11 Nov 2024        10:13:22 am

Environmental Ecology

Oyster Reef

Tags : Oyster Reef

Topic: Ecology

Why in the news?

• New research shows that Oysters reefs once formed along much of Europe’s coastline, were destroyed over a century ago. 
• Based on documents from the 18th and 19th Centuries, the study reveals that European flat oysters formed large reefs of both living and dead shells, providing a habitat supporting rich biodiversity. 
• The researchers found evidence of reefs almost everywhere, from Norway to the Mediterranean, covering at least 1.7 million hectares, an area larger than Northern Ireland.

Source: The Hindu 

About Oyster Reef:

• It refers to dense aggregations of oysters that form large colonial communities. 
• Because oyster larvae need to settle on hard substrates, new oyster reefs may form on stone or other hard marine debris. Eventually the oyster reef will propagate by spat settling on the shells of older or nonliving oysters. 
• The dense aggregations of oysters are often referred to as an oyster reef, oyster bed, oyster bank, oyster bottom, or oyster bar interchangeably. 
• Natural oyster reefs are composed of living and dead oyster shells and provide important habitat for various species. For example, the complex three-dimensional interstitial spaces within oyster reefs provide refugia for prey or juvenile species, which increases prey biomass and thereby enhances trophic transfer. 
• Oyster reefs also stabilize shorelines by promoting sediment deposition and buffering wave energy, thereby allowing other habitats such as seagrass beds and marsh areas to form while simultaneously decreasing erosion of the shoreline.
• The filter feeding behavior of oysters can buffer against environmental degradation caused by human-induced eutrophication of estuary systems.
  • Oysters feed on suspended phytoplankton and other organic matter. 
  • Disruption of filter feeding by oysters can lead to a decrease in the elimination of organic matter from the water column and increase phytoplankton abundance. 
  • This may lead to seasonal anoxia, which could increase mortality for other estuary animals, such as fish.
• Oyster reefs can also impact the carbon sequestration and excess nutrient uptake.
• Nowadays, Oyster reef habitats have been recognized as green infrastructure for shoreline protection.

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