Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research

Mussel & oyster beds

In temperate estuaries and deltas, bivalve beds play the role of coral reefs: the provide a home for many intertidal species, and form an important basis for the marine food web.

In temperate estuaries, mussels and oysters are the most prominent reef-forming organisms. They consume the pelagic algae entering many estuaries and deltas by means of the tides, aggregating the nutrients in the mussel and oyster beds and their surroundings. Mussels and oysters also provide a hard substrate and shelter to many organisms growing or in between the beds.

Nitrogen Cycling in Oyster Reefs
Oyster and mussel reefs play a disproportionately large role in organic matter uptake in estuaries due to their high filtration capacity. Yet, the consequences for carbon and in particular nitrogen cycling remain poorly understood. Using a combination of field and laboratory studies using 15N-labelled substrates (NH4 and NO3) we aim to understand the nitrogen cycle associated with oyster reefs.