Rugosity: A useful metric for intertidal oyster reef assessments?
| dc.contributor.author | Margiotta, Andrea Marie | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2018-04-26T13:14:40Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2018-04-26T13:14:40Z | |
| dc.date.updated | 2018-04-26T13:14:40Z | |
| dc.description.abstract | Habitat vertical complexity is an important physical feature of marine hard bottom systems that can influence factors such as predator-prey interactions and recruitment. High vertical structure on intertidal Eastern oyster <i>Crassostrea virginica</i> reefs contributes to fishery and habitat functions. Quantifying related parameters, such as oyster size frequencies and associated fauna, typically requires destructive sampling (<i>e.g.</i>, excavating quadrats). Measuring reef rugosity (<i>Rq</i>) using the chain method is an alternative, non-destructive method for quantifying vertical reef structure. The chain method was used in South Carolina over natural reefs of varying complexities. Results indicate that a minimum of 15 measurements need to be taken over a reef to reliably characterize reef rugosity. Relationships between vertical habitat complexity (standardized by <i>Rq</i> measures) and factors such as recruitment and associated faunal assemblages were investigated. Experimental trays were deployed at two sites in Charleston, South Carolina. Trays were collected after twelve weeks and oyster spat and macrofauna were counted and measured. Results indicate that rugosity is more strongly related to the densities of oyster spat and some resident crab species (<i>Petrolisthes armatus</i> and <i>Eurypanopeus depressus</i>), compared to others (<i>Panopeus herbstii</i>). Rugosity also was measured on restored oyster reefs in Charleston, South Carolina over quadrats before excavation. Spat and macrofauna from quadrat samples were measured and counted. Quadrat spat densities were positively correlated with <i>Rq</i>, though resident faunal densities from quadrats were not. Thus, the rugosity metric can be used to estimate changes in spat and associated faunal densities when vertical habitat complexity on oyster reefs is reduced, for instance, through harvesting or sedimentation. Rugosity has the potential to be a valuable management tool for estimating spat recruitment and vertical reef growth. | |
| dc.identifier.uri | http://hdl.handle.net/123456789/3559 | |
| dc.language.rfc3066 | en | |
| dc.title | Rugosity: A useful metric for intertidal oyster reef assessments? |