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Oyster Reef Ecology | On the Reef

A closer look into the reefs

by Rob Diaz de Villegas September 9, 2010
by Rob Diaz de Villegas September 9, 2010 0 comment

IGOR chip- habitat 150The following photos are of samples taken at each of Dr. Kimbro’s sites, as mentioned in his previous post.  After surveying the reefs to see what large fish and crabs were living in the reefs, he and his team turned to looking at the oysters and the creatures living under them in the mud.  That’s what you’re seeing here.  Click on any photo to make it larger.

Alligator Harbor

Alligator Harbor- reef sample

When David took the jars out, we waited a while for the sediment in this one to settle, but the ethanol preserving the samples really never got clear.  It’s a muddy location, dominated by omnivorous hardhead catfish.  That may account for this site having less crabs and clams.

This jar looks a little like chicken noodle soup.  The “noodles” are polychaetes, which are a varied class of worms living throughout the ocean.

Cedar Key

Cedar Key- reef sample

This is David’s other Gulf site.  The reefs there are sparse with slightly larger oysters then in Alligator Harbor.  As you can see, there are more small crabs and clams living in the reef as well.

Saint Augustine

St. Augustine- reef sample

This site had what David called an “infestation” of crown conchs, which are tearing through the oysters there.  He’ll be making a trip down there soon to consult with some locals about this phenomenon.

Jacksonville

Jacksonville- reef sample

This was the “Super-sized” site, with larger clams and oysters.  This is their muddiest site, waist high in places.

So there you have it.  Part of the fun of watching scientific research in action is seeing raw data like this and how the researchers will then go about deciphering its meaning.  Some inferences can be drawn from this data and the previous data regarding large predators like catfish.  But this is just the beginning of a two year study.  There is much more sampling and experimenting to do before David and his crew have a complete understanding of how all the factors are working together, and how those conclusions can then be used to benefit these ecosystems.

David’s biogeographical oyster study is funded by the National Science Foundation.
Comments and questions below:
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Alligator Harboralligator pointCedar Keycoastal ecologycrown conchFlorida State UniversityFSU Coastal and Marine Labgulf of mexicohabitat provisionhardhead catfishJacksonvillemarine biologymarine ecologymud crabsNational Science FoundationnatureNSFoyster bedoyster reefpredatorpreySaint Augustine
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Rob Diaz de Villegas

Rob Diaz de Villegas is a senior producer for WFSU-TV, covering outdoors and ecology. After years of producing the music program OutLoud, Rob found himself in a salt marsh with a camera, and found a new professional calling as well. That project, the National Science Foundation funded "In the Grass, On the Reef," spawned the award winning WFSU Ecology Blog. Now in its tenth year, the Ecology Blog recently wrapped its most ambitious endeavor, the EcoCitizen Project. Rob is married with two young sons, who make a pretty fantastic adventure squad.

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iNaturalist became a part of the WFSU Ecology Blog during the EcoCitizen Project in 2019.  Since then, we’ve used it to help identify the many plants and animals we see on our shoots.  And on the Backyard Blog, we show how it can be used to identify weeds and garden insects, to help figure out what’s beneficial or a possible pest.  Below is the iNaturalist profile belonging to WFSU Ecology producer Rob Diaz de Villegas.

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