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29 results for “reef restoration”
Oyster and associated fauna counts and lengths from restored and reference reefs in the coastal bays of Virginia, 2005-2019
This dataset has been superceded by Lusk, B., R. Smith, and M.C.N. Castorani. 2024. Oyster fauna lengths, counts, and biomass from restored and reference reefs in Virginia coastal bays, 2005-2023 ver 1. Environmental Data Initiative. https://doi.org/10.6073/pasta/d68de69f29cee5f737313a07f813f245 (Accessed 2024-02-22). which includes additional years and parameters. Oyster and associated reef fauna counts and lengths were sampled at 16 natural reference reefs and 61 restored shell plant reefs located at 18 sites in the Virginia Coast Reserve. Overfishing and disease decimated oyster reefs in the Virginia Coast Reserve in the 1900s. Reference reefs were defined as remnant reefs that naturally recovered in the early 2000s to develop the pronounced vertical structure and multiple oyster size classes that represent the desired endpoint of restoration efforts. Nearly every year since 2003, The Nature Conservancy and Virginia Marine Resource Commission have constructed oyster reefs in intertidal areas in the VCR. To construct the restored reefs, practitioners applied dredged, fossilized oyster shell to intertidal locations chosen for their bottom stability and accessibility (locations lacked oysters prior to construction). Whelk shell supplemented the oyster shell at 9 of the restored reefs.
Biological and Physical Monitoring Data of Restored Oyster Reef in Savannah River, Savannah, GA from May 2023 - February 2025
For the purposes of this study, we constructed two oyster reefs in Savannah, GA, USA using standard spat-on-shell restoration methodology. Reefs were constructed 1-2 meters from the marsh edge to reduce wave energy as it approached the shoreline, similar to a breakwater. We then conducted monitoring on the biological function of the reef, including live juvenile oyster coverage, size, and abundance for approximately 18 months. We also quantified the energy flux of waves offshore and onshore of the reef using water pressure measurements to determine the capability of these reefs at reducing wave energy. The oyster reefs in this study decreased wave energy by up to 40% compared to paired, non-reef control sites. Constructed oyster reefs also experienced healthy oyster population growth throughout the study, with live juvenile coverage of 17-40% almost 18 months post-deployment. This study took place in an erosion-prone area due to recreational and commercial boating traffic at the nearby Port of Savannah. Our results indicate that using restored oyster reefs as living shorelines is a technique with high potential for preventing shoreline loss in coastal areas vulnerable to anthropogenically-caused erosion. Restored Reef Site 1: 32.067957°, -80.985005° Control Site 1: 32.0675194°, -80.986369° Restored Reef Site 2: 32.062663°, -80.965147° Control Site 2: 32.063261°, -80.965889°
Survival Data of Strengthened and Non-Strengthened Oysters on Two Restored Reefs in Georgia, USA
The eastern oyster, Crassostrea virginica, is known to respond to chemical cues from their predators by strengthening their shell in defense. The chemical cues homarine and trigonelline, found in the urine of blue crabs, Callinectes sapidus, are two metabolic waste products known to cause this inducible defense in juvenile oysters. We tested whether this shell strengthening defense is beneficial for juvenile oysters in a restored reef setting by inducing oyster spat with chemical cues, placing them onto a restored reef and measuring their survival for 50-100 days. The first reef location is a previously restored reef (approximately 10 years old) with limited physical exposure to wind waves and boat wake. Juvenile oysters were placed at this site in September of 2021 and survival was measured for 49 days. The second reef location is a newly restored oyster reef (less than 1 year old) that acts as a living shoreline, with significant exposure to boat wake and wind waves. Juvenile oysters were protected from predation using mesh wrapping with an opening of 1 square cm and placed at the reef site in April 2023, where survival was monitored for 103 days. Site locations: Reef 1 (dock site) - 31.988948°, -81.024001° Reef 2 (living shoreline reef) - 32.067957°,-80.985005°
Data from Bieri Thesis: Evaluating Coastal Protection Benefits of Restored Oyster Reef Designs - 2022
This dataset consists of spreadsheets used in the creation of: "Elizabeth Bieri, Evaluating Coastal Protection Benefits of Restored Oyster Reef Designs. MS Thesis, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA. Advisors: Matthew Reidenbach & Patricia Wiberg, 2022" (https://doi.org/10.18130/2b04-wz72). Documentation on methods and types of data are given in the thesis and are not repeated here. There are two .zip files. One contains the original Excel workbooks. The other contains the data from individual sheets within the workbooks as comma-separated-value (.csv) text files. The file listing for the CSV files are: Archive: Bieri_Comma_separated_Value_Files.zip Length Date Time Name --------- ---------- ----- ---- 0 2025-12-15 12:47 Bieri_Comma_separated_Value_Files/ 1787 2025-12-15 12:41 Bieri_Comma_separated_Value_Files/elevation_crests.csv 239 2025-12-15 12:41 Bieri_Comma_separated_Value_Files/elevation_S4.csv 273 2025-12-15 12:41 Bieri_Comma_separated_Value_Files/elevation_S7.csv 652 2025-12-15 12:45 Bieri_Comma_separated_Value_Files/erosionpins_exposed.csv 476 2025-12-15 12:45 Bieri_Comma_separated_Value_Files/erosionpins_exposed_no_reef.csv 102 2025-12-15 12:46 Bieri_Comma_separated_Value_Files/erosionpins_S4.csv 97 2025-12-15 12:46 Bieri_Comma_separated_Value_Files/erosionpins_S7.csv 297 2025-12-15 12:41 Bieri_Comma_separated_Value_Files/grainsize_july.csv 290 2025-12-15 12:41 Bieri_Comma_separated_Value_Files/grainsize_oct.csv 399 2025-12-15 12:41 Bieri_Comma_separated_Value_Files/infauna_om_All.csv 509 2025-12-15 12:41 Bieri_Comma_separated_Value_Files/infauna_om_July2021.csv 507 2025-12-15 12:41 Bieri_Comma_separated_Value_Files/infauna_om_Oct2021.csv 1242 2025-12-15 12:41 Bieri_Comma_separated_Value_Files/infauna_om_Sed_OM.csv 516 2025-12-15 12:41 Bieri_Comma_separated_Value_Files/infauna_om_Sept2020.csv 913981 2025-12-15 12:41 Bieri_Comma_separated_Value_Files/jul2021waveS4.csv 715881 2025-12-15 12:41 Bieri_Comma_separated_Value_Files/jul2021waveS7.csv 5251
Oyster fauna lengths, counts, and biomass from restored and reference reefs in Virginia coastal bays, 2005-2023
Oyster reef fauna counts and lengths were sampled at natural "reference" reefs and restored shell plant reefs located in the Virginia Coast Reserve. Overfishing and disease decimated oyster reefs in the Virginia Coast Reserve in the 1900s. Reference reefs were defined as remnant reefs that naturally recovered in the early 2000s to develop the pronounced vertical structure and multiple oyster size classes that represent the desired endpoint of restoration efforts. Nearly every year since 2003, The Nature Conservancy and Virginia Marine Resource Commission have constructed oyster reefs in intertidal areas in the VCR. To construct the restored reefs, practitioners launched dredged, fossilized oyster shell from barges to intertidal locations chosen for their bottom stability and accessibility (locations lacked oysters prior to construction). Whelk shell supplemented the oyster shell at some of the restored reefs. TNC practitioners monitor select restored and reference reefs annually for adult and spat live oysters, adult and spat box oysters, mud crabs, mud snails, oyster drills, live clams, and mussels.
Larval dispersal patterns and connectivity of Acropora on Florida's Coral Reef and its implications for restoration
Since the 1980s, populations of Acropora cervicornis and A. palmata have experienced severe declines due to disease and anthropogenic stressors; resulting in their listing as threatened, and their need for restoration. In this study, larval survival and competency data were collected and used to calibrate a very high-resolution hydrodynamic model (up to 100m) to determine the dispersal patterns of Acropora species along the Florida's Coral Reef. The resulting connectivity matrices was incorporated into a metapopulation model to compare strategies for restoring Acropora populations. This study found that Florida's Coral Reef was historically a well-connected system, and that spatially selective restoration may be able to stimulate natural recovery. Acropora larvae are predominantly transported northward along the Florida's Coral Reef, however southward transport also occurs, driven by tides and baroclinic eddies. Local retention and self-recruitment processes were strong for a broadcast spawner with a long pelagic larval duration. Model simulations demonstrate that it is beneficial to spread restoration effort across more reefs, rather than focusing on a few reefs. Differences in population patchiness between the Acropora cervicornis and A. palmata drive the need for different approaches to their management plans. This model can be used as a tool to address the species-specific management to restore genotypically diverse Acropora populations on the Florida's Coral Reef, and its methods could be expanded to other vulnerable populations.
Port Stephens Oyster Reef Restoration comparison of rock and shell
<p>Raw data of oysters, gastropods and fishes sampled over 1-2 years in Port Stephens as part of the NSW Marine Estate Oyster Reef Restoration project.</p>
Data from: Restoring marine ecosystems: spatial reef configuration triggers taxon-specific responses among early colonizers
<p>1. The longstanding debate in conservation biology on the importance of single large or several small (SLOSS) habitats for preserving biodiversity remains highly relevant, given the ongoing degradation and loss of natural habitats worldwide. Restoration efforts are often constrained by limited resources, and insights from SLOSS studies therefore have important implications if restoration efforts can be optimized by manipulating the spatial configuration of restored habitats. Yet, the relevance of SLOSS for habitat restoration remains largely unexplored.</p> <p>2. Here, we report the effects of spatial reef configuration on early colonization of marine organisms after restoring boulder reef habitats. Reefs were restored in single large (SL) and several small (SS) designs in the western Baltic Sea, where century-long boulder extraction has severely degraded large reef areas and likely exacerbated regional declines in commercially important gadoids (<i>Gadidae spp.</i>). We sampled the field sites using remote underwater video systems in a before-after control-impact (BACI) design and obtained probabilistic inferences on restoration and SLOSS effects from Bayesian hierarchical models.</p> <p>3. Probabilities of a positive restoration effect were high (>95%) for gadoids, labrids and demersal gobies, moderate (60-75%) for species richness and sand gobies, and low (<5%) for flatfish abundance. Notably, gadoid abundance increased 60-fold and 129-fold on average at SL and SS, respectively. The species composition at restored reefs deviated from control sites, mainly driven by large-bodied piscivores.</p> <p>4. Spatial reef configuration had the strongest effect on small-bodied mesopredators, including gobies, which were more abundant and driving a distinct species assemblage at SS. In addition to providing suitable conditions for reef species, results suggest that SS can also benefit soft-bottom taxa, possibly through a dispersed predator-mediated effect relative to SL. </p> <p><i>5. Synthesis and applications.</i> This study demonstrates that boulder reef restoration can strongly promote the abundance of exploited gadoids and is therefore a promising management tool to support top-down controls by predatory fishes in degraded marine systems. The higher abundance of mesopredators at SS reefs suggests that SLOSS could have long-term implications for trophic structure and resilience of restored habitats, and should therefore become an important facet within restoration strategies. </p>
Larval dispersal patterns and connectivity of Acropora on Florida’s Coral Reef and its implications for restoration
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Area and Timing data and R script for: 3D scanning as a tool to measure growth rates of live coral microfragments used for coral reef restoration
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Data from: Restoring marine ecosystems: spatial reef configuration triggers taxon-specific responses among early colonizers
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Assisted sexual reproduction of Acropora cervicornis for active restoration on Florida's Coral Reef
<p class="MsoNormal">Given the rapid, global decline in the health and abundance of coral reefs, increased investments in restoration-based interventions – including asexual and sexual propagation – are being made by coral reef scientists at research institutions, but also at zoos and aquariums. Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium is an independent, non-profit marine science organization dedicated to the conservation and restoration of Florida's Coral Reef, and does so, using science-based strategies. In order to promote the long-term persistence, resilience, and adaptive potential of restored coral populations on Florida's Coral Reef, Mote scientists are performing critical research and restoration activities related to assisted sexual reproduction (ASR). The objective of this study was to optimize ASR of <em>Acropora</em> <em>cervicornis</em> by (1) evaluating broodstock compatibility for genets actively used within Mote's restoration gene pool, (2) optimizing larval settlement by testing spectral cues, (3) and optimizing the grow-out of sexual recruits by testing the impact of light on growth, survival, and algal symbiont uptake in the presence of adult corals or not. Overall, we found that corals and genets spawned with high synchrony, both within and across years, and in terms of predicted spawning times related to nights after the full moon and minutes after sunset. Across two years, overall fertilization success was high (~95%), but we did find one pair of genets that was not compatible. During settlement, larvae preferred pink and purple-colored substrates, which was consistent with our expectation that they would select substrates similar in color to crustose coralline algae (CCA). Interestingly though, they only did so when a matching chemical cue from CCA was also present, indicating that larvae integrate multiple cues simultaneously to determine the most appropriate place to settle. Growth and symbiont uptake were faster in recruits reared in the presence of adult corals and additional lighting, but survivorship was not different through the first ten weeks post-settlement between treatments. A subset of corals was outplanted using two different techniques based on single or clustered corals. We report the initial 1-month survival results. We also provide a detailed protocol and general recommendations for ASR based on years of coral sexual propagation experience.</p>
Assisted sexual reproduction of Acropora cervicornis for active restoration on Florida’s Coral Reef
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Estimating enhanced fish production on restored shellfish reefs using automated data collection from underwater videos
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Data and code from: Active restoration of a long-lived octocoral drives rapid functional recovery in a temperate reef
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Data from: Multi-species restoration accelerates recovery of extinguished oyster reefs
<p>1. A multi-species approach to habitat restoration may boost the key processes (e.g. recruitment) that enable foundation species to overcome barriers to recovery. Natural systems tend to be formed by co-occurring foundation species whose synergy drives ecological productivity and resilience beyond that of single foundation species. Yet, restoration remains primarily a single-species focus enterprise where positive interactions are seldom incorporated into planning. A multi-species approach that prioritises species combinations to create emergent properties for their persistence may accelerate habitat recovery and the success of restoration programs.</p> <p>2. On the largest oyster reef restoration project in the Southern Hemisphere, we experimentally established canopy-forming kelp to test whether they could accelerate the natural recruitment of oysters to substrata monopolised by turf-forming algae. To understand whether facilitation of oysters was a function of the kelp themselves (biological facilitation) or the physical environment they create (physical facilitation), we compared recruitment to the understorey of living kelp and synthetic kelp mimics.</p> <p>3. Despite observing high density oyster recruitment to the turf-free underside of reef boulders (8,300 oysters/m2), turf algae appeared to inhibit oyster recruitment to the exposed surfaces of the reef, limiting their capacity to grow and form complex, three-dimensional habitat.</p> <p>4. Transplanted kelp, whether living or synthetic kelp mimics, effectively reduced the biomass of turf and enhanced oyster recruitment, creating turf-free substrata on the upper reef surfaces with up to 26 times the oyster recruitment than turf-covered substrata.</p> <p>5. Synthesis and applications. Our results provide proof-of-concept that incorporating the transplant of canopy-forming kelp to reefs constructed to restore oysters is not only achievable, but may be imperative to successfully restore oyster reefs in turf-dominated systems. Kelp transplants supressed the turf algae that otherwise excluded oysters from the reef surface, effectively shifting the competitive advantage toward oyster recovery by maintaining bare substrata for oyster recruitment. In demonstrating that co-restoring foundation species facilitates interactions that overcome barriers to recovery, we emphasise the need for restoration programs to incorporate the functional synergy of overlapping foundation species into planning, so to establish emergent properties that can accelerate the recovery of restored habitat.</p>
Data from: Motivations, success and cost of coral reef restoration
Coral reef restoration is an increasingly important part of tropical marine conservation. Information about what motivates coral reef restoration as well as its success and cost is not well understood but needed to inform restoration decisions. We systematically review and synthesise data from mostly scientific studies published in peer‐reviewed and grey literature on the motivations for coral reef restoration, the variables measured, outcomes reported, the cost per hectare of the restoration project, the survival of restored corals, the duration of the project and its overall spatial extent depending on the restoration technique employed. The main motivation to restore coral reefs for the projects assessed was to further our ecological knowledge and improve restoration techniques, with coral growth, productivity and survival being the main variables measured. The median project cost was 400,000 US$ ha‐1 (2010 US$), ranging from 6,000 US$ ha‐1 for the nursery phase of coral gardening to 4,000,000 US$ ha‐1 for substrate addition to build an artificial reef. Restoration projects were mostly of short duration (1‐2 years) and over small spatial extents (0.01 ha or 108 m2). Median reported survival of restored corals was 60.9%. Future research to survey practitioners who do not publish their discoveries would complement this work. Our findings and database provide critical data to inform future research in coral reef restoration.
Soundscape enrichment enhances recruitment and habitat building on new oyster reef restorations
<p>Biogenic marine soundscapes provide important navigational cues to dispersing larvae in search of suitable habitat. Yet, widespread habitat loss has degraded marine soundscapes and their functional role in recruitment. Habitat restorations can provide suitable substrate for habitat regeneration, such as reefs constructed to facilitate recruitment and habitat growth by oysters, but typically occur where soundscapes are degraded and recruitment limited. Enhancing marine soundscapes on newly constructed reefs using speaker technology may ensure sufficient recruitment to establish a trajectory of recovery for the desired habitat.</p> <p>Across two of the largest oyster reef restorations in Australia, we deployed speakers at four sites and at three times throughout the recruitment season to test whether soundscape enhancement could boost recruitment and habitat building by oysters. In the presence and absence of soundscape playback, we compared oyster recruitment rates to settlement panels across space and time, and oyster habitat formation on newly constructed boulder reefs.</p> <p>On the settlement panels deployed across the two reef restorations, soundscape playback significantly increased oyster recruitment at 8 of the 10 sites by an average (±1SE) 5.1 ± 1.9 times (5,281 ± 1,384 more larvae per m2), and by as much as 18 times.</p> <p>On boulders atop newly constructed reefs, where the restoration goal is for oysters to form three-dimensional habitat, the surface area covered by oysters after 5 months did not differ between speaker and control treatments. However, soundscape playback appeared to influence the earlier recruitment of oysters, resulting in significantly more large oysters per boulder that formed significantly more three-dimensional habitat building by an average 4.3 ± 1.2 times relative to non-speaker controls.</p> <p>Synthesis and applications. Our results show that using speakers to enhance marine soundscapes boosts the number of oyster recruits, resulting in more larger oysters that form more three-dimensional habitat atop reef restorations. In accelerating the formation of these vertical growth forms, which provide the ecological functions that motivate restoration efforts, the early application of speaker technology on new reef restorations may help steer ecological succession on a trajectory of desired habitat recovery, potentially reducing the substantial cost of ongoing intervention.</p>
Data from: Intra-specific variation in responses to habitat restoration: Could artificial reefs increase spatiotemporal segregation between migratory phenotypes of lake sturgeon?
<p>Habitat restoration is an important tool used to conserve biodiversity and restore species, but its effects are notoriously difficult to predict. Although outcomes of restoration projects are usually assessed using indices of species abundance and diversity, phenotypic differences among individuals within species are likely associated with differing responses to restored habitats. Here, we use lake sturgeon (<span>Acipenser fulvescens</span>) as a case study to illustrate how responses to habitat restoration can differ between phenotypes and potentially lead to unanticipated effects on populations. North America<span>'</span>s St. Clair River supports one of the largest remaining populations of lake sturgeon but has lost much spawning habitat due to its role as a major industrial corridor between the Laurentian Great Lakes Erie and Huron. Two artificial reefs were recently built in the lower and middle segments of the river to increase the available sturgeon spawning habitat. Interestingly, lake sturgeon in the St. Clair River express different migratory phenotypes that may be associated with different likelihoods of colonizing artificial reefs. Acoustic telemetry revealed that artificial reefs were more likely to be used by sturgeon that migrated downstream to overwinter in Lake St. Clair than those that migrated upstream to overwinter in Lake Huron. Furthermore, increasing time spent at the artificial reefs by Lake St. Clair migrants was associated with later arrival to and shorter occupancy of the river<span>'</span>s only natural spawning site, the primary location where the two phenotypes have opportunity to interbreed. Additional research is necessary to determine the ultimate impacts of the artificial reefs on lake sturgeon populations; nevertheless, our study showed phenotype-specific opportunity to colonize restored habitat and a mechanism through which this could lead to changes in gene flow. Our results illustrate the importance of considering intra-specific diversity when planning restoration projects and assessing the effects on populations.</p>
Data from: Intra-specific variation in responses to habitat restoration: Could artificial reefs increase spatiotemporal segregation between migratory phenotypes of lake sturgeon?
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