Seagrass and Oyster Reef Restoration in Living Shorelines: Effects of Habitat Configuration on Invertebrate Community Assembly
Restoration projects provide a valuable opportunity to experimentally establish foundational habitats in different combinations to test relative effects on community assembly. We evaluated the development of macroinvertebrate communities in response to planting of eelgrass (<i>Zostera marina&l...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2021-06-01
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| Series: | Diversity |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/1424-2818/13/6/246 |
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| author | Cassie M. Pinnell Geana S. Ayala Melissa V. Patten Katharyn E. Boyer |
| author_facet | Cassie M. Pinnell Geana S. Ayala Melissa V. Patten Katharyn E. Boyer |
| author_sort | Cassie M. Pinnell |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Restoration projects provide a valuable opportunity to experimentally establish foundational habitats in different combinations to test relative effects on community assembly. We evaluated the development of macroinvertebrate communities in response to planting of eelgrass (<i>Zostera marina</i>) and construction of reefs intended to support the Olympia oyster (<i>Ostrea lurida</i>) in the San Francisco Estuary. Plots of each type, alone or interspersed, were established in 2012 in a pilot living shorelines project, and quarterly invertebrate monitoring was conducted for one year prior to restoration, and three years post-restoration using suction sampling and eelgrass shoot collection. Suction sampling revealed that within one year, oyster reefs supported unique invertebrate assemblages as compared to pre-restoration conditions and controls (unmanipulated mudflat). The eelgrass invertebrate assemblage also shifted, becoming intermediate between reefs and controls. Interspersing both types of habitat structure led eelgrass invertebrate communities to more closely resemble those of oyster reefs alone, though the eelgrass assemblage maintained some distinction (primarily by supporting gammarid and caprellid amphipods). Eelgrass shoot collection documented some additional taxa known to benefit eelgrass growth through consumption of epiphytic algae; however, even after three years, restored eelgrass did not establish an assemblage equivalent to natural beds, as the eelgrass sea hare (<i>Phyllaplysia taylori</i>) and eelgrass isopod (<i>Pentidotea resecata</i>) remained absent or very rare. We conclude that the restoration of two structurally complex habitat types within tens of meters maximized the variety of invertebrate assemblages supported, but that close interspersion dampened the separately contributed distinctiveness. In addition, management intervention may be needed to overcome the recruitment limitation of species with important roles in maintaining eelgrass habitat. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T10:43:57Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-6bc29ee8d147472a934b519a3aeca2f7 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1424-2818 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T10:43:57Z |
| publishDate | 2021-06-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Diversity |
| spelling | doaj.art-6bc29ee8d147472a934b519a3aeca2f72023-11-21T22:45:12ZengMDPI AGDiversity1424-28182021-06-0113624610.3390/d13060246Seagrass and Oyster Reef Restoration in Living Shorelines: Effects of Habitat Configuration on Invertebrate Community AssemblyCassie M. Pinnell0Geana S. Ayala1Melissa V. Patten2Katharyn E. Boyer3Estuary & Ocean Science Center, San Francisco State University, 3150 Paradise Drive, Tiburon, CA 94920, USAEstuary & Ocean Science Center, San Francisco State University, 3150 Paradise Drive, Tiburon, CA 94920, USAEstuary & Ocean Science Center, San Francisco State University, 3150 Paradise Drive, Tiburon, CA 94920, USAEstuary & Ocean Science Center, San Francisco State University, 3150 Paradise Drive, Tiburon, CA 94920, USARestoration projects provide a valuable opportunity to experimentally establish foundational habitats in different combinations to test relative effects on community assembly. We evaluated the development of macroinvertebrate communities in response to planting of eelgrass (<i>Zostera marina</i>) and construction of reefs intended to support the Olympia oyster (<i>Ostrea lurida</i>) in the San Francisco Estuary. Plots of each type, alone or interspersed, were established in 2012 in a pilot living shorelines project, and quarterly invertebrate monitoring was conducted for one year prior to restoration, and three years post-restoration using suction sampling and eelgrass shoot collection. Suction sampling revealed that within one year, oyster reefs supported unique invertebrate assemblages as compared to pre-restoration conditions and controls (unmanipulated mudflat). The eelgrass invertebrate assemblage also shifted, becoming intermediate between reefs and controls. Interspersing both types of habitat structure led eelgrass invertebrate communities to more closely resemble those of oyster reefs alone, though the eelgrass assemblage maintained some distinction (primarily by supporting gammarid and caprellid amphipods). Eelgrass shoot collection documented some additional taxa known to benefit eelgrass growth through consumption of epiphytic algae; however, even after three years, restored eelgrass did not establish an assemblage equivalent to natural beds, as the eelgrass sea hare (<i>Phyllaplysia taylori</i>) and eelgrass isopod (<i>Pentidotea resecata</i>) remained absent or very rare. We conclude that the restoration of two structurally complex habitat types within tens of meters maximized the variety of invertebrate assemblages supported, but that close interspersion dampened the separately contributed distinctiveness. In addition, management intervention may be needed to overcome the recruitment limitation of species with important roles in maintaining eelgrass habitat.https://www.mdpi.com/1424-2818/13/6/246eelgrassoysterliving shorelineinvertebraterestorationepifauna |
| spellingShingle | Cassie M. Pinnell Geana S. Ayala Melissa V. Patten Katharyn E. Boyer Seagrass and Oyster Reef Restoration in Living Shorelines: Effects of Habitat Configuration on Invertebrate Community Assembly Diversity eelgrass oyster living shoreline invertebrate restoration epifauna |
| title | Seagrass and Oyster Reef Restoration in Living Shorelines: Effects of Habitat Configuration on Invertebrate Community Assembly |
| title_full | Seagrass and Oyster Reef Restoration in Living Shorelines: Effects of Habitat Configuration on Invertebrate Community Assembly |
| title_fullStr | Seagrass and Oyster Reef Restoration in Living Shorelines: Effects of Habitat Configuration on Invertebrate Community Assembly |
| title_full_unstemmed | Seagrass and Oyster Reef Restoration in Living Shorelines: Effects of Habitat Configuration on Invertebrate Community Assembly |
| title_short | Seagrass and Oyster Reef Restoration in Living Shorelines: Effects of Habitat Configuration on Invertebrate Community Assembly |
| title_sort | seagrass and oyster reef restoration in living shorelines effects of habitat configuration on invertebrate community assembly |
| topic | eelgrass oyster living shoreline invertebrate restoration epifauna |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/1424-2818/13/6/246 |
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