ASSESSING RESIDENT FAUNAL ASSEMBLAGE SIMILARITY BETWEEN RESTORED AND NATURAL OYSTER REEFS

Keith Walters1 and Loren Coen2

1Marine Science Department, Coastal Carolina University, Conway, SC2Marine Resources Research Institute, SCDNR, Charleston, SC

Possible Success Metrics

OYSTER REEF RESTORATION GOAL

Metric Habitat Shoreline WQ Harvesting Broodstock Education

Reef Condition

Density X X X X X X

Size Freq. X X X X X ?

Reef Size X X X X X

Associated Fauna X X X

Reef Architecture X X ? X X

Landscape

Fragmentation X X ? X X

Salinity X X X X X

DO X sub X X X X

Chl X

TSS/Turbidity X X

Temperature X X X

Associated Fauna Properties

Species Richness Species Composition

Time (yrs.)0 2 4 6 8 10

Species Richness0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

RestoredNatural

The General Question(Species Presence/Absence & Abundance)

Natural Restored

S

P

E

C

IES

A 0 0

B 0 6

C 10 0

D 24 19

E 3 65

Analytic Approaches

Analyses of “Composition”Multivariate ANOVA (MANOVA)Co-occurrence (EcoSim)Complex Samples GLM (CSGLM)

Analyses of SimilarityClustering & OrdinationPermutation Analyses

ANOSIM (PRIMER)PERMANOVA

“Composition” CaveatsMANOVA

Data limitationsReplicates limit dependent

variables

AssumptionsIndependenceNormalityMultivariate homogeneity

Model approachFailing to reject null hypothesis

“Similarity” Caveats

Species

Site A B C

1 0 1 1

2 1 0 0

3 0 4 4

Site

Site 1 2 3

1 0

2 1.73 0

3 4.24 5.74 0

Metric Distance Properties

1) x1 = x2 → d(x1, x2) = 0

2) x1 ≠ x2 → d(x1, x2) > 0

3) d(x1, x2) = d(x2, x1)

4) d(x1, x2) + d(x2, x3) ≥ d(x1, x3)

Orloci’s Paradox

The Specific QuestionAre the resident faunal communities on

natural and constructed intertidal oyster reefs compositionally similar?

When does the resident species composition of constructed reefs approach that of natural reefs?

Mean Resident Species

Compositional Similarity Between

Natural and Constructed Reefs at

Two Locations in Charleston, SC

Experimental Design

Locations = 2Toler’s Cove & Inlet Creek

Treatments = 2Natural & Constructed

Replicate Reefs = 3ca. 24 m2 each

Subsamples = 3Sample area = 0.14 m2

Sampling Dates = 1996 to 2001, Jan. & July

The Data(Resident Reef Taxa)

Total Abundance

Common Taxa (January)Boonea impressa 7,409Brachidontes exustus 3,764Eurypanopeus depressus 1,107Eurytium limosum 65Geukensia demissa 4,072Mercenaria mercenaria 1Neopanope sayi 7Panopeus herbstii 860Panopeus obesus 228Petrolisthes armatus 76Xanthids (juveniles) 1,768

MANOVA

Inlet, all taxa

Inlet, partial taxa

Effect 1996 p 1998 p

Trt 4.70 n.s. 2.17 n.s.

Reef(Trt) 2.04 n.s. 1.13 n.s.

Effect 1996 p 2001 p

Trt 62.6 <0.001 6.64 <0.05

Reef(Trt) 2.40 <0.009 2.48 <0.008

Co-Occurrence(http://www.garyentsminger.com/ecosim/index.htm)

Inlet, all taxa

Inlet, partial taxa

Effect 1996 p 1998 p

Constructed 1.75> <0.001 1.91> <0.001

Natural 1.60> <0.001 1.99> <0.001

Effect 1996 p 2001 p

Constructed 2.50 n.s. 0.32 n.s.

Natural 0.00 n.s. 0.57 n.s.

ANOSIM(http://web.pml.ac.uk/primer/index.htm)

Inlet, all taxa

Inlet, partial taxa

Effect 1996 p 1998 p

Trt -.28 n.s. 0.00 n.s.

Reef(Trt) 0.69 <0.002 0.45 <0.005

Effect 1996 p 2001 p

Trt 0.14 n.s. -.06 n.s.

Reef(Trt) 1.00 n.s. 0.26 <0.04

PERMANOVA(http://www.stat.auckland.ac.nz/~mja/Programs.htm)

Inlet, all taxa

Inlet, partial taxa

Effect 1996 p 1998 p

Trt 1.31 n.s. 3.07 <0.02

Reef(Trt) 3.56 <0.001 2.97 <0.001

Effect 1996 p 2001 p

Trt 15.7 <0.001 3.68 <0.004

Reef(Trt) 1.48 n.s. 3.08 <0.002

Conclusions

No easy analytic approach to examine community compositional change over time given complex experimental designs.

Taxa pool determination can effect results of most analyses.

All Taxa Partial Taxa

Analysis 1996 1998 1996 2001

MANOVA n.s. n.s. <0.001 <0.05

ECOSIM n.s. n.s. n.s. n.s.

ANOSIM n.s. n.s. n.s. n.s.

PERMANOVA n.s. <0.02 <0.001 <0.004