, crustaceans were more frequently and positively correlated with oyster abundances and biomass. All but one among annelids and oyster population were significant and positive correlation. It was concluded that oyster abundances appeared to be strong predictors for barnacles, crustaceans and annelids rather than total abundances and diversity of resident benthic organisms.
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