Oyster and Associated Benthic Macrofaunal Development on a Created Intertidal Oyster (Crassostrea Ariakensis) Reef in the Yangtze River Estuary, China

Abstract

ABSTRACT Oysters and the reefs they build are being recognized and restored increasingly for the broad suite of ecosystem services they can provide. However, surprisingly little effort has been devoted to documenting the outcomes of such restoration or creation projects through time, or to comparing projects from different regions. In this study, we examined the oyster (Crassostrea ariakensis) and benthic macrofaunal development on a created intertidal oyster (Crassostrea ariakensis) reef along a salinity and exposure (vertical position on reef) gradient 5 y after creation in the Yangtze River estuary, China. Three years after reef creation, sustainable oyster populations were established successfully and market-size oysters accounted for more than 24% of the total reef cover, with mean abundances ranging from 95–225 adult oysters/m2. Associated community metrics (species richness, abundance. and biomass) of benthic macrofauna showed generally increasing trends with reef development during the 5-y period;...