Linking oyster decline to shifts in gelatinous zooplankton
in Chesapeake Bay
Oyster landings in Chesapeake Bay:
The Eastern oyster (Crassostrea virginica), was once very abundant in the Chesapeake Bay, with peak oyster harvests in the late 1800s. The image below charts how decades of overfishing, habitat destruction, and disease (Perkinsus marinus ['Dermo'] and Haplosporidium nelsoni [MSX]) ultimately resulted in a 1987 crash in Maryland oyster populations.
|
(Chart adapted from NOAA Chesapeake Bay Office)
________________________________________________________________________________________
|
Decrease in oyster shell linked to sea nettle abundance:
|
|
________________________________________________________________________________________
Decrease in sea nettles results in increase in ctenophores:
Photo credit: MBL
|
|
__________________________________________________________________________________
Potential consequences of shifts in gelatinous zooplankton:
Breitburg, D.L. and R.S. Fulford. 2006. Oyster-sea nettle interdependence and altered control within the Chesapeake Bay ecosystem. Estuaries and Coasts 29:776-784. pdf |
|
| |
|
| |
|
