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dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/11401/76186
dc.description.sponsorshipThis work is sponsored by the Stony Brook University Graduate School in compliance with the requirements for completion of degree.en_US
dc.formatMonograph
dc.format.mediumElectronic Resourceen_US
dc.language.isoen_US
dc.publisherThe Graduate School, Stony Brook University: Stony Brook, NY.
dc.typeThesis
dcterms.abstractThe presence of oyster reefs augments the biomass and abundance of many transient fish and crustacean species. Therefore, restoration of oyster reefs has become an increasingly common practice in coastal areas with the goal of enhancing production of transient fish. However, predicting the effect of oyster restoration on transient fish community biomass remains elusive. To address this challenge, I created a trophic bioenergetic model to understand how energy transfers in an oyster reef and assess the effects of various restoration strategies on transient fish species. The model used a set of functional groups representing organisms commonly found in an oyster reef and a set of ordinary differential equations describing the growth of these functional groups. The constructed model was evaluated using empirical data from a restoration project in the northern Gulf of Mexico. Three different scenarios were used to simulate restoration strategies relating to (1) oyster growth rate, (2) oyster carrying capacity, and (3) dependence of transient fish on oyster reef derived prey. Model simulations revealed that enhancing the oyster growth rate both reduced the amount of time for the oyster reef community to stabilize and produced biomass increases for the transient fish community. Additionally, the biomass of transient fish was higher when consumption from an outside source, representing an adjacent habitat, was maintained than when the majority of the transient fish consumption was derived from the oyster reef. These findings highlight the need for restoration strategies that focus on favorable conditions for oyster growth and maintain connectivity among estuarine habitats. As the number of projects and monetary effort for oyster restoration continues to increase, models could be used as tools to understand the possible effects of restoration projects on transient fish communities and set goals for restoration projects.
dcterms.available2017-09-20T16:49:36Z
dcterms.contributorNye, Janeten_US
dcterms.contributorPeterson, Bradley Jen_US
dcterms.contributorBorrett, Stuart.en_US
dcterms.creatorGomez, Elizabeth
dcterms.dateAccepted2017-09-20T16:49:36Z
dcterms.dateSubmitted2017-09-20T16:49:36Z
dcterms.descriptionDepartment of Marine and Atmospheric Science.en_US
dcterms.extent84 pg.en_US
dcterms.formatApplication/PDFen_US
dcterms.formatMonograph
dcterms.identifierhttp://hdl.handle.net/11401/76186
dcterms.issued2015-12-01
dcterms.languageen_US
dcterms.provenanceMade available in DSpace on 2017-09-20T16:49:36Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Gomez_grad.sunysb_0771M_12514.pdf: 6415697 bytes, checksum: c8fffc5b44bc3880ac51609495ef86da (MD5) Previous issue date: 1en
dcterms.publisherThe Graduate School, Stony Brook University: Stony Brook, NY.
dcterms.subjectCrassostrea, Ecology, Model, Oyster, Restoration, virginica
dcterms.subjectEcology
dcterms.titleA dynamic oyster reef bioenergetics model: predictions of secondary production based on different restoration scenarios
dcterms.typeThesis


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