Journal article
Examining the relationship of biochemically-derived oyster larval food supply metrics with concurrent optically-derived seston properties in Mississippi Sound
Estuarine, coastal and shelf science, v 309, 108949
Sep 2024
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Abstract
The capacity for oyster (Crassostrea virginica) larvae to successfully develop, grow, and survive is dependent on the quantity and quality of available food. Therefore, examining food supply based upon its biochemical composition of lipid, protein, and labile carbohydrate offers critical insight into oyster larval performance and settlement potential. Biochemical analyses, however, are time-intensive, requiring that such studies be retrospective, generating a need to investigate alternative, real-time techniques to characterize food supply, such as evaluating inherent optical properties. To better understand the food assemblage available to oyster larvae, water samples from seven oyster reefs in Mississippi Sound over two years (May through October) were analyzed for temperature, salinity, particulate organic matter, biochemical properties (lipid, protein, carbohydrate), and in situ optical properties used to infer plankton abundance by size class (pico-, nano-, microplankton), total chlorophyll content, and the magnitude of absorption for colored detrital material. A subset of observations, considered to reflect conditions facilitative for oyster larval survival, clustered into four statistically distinct groups characterized by: high-microplankton, low-microplankton, high-protein, and high-salinity. Total chlorophyll content changed with abiotic conditions, with relatively high concentrations during oligohaline and mesohaline regimes, but declined during periods of changing salinity. Further, transitioning salinities co-occurred with reductions in microplankton concentration and increases in picoplankton concentration. Results of a Spearman’s rank analysis, principal components analysis, and stepwise linear regressions revealed that optical properties were not strongly associated with biochemical properties, preventing these optical data from providing an effective index of oyster larval food supply. Instead, optically-derived microplankton abundance recapitulated total chlorophyll, both of which poorly corresponded to biochemical properties. Picoplankton, colored detrital material, and particulate organic material all exhibited a similarly weak correspondence to biochemical food properties, corroborating that measurements of chlorophyll and particulates do not accurately reflect the food available to oyster larvae, and that biochemical metrics remain as superior food supply indicators.
•Phytoplankton size distributions were inferred by an absorption-inversion model.•Western Mississippi Sound is dominated by microplankton, followed by picoplankton.•Biochemically-derived metrics of food supply did not relate to absorption spectra.•Seston lipid and protein content were not related to phytoplankton concentrations.•Biochemical analyses remain superior measurements of oyster larval food supply.
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Details
- Title
- Examining the relationship of biochemically-derived oyster larval food supply metrics with concurrent optically-derived seston properties in Mississippi Sound
- Creators
- James C. Klein - University of Southern MississippiEric N. Powell - University of Southern MississippiXiaodong Zhang - University of Southern MississippiDanielle A. Kreeger - Drexel UniversityRoger L. Thomas - Drexel UniversitySara M. Pace - North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality
- Publication Details
- Estuarine, coastal and shelf science, v 309, 108949
- Publisher
- Elsevier
- Number of pages
- 14
- Grant note
- Non-academic Research Internship for Graduate Students from the National Science Foundation (NSF): 1841112
The authors thank TP Wissing for assistance in sample collection and processing. This project was partially funded by the U.S. Department of the Treasury, the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality, and the Mississippi Based RESTORE Act Center of Excellence under the Re-sources and Ecosystems Sustainability, Tourist Opportunities, and Revived Economies of the Gulf Coast States Act of 2012 (RESTORE Act) . The statements, findings, conclusions, and recommendations are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Department of the Treasury, the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality, or the Mississippi Based RESTORE Act Center of Excellence. The authors also acknowledge support by a Non-academic Research Internship for Graduate Students from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to the first author under NSF award #1841112.
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Language
- English
- Academic Unit
- Biodiversity, Earth, and Environmental Science (BEES)
- Web of Science ID
- WOS:001321938700001
- Scopus ID
- 2-s2.0-85204605097
- Other Identifier
- 991021903227104721
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- Collaboration types
- Domestic collaboration
- Web of Science research areas
- Marine & Freshwater Biology
- Oceanography