Taxonomic diversity among oyster reefs in 2015-2016 in previously documented oiled and non-oiled areas in Louisiana, Alabama, and the Florida panhandle

Abstract

Abundance of live organisms (per 0.25 m2 quadrat) found in oyster reefs sampled in the early fall (September/October) and spring (April/May) from 2015 to 2016. Four embayments were sampled from Louisiana to the Florida panhandle, with sites that were previously oiled or non-oiled after the Deep Water Horizon Oil Spill. Within oiled and non-oiled sites, oyster quadrat samples were taken from intertidal (along the marsh edge) and subtidal areas, and also from mesohaline and high salinity sites. The top 10 cm of material was collected from the quadrats and returned to the lab for enumeration of species.

Purpose

The purpose of this dataset is to describe the condition of oyster reef communities in areas with documented exposure to oil from the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill in 2010, as well as control sites (no documented oil exposure). This field sampling, and the associated genetic analyses resulting from field collection of oysters, will help determine the recovery trajectories in genetic, taxonomic, and functional diversity of oyster reefs in the northern Gulf of Mexico, arising from oiling and response activities (e.g., freshwater diversions, dispersants).

DOI: doi:10.7266/N75B00GP

Suggested Citation

Meagan Schrandt, Sean Powers. 2017. Taxonomic diversity among oyster reefs in 2015-2016 in previously documented oiled and non-oiled areas in Louisiana, Alabama, and the Florida panhandle. Distributed by: Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative Information and Data Cooperative (GRIIDC), Harte Research Institute, Texas A&M University–Corpus Christi. doi:10.7266/N75B00GP

Funded by: Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative (GoMRI)

Funding cycle: RFP-IV

Research group: Alabama Center for Ecological Resilience (ACER)