Browse past “On the Reef” posts here.
Oyster reefs are important coastal ecosystems, providing services beyond supporting oyster fisheries. They provide habitat for several commercially important species, and clean the water so that other habitats such as seagrass beds may flourish. For more information on the services provided by oyster reefs, view the In the Grass, On the Reef Master Plan.
In his biogeographic study, Dr. David Kimbro, Dr. Randall Hughes, and their colleagues investigate how changes to the overall health and number of any one predatory or prey species on an oyster reef can have effects that cascade down to the foundation species itself: the oyster.
In his Apalachicola Bay study, David and his crew are investigating the collapse of the Apalachicola oyster fishery. What combinations of environmental factors and predator effects derailed Florida’s biggest oyster producer?
Get to know the major players in North Florida oyster ecology. Meet the species On the Reef.
