Ecology Summary - Crassostrea virginica

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Ecology of Crassostrea virginica

Main Ref.	Carpenter, K.E. (ed.), 2002
Remarks	Attached to rocks, other oyster shells, or other hard substrates (Ref. 271). Favors estuaries and embayments with low salinities and are intolerant of prolonged exposure to fresh water or marine conditions. They may either be filter feeders (Ref. 96280) or suspension feeders (Ref. 3248). Found in shallow water of tidal to subtidal depth of fairly constant turbidity and salinity (Ref. 3248) and salt marshes (Ref. 2823). Main sources of food are phytoplankton, suspended detritus particles (Ref. 96280) and bacteria (Ref. 101343). Able to regulate its feeding rates based on differences in size, type and composition of the food source (Ref. 96280).

Main Ref.

Carpenter, K.E. (ed.), 2002

Remarks

Attached to rocks, other oyster shells, or other hard substrates (Ref. 271). Favors estuaries and embayments with low salinities and are intolerant of prolonged exposure to fresh water or marine conditions. They may either be filter feeders (Ref. 96280) or suspension feeders (Ref. 3248). Found in shallow water of tidal to subtidal depth of fairly constant turbidity and salinity (Ref. 3248) and salt marshes (Ref. 2823). Main sources of food are phytoplankton, suspended detritus particles (Ref. 96280) and bacteria (Ref. 101343). Able to regulate its feeding rates based on differences in size, type and composition of the food source (Ref. 96280).

Aquatic zones / Water bodies

	Marine - Neritic	Marine - Oceanic	Brackishwater	Freshwater
Marine zones / Brackish and freshwater bodies	supra-littoral zone littoral zone sublittoral zone	epipelagic mesopelagic epipelagic abyssopelagic hadopelagic	estuaries/lagoons/brackish seas mangroves marshes/swamps	rivers/streams lakes/ponds caves exclusively in caves

Highighted items on the list are where Crassostrea virginica may be found.

Habitat

Substrate	Benthic: sessile; macrobenthos; Soft Bottom: sand; mud; Hard Bottom: rocky; rubble;
Substrate Ref.	Vittor, B.A., 2002
Special habitats	Beds: bivalve;
Special habitats Ref.	Turgeon, D.D., W.G. Lyons, P. Mikkelsen, G. Rosenberg and F. Moretzsohn, 2009

Associations

Ref.	Carpenter, K.E. (ed.), 2002
Associations	colony-forming/symphorism;
Associated with
Association remarks
Parasitism

feeding

Feeding type	mainly plants/detritus (troph. 2-2.19)
Feeding type Ref.	NOAA Fisheries Eastern Oyster Biological Review Team, 2007
Feeding habit	filtering plankton
Feeding habit Ref.	Ruppert, E.E., R.S. Fox and R.D. Barnes, 2004

Trophic Level(s)

Estimation method	original sample		unfished population		Remark
Estimation method	Troph	s.e.	Troph	s.e.	Remark
From diet composition
From individual food items	2.00	0.00			Trophic level and s.e. inferred from exclusive plant/detritus food items.
Ref.

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