Examining the role of taxonomic diversity of oyster reefs in response to oiling, dispersant, and salinity – a mesocosm study in May 2017

Oyster reefs in the Gulf of Mexico were likely subjected to multiple stressors as a result of the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill – those directly from the spill and those indirectly from the spill in the form of clean-up/response activities. The resilience of oyster reefs in the Gulf of Mexico in response to oiling may have been influenced by the taxonomic diversity of suspension feeders on oyster reefs. The data here are from a laboratory experiment assessing the effects of oil, dispersants, and salinity on oysters and associated epibionts. Groups of larger oysters (seed and market class), which were cemented together, and there associated epibionts; which included smaller oyster size classes (small seed and spat), barnacles, bryozoan, and polychaete worms; were used in the experiment. Oyster groups came from oyster seed raised by the Auburn Shellfish Lab that were raised from small seed size classes in containers in Portersville Bay, Mississippi Sound, AL from September 2016 to April 2017 and were allowed to obtain an invertebrate fouling community. Fouled oysters were assigned to treatment replicates at random. In addition, supplemental oyster shells from Mississippi sound that were fouled with barnacles were added at random to experimental tank replicates. Survival, growth and condition of juvenile oysters were assessed after 16-19 days of exposure.墨西哥湾的牡蛎礁大概率因深水地平线漏油事件（Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill）遭受了多重胁迫——既包括漏油直接带来的胁迫，也包括以清理及响应活动为形式的间接胁迫。墨西哥湾牡蛎礁应对石油污染的恢复力，可能受到牡蛎礁上悬浮食性生物的分类多样性的影响。本数据集源自一项实验室实验，旨在评估石油、分散剂（dispersants）与盐度对牡蛎及其附生生物（epibionts）的影响。实验所用材料为固结成团的大规格牡蛎（涵盖种贝与商品规格两类）及其附生生物，附生生物包含更小规格的牡蛎（小型种贝与幼贝）、藤壶、苔藓虫以及多毛类蠕虫。该组牡蛎由奥本贝类实验室（Auburn Shellfish Lab）培育，培育所用的小型种贝于2016年9月至2017年4月间，在阿拉巴马州（AL）密西西比湾（Mississippi Sound）的波特斯维尔湾（Portersville Bay）容器中培育，培育过程中其自然形成了无脊椎动物污损生物群落。带污损生物的牡蛎被随机分配至各处理重复组，此外研究人员还将取自密西西比湾、表面附着藤壶的补充牡蛎壳随机添加至各实验槽重复组中，经过16至19天的暴露处理后，研究人员对幼牡蛎的存活率、生长情况与肥满度进行了评估。