Small scale effects of oil exposure on coastal forage species survival and predator-prey interactions, a mesocosm study from 2016-08-23 to 2016-11-09

This collection of datasets was generated from mesocosm experiments conducted from August to November 2016 to examine the effects of oil exposure on coastal predator-prey interactions. Prey assemblages composed of diamond killifish (Fundulus xenicus), juvenile blue crabs, and grass shrimp (Palaemonetes spp.) were exposed to press and pulse oil conditions in 72-hour sensitivity experiments. Pulse treatments received one 20 mL inoculation of unweathered crude oil (concentration: 1 mL oil per 1 L water) at the initiation of the experiment. Press treatments received an inoculation of the same volume every 24 hours of the experiment (total of 3 inoculations). Total petroleum hydrocarbon (TPH) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) concentrations were measured at 1, 25, 49, and 72 hours of each experiment. Prey survival was recorded at the termination of each experiment. Given that mortality was observed in grass shrimp from this experiment, a second sensitivity experiment using only grass shrimp exposed to either press conditions or no oil was conducted. Shrimp mortality was measured in oiled tanks at either 48 or 72 hours. Effects of oil exposure on predator-prey interactions between 4 predator species (red drum (Sciaenops ocellatus), Gulf killifish (Fundulus grandis), Gulf toadfish (Opsanus beta), and adult blue crabs (Callinectes sapidus)) and prey assemblages were examined in 24 hour experiments. Prey assemblages were exposed to single predators for 24 hours in either pulse oiled or un-oiled conditions. Prey survival was recorded at the termination of the experiment.