Marine Ecology Progress Series
MEPS is a leading hybrid research journal on all aspects of marine, coastal and estuarine ecology. Priority is given to outstanding research that advances our ecological understanding.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3354/meps14892
copiedOyster reef restoration in a subtropical bay in China: effects of tidal elevation, reef microhabitats and size on oysters and resident macrofaunal communities
- Weimin Quan
- Nannan Li
- Qing Liu
- Boze Hancock
- Qi Liu
- Wenwu Zhao
- Wenjun Ma
- Wei Jiang
- Ruiliang Fan
- Lizi Chen
- Longling Ouyang
- Yuange Chen
ABSTRACT: Efforts to restore natural oyster reefs have grown globally to mitigate losses, but restoration success has not been uniform and is rarely evaluated outside of the USA. During 2019–2020, 16 experimental intertidal reef bases were constructed using natural sandstone in the upstream section of Jiantiao Bay, Zhejiang Province, China, and were designed to simultaneously evaluate the relative importance of tidal elevation, reef microhabitats (base and crest) and reef size in the establishment of oysters and resident macrofaunal communities on the restored reefs based on 2 years after deployment monitoring. A non-native oyster (Crassostrea hongkongensis) and three native oysters (C. ariakensis, C. sikamea and C. angulata) were recruited to the restored reefs. More oysters were recruited and survived on the higher intertidal elevation (1.0 m above MLLW) relative to the lower elevation (0.3 m above MLLW), but tidal elevation did not affect the total densities and species compositions of resident macrofaunal communities on the restored reefs. The crest of reefs sustained greater densities of oysters and resident macrofaunal communities than the base of reefs. The 8 m long reefs harbored higher densities of oysters and resident macrofaunal communities than the 2 m long reefs. The oyster densities positively correlated with the resident macrofauna densities on the restored reefs. Our results conformed to the general patterns that crest of reefs with larger size tend to be more successful in establishing oysters and resident macrofaunal communities.
KEYWORDS
Weimin Quan (Corresponding Author)
- Key Laboratory of Fisheries Remote Sensing, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, East China Sea Fisheries Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, Shanghai 200090, PR China
Nannan Li (Co-author)
- Key Laboratory of Fisheries Remote Sensing, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, East China Sea Fisheries Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, Shanghai 200090, PR China
Qing Liu (Co-author)
- The Nature Conservancy China, Beijing 100600, PR China
Boze Hancock (Co-author)
- The Nature Conservancy, C/O Graduate School of Oceanography, University of Rhode Island, Narragansett, RI 02882-1197, USA
Qi Liu (Co-author)
- Fisheries Technology Extension Station of Sanmen County, Zhejiang 317100, PR China
Wenwu Zhao (Co-author)
- National Fisheries Technology Extension Center, China Society of Fisheries, Beijing 100125, PR China
Wenjun Ma (Co-author)
- Fisheries Technology Extension Center of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou 310023, PR China
Wei Jiang (Co-author)
- Key Laboratory of Fisheries Remote Sensing, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, East China Sea Fisheries Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, Shanghai 200090, PR China
Ruiliang Fan (Co-author)
- Key Laboratory of Fisheries Remote Sensing, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, East China Sea Fisheries Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, Shanghai 200090, PR China
Lizi Chen (Co-author)
- Fisheries Technology Extension Station of Sanmen County, Zhejiang 317100, PR China
Longling Ouyang (Co-author)
- Key Laboratory of Fisheries Remote Sensing, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, East China Sea Fisheries Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, Shanghai 200090, PR China
Yuange Chen (Co-author)
- Key Laboratory of Fisheries Remote Sensing, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, East China Sea Fisheries Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, Shanghai 200090, PR China
Handling Editor:
Romuald Lipcius, Gloucester Point, Virginia, USA
Reviewers:
D.M. Schulte and 2 anonymous referees