Increased Biodiversity Associated With Abandoned Benthic Oyster Farms Highlight Ecosystem Benefits of Both Oyster Reefs and Traditional Aquaculture

Autor: Sharon S. W. Chan, Ho Tin Wong, Marine Thomas, Heidi K. Alleway, Boze Hancock, Bayden D. Russell
Jazyk: angličtina
Rok vydání: 2022
Předmět:
Zdroj: Frontiers in Marine Science, Vol 9 (2022)
Druh dokumentu: article
ISSN: 2296-7745
DOI: 10.3389/fmars.2022.862548
Popis: Oyster reefs are structurally complex habitats which are increasingly recognized for their importance in estuarine systems. With over 85% of oyster reefs lost to human activities globally, there is increasing interest in aquaculture to not only meet the growing need for food worldwide, but also enhance ecological functions and services. Prime among these services is the provision of habitat for marine biodiversity. We assessed the biodiversity associated with an abandoned benthic oyster farm to investigate the potential ecological benefits of benthic farming techniques used in traditional oyster farms. In addition, we made note of any invasive species which may use these abandoned structures as habitat. The macrobenthic assemblage in the oyster habitat formed by the farm was different from the surrounding mudflats, containing 61 and 26 species, respectively. Density of invertebrates was similar in both habitats (~ 5,777 ± 981 indiv·m−2), but biomass in the oyster farm over ten times greater than the mudflat substrate, which had a fauna dominated by small polychaetes (
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