A Review of Literature on the Eastern Oyster
This section will introduce the Eastern Oyster in biological and economical terms, explain the origins of the species decline within the Chesapeake Bay, and describe ongoing research efforts in the field.
Background
Scientists have determined that a small subset of species can have a disproportionately large effect on ecosystems, even if they represent a minute portion of the population or biomass (Müller, Bußler, Goßner, Rettelbach, & Duelli, 2008). Known as a keystone species, or ecosystem engineers, they are linked to the function and survival of a wide array of species and play a critical role in the organization and function of an ecosystem (Müller et al., 2008). The eastern oyster, native
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Their reproduction depends on external fertilization during the summer and autumn months (Allen et al., 2014). Adult oysters typically release eggs and sperm into the water, where external fertilization occurs (Allen et al., 2014). The females are able to spawn more than once a season and one female is capable of releasing up to twenty million eggs (Allen et al., 2014). Larvae are carried through the water by currents during their early stages of life (Allen et al., 2014). At the end of the larvaes’ developmental period, they sink to the ocean floor with the chance of encountering substrate suitable for oysters to settle and attach for the rest of their lives (Allen et al., 2014). Oyster larvae are reliant on hard substrate for settlement, usually composed of the calcium carbonate shells of living and dead oysters which leads to the creation of oyster reefs (George, De Santiago, Palmer, & Beseres Pollack, 2015; Waldbusser et al., 2011). If suitable substrate is not found, the larvae will not settle or survive (Allen et al., 2014). Although oysters are capable of producing millions of spat, it is the amount of substrate available that determines the next generation’s population size (Allen et al.,
The Chesapeake Bay means ‘Great shellfish Bay’ in Algonquin(Chesapeake Bay Foundation 2010). The bay was once plentiful with Oysters dating back...
The Chesapeake Bay is a large estuary located on the east coast of the United States. The bay is over 200 miles long and goes through Delaware, Maryland, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia. The bay has much to offer the locals. Many locals have made a career out of harvesting the bay's sea food. The bay's harvest and many of its other attractions bring tourists and in turn revenue for the area. Oysters and blue crab are a big part of the culture in the bay area. However, these organisms are in danger and need help.
The Long Island Sound is an estuary, and is in fact one of the largest in the world. An estuary is a place where salt water from the ocean mixes with fresh water from the rivers that drain from the land. Moreover, like other estuaries, the Long Island Sound has an abundance of fish and other waterfowl that add to the natural balance of the island, as well as one of the most important economic factors (Tedesco). Like other estuaries around the world, the Sound provides breeding, feeding, nesting, and nursery areas for many species that will spend most of their adult lives in the oceans (Long Island Sound Study). Despite these similarities to other estuaries, the Long Island Sound is unique from anywhere else in the world. Unlike other estuaries, the Long Island Sound does not just have one connection to the sea but it has two. It has two major sources of fresh water flowing into the bay that empty into the ocean. It combines this two-...
Introduction Sea otters (Enhydra lutris) are marine mammals capable of spending their entire lives in water. Being carnivorous in nature, they feed on sea urchins, crabs, fishes, mussels and clams. They are referred to as keystone species due to their profound impact on marine ecology. The interaction between sea otters, sea urchins and kelp forests has been studied as a model for the impact of predator-prey interactions on community ecology. Sea otters are keystone predators, whose presence has a far-reaching influence on the marine food web by affecting the populations of sea urchins, which indirectly affects the populations of kelp forests & other marine organisms.
The Chesapeake Bay is a large bay that stretches from Maryland to Virginia, fed by many rivers and streams that run from as far north as New York to Virginia and West Virginia.5 It is home to a plethora of plants and fish species, many of which the people of the area fish for food and supplies. The pollution present in the Chesapeake Bay is affecting the livelihood of both the fishermen and the fish – the less the fishermen haul due to the death of the species they catch, the less they get paid – and as consumers of these fish, we are consuming the toxins as well.
...on is low due to agricultural runoff, disease and over harvesting. However there is still a future for the bays oysters, people have come together and made a plan to save The Chesapeake Bay. With time the bay will be restored to what it once was.
North America, especially the United States hosts some of the most beautiful rivers and lakes on the entire planet. That is in thanks to its geographical location, and the extent of the level of technology that is available to the world because of American engineers and scientists. Scientists are given the opportunity to create chemicals or other inventions that are beneficial to the waterways. As well as building structures strong enough to harness the sheer power of water; altering the course it will take downstream as well as blocking it from ever reaching a specific location. The Asian carp invasion is causing massive amounts of damage; one would believe that because of the advancing field of technology a solution would be a relatively
The eradication of species numbers average at a toll close to one hundred percent of earths total living creatures. “It is the Earth's most severe known extinction event, with up to 96% of all marine species and 70% of terrestrial vertebrate species becoming extinct” (Sahney, and Benton 759). Not only where marine and terrestrial species effected but this catastrophic event is the only recogni...
In absence of calcium carbonate, coral and shellfish can’t survive. The ecosystem of ocean depends on these organisms because they offer a large source of food at the bottom of the food chain. They need to be abundant in order t...
Explanation: Develop a brochure to help the public understand all about the Chesapeake Bay (history, economic importance, environmental importance, pollution, solutions)
Purpose: The purpose of this lab is to investigate the various components of different ecosystems in a smaller representation and study the conditions required for the ecosystem’s sustainability as well as the connections between
Species such as the blue crab, oyster, and atlantic menhaden are three main commercial fishing outputs in the Chesapeake bay, but the recent algae blooms are devastating the harvest numbers of several different species. According to the oyster company of Virginia, over 20 million bushels of oysters were harvested every year during the peak of the oyster rush of the mid 1880’s. These numbers
Mills, Scott L., Daniel F. Doak, and Michael E. Soule. "The Keystone-species Concept in Ecology and Conservation." BioScience 43.4 (1993): 219-25. Apr. 1993. Web. 30 Oct. 2011.
Introducing exotic species has been a highly debated issue. Why should we bring another animal or plant into a region to eradicate another species? That’s the question that people have been asking for ages. Of course, there are positives to bringing in another species, but many times, there are just as many negatives. Also, these species can be introduced accidentally or intentionally. The new organism may cause no obvious problems and eventually, it will be considered “native” to the area. For example, corals are “perhaps the oldest animals on the planet, and these long-lived corals have evolved in one of the Earth’s most stable environments” (Eichenberg, p.2). If a new type of fish were to be put into the ecosystem with the corals, the coral would be affected. First, the fish might eat the coral. Second, they could use the coral for shelter, and possibly damaging it that way. Third, the fish could bring predators that might also eat the coral. Introducing an exotic species has the “rippling affect” of dropping a stone into a pool of water. Everything outside the epicenter is affected. A study was done at Cornell University, and they estimated that $120 billion per year are spent fixing the problems caused by exotic species” (Chiras, p.
Lotze, Heike K., Marta Coll, Anna M. Magera, Christine Ward-Paige, and Laura Airoldi. "Recovery of Marine Animal Populations and Ecosystems." Trends in Ecology & Evolution 26.11 (2011): 595-605. Print.