Figure 4 - uploaded by Lauren Hintenlang
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Shell-boring parasites observed from live oyster shells sampled in Apalachicola Bay. These parasites included: (A) Polydora websteri, (B) Diplothyra smithii, and (C, D) Cliona celata. These organisms excavate burrows typically around the bill of the shell (opposite the hinge), teardrop-shaped holes, and branching three-dimensional networks of tunnels, respectively (Polydora also creates mud blisters, not shown). Radiolucency in an X-ray of an oyster shell (E) demonstrates the extent to which shell material is removed and shell integrity is weakened, providing increased surface area for erosional loss and facilitating shell breakdown on the reef over time and breakage when shucking.
Source publication
Failure of the Apalachicola Bay oyster population to recover since the 2012 fishery collapse, despite a decade of unprecedented restoration efforts and a fishery closure, indicates that the system has lost its former resilience, crossed a critical threshold between ecological steady states, and is experiencing hysteresis. This commentary contribute...
Contexts in source publication
Context 1
... conditions (Mackin 1962, Curtin 1986, Handley & Bergquist 1997, Duckworth & Peterson 2013, Cole et al. 2020). Endolithic shell-boring parasites historically observed in Apalachicola Bay, including boring sponges (Cliona spp.), boring clams (Diplothyra smithii), and polychaete worms (Polydora spp.), excavate oyster shells to create microhabitat (Fig. 4) and tend to occur more frequently at higher salinities ( Menzel et al. 1966, Hanley et al. 2019). These shell-boring organisms use a combination of chemical and mechanical approaches to excavate into the oyster shell matrix, forming three-dimensional tunnels, burrows, and holes that reduce shell density and make the shells more prone ...
Context 2
... conditions (Mackin 1962, Curtin 1986, Handley & Bergquist 1997, Duckworth & Peterson 2013, Cole et al. 2020). Endolithic shell-boring parasites historically observed in Apalachicola Bay, including boring sponges (Cliona spp.), boring clams (Diplothyra smithii), and polychaete worms (Polydora spp.), excavate oyster shells to create microhabitat (Fig. 4) and tend to occur more frequently at higher salinities ( Menzel et al. 1966, Hanley et al. 2019). These shell-boring organisms use a combination of chemical and mechanical approaches to excavate into the oyster shell matrix, forming three-dimensional tunnels, burrows, and holes that reduce shell density and make the shells more prone ...
