A Resident Fish Guild as a Higher Trophic Level Indicator of Oyster Reef Restoration Success

Dakota M Lewis,Linda J Walters,Katie E Durham,Geoffrey S Cook

doi:10.3390/su132313004

Dakota M Lewis, Linda J Walters + Show 2 more

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https://doi.org/10.3390/su132313004

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Abstract

Eastern oysters (Crassostrea virginica) are critical foundation species in estuarine waters, but due to a combination of natural and anthropogenic pressures, oyster abundance has declined. Restoring oyster reefs and monitoring restoration success often focuses on oyster metrics, but relatively infrequently, responses of higher trophic level species and the production of related ecosystem services are accounted for. To address this, we compare the response of a resident reef fish guild (gobies, blennies, toadfish) to standard metrics of oyster restoration success. Using lift nets and seines, natural and restored reefs were monitored over a two-year period within Mosquito Lagoon, Florida, USA. Standard metrics are indicative of restoration success; live oyster density and reef thickness increased in restored reefs after 12 and 24 months. Combined, live oyster density and reef thickness were the best predictors of annual resident reef fish abundance compared to water quality metrics. These results suggest that the benefits of restoring oyster reef habitat are conferred to broader components of the food web, with benefits accruing to reef resident fishes that are a key trophic linkage between lower trophic level foundation species and higher trophic level predators inhabiting coastal ecosystems.

Highlights

IntroductionAnthropogenic activities have greatly impacted and degraded coastal systems, resulting in widespread habitat loss [1,2,3]
Over the past century, anthropogenic activities have greatly impacted and degraded coastal systems, resulting in widespread habitat loss [1,2,3]
To address this research need, here we examine the efficacy of using the local reef resident fish guild to provide a more holistic understanding of how reef restoration affects higher trophic level species [35,57]

Summary

Introduction

Anthropogenic activities have greatly impacted and degraded coastal systems, resulting in widespread habitat loss [1,2,3]. The pressures driving coastal habitat loss are myriad, often interconnected, and are both natural and anthropogenic in origin [4,5,6] Due to these factors, some coastal systems and their foundation species are threatened, with many ecosystems greatly reduced from their historic distributions and abundances [7,8,9,10]. EBM uses bottom-up approaches to protect entire ecosystems with the goal of increasing sustainability [23]. Often, these approaches begin with protecting habitats, many of which are considered essential fish habitat (EFH). Essential fish habitat is any habitat utilized by a fish as foraging grounds, breeding grounds, or refugia and many policies have been implemented globally to help ensure their protection [24,25,26,27]

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