Abstract:
Impacts of multiple water quality stressors (acidification, hypoxia, and low salinity) associated with freshwater flooding events on larval and juvenile oysters (Crassostrea virginica) were examined using laboratory exposures. This dataset includes the water quality conditions and oyster growth and survival responses during multistressor exposures that tested four different early oyster developmental stages (veliger larvae, pediveliger larvae, post-settlement juveniles [< 1mm], and juveniles [5-10 mm]). Water quality conditions in the northern Gulf of Mexico near oyster habitats were also evaluated between 2021-05-01 to 2021-07-31 and presented in this dataset. HOBO data loggers were deployed at St. Stanislaus College in Bay St. Louis, MS to record in situ dissolved oxygen, pH, salinity, and temperature at 5-min intervals. Publicly available water monitoring data (dissolved oxygen, salinity, and temperature) were downloaded from weather stations at Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium (LUMCON), Mississippi Department of Marine Resources (MDMR) Deer Island Aquaculture Park, and Dauphin Island Sea Lab (DISL) in Alabama.
Suggested Citation:
Pruett, Jessica and Deborah Gochfeld. 2022. Water quality data collected in the northern Gulf of Mexico from 2021-05-01 to 2021-07-31 and Eastern oyster (Crassostrea virginica) growth and survival responses during multistressor exposures. Distributed by: GRIIDC, Harte Research Institute, Texas A&M University–Corpus Christi. doi:10.7266/WY0D0D1V
Purpose:
We tested the interactive effects of acidification, hypoxia, and low salinity on larval and juvenile oysters (Crassostrea virginica) to better understand the impact of flooding events on oyster development and survival. Water quality conditions during peak recruitment months near oyster habitats in the northern Gulf of Mexico were also examined to assess the prevalence of flood-related stressors in present-day estuaries.
Data Parameters and Units:
The Excel file "Field Water Quality Conditions" includes in the "Water Quality Conditions" tab: State; Site; Latitude (decimal degrees); Longitude (decimal degrees); Date (mm/dd/yyyy); Temperature (degree Celsius); Salinity (practical salinity unit); Dissolved Oxygen (mg/L) and in the "Bay St. Louis pH data" tab: Date Time (mm/dd/yyyy hh:mm); pH; Temperature (degree Celsius).
The Excel file "Veliger Larval Multistressor Exposure" includes in the "Water Quality Conditions" tab: Measurement Date (mm/dd/yyyy); Measurement Taken Before or After Water Change (before/after); Stressor Treatment; Replicate; Dissolved oxygen (mg/L); pH; Salinity (ppt); Temperature (degree Celsius) and in the “Oyster Response” tab: End of Exposure Date (mm/dd/yyyy); Stressor Treatment; Replicate; Live Larvae; Dead Larvae; Shell Growth Rate (µm2/day).
The Excel file "Pediveliger Larval Multistressor Exposure" includes in the "Water Quality Conditions" tab: Measurement Date (mm/dd/yyyy); Stressor Treatment; Replicate; Dissolved Oxygen (mg/L); pH; Salinity (ppt); Temperature (degree Celsius) and in the “Oyster Response” tab: End of Exposure Date (mm/dd/yyyy); Stressor Treatment; Replicate; Live Attached Larvae; Live Unattached Larvae; Dead Larvae.
The Excel file "Post-Settlement Juvenile Multistressor Exposure" includes in the "Water Quality Conditions" tab: Measurement Date (mm/dd/yyyy); Measurement Taken Before or After Water Change (before/after); Stressor Treatment; Replicate; Dissolved Oxygen (mg/L); pH; Salinity (ppt); Temperature (degree Celsius) and in the “Oyster Response” tab: End of Exposure Date (mm/dd/yyyy); Stressor Treatment; Replicate; Live Spat; Dead Spat; Final Shell Area (mm2).
The Excel file " Juvenile Multistressor Exposure" includes in the "Water Quality Conditions" tab: Measurement Date (mm/dd/yyyy); Measurement Taken Before or After Water Change (before/after); Stressor Treatment; Replicate; Dissolved Oxygen (mg/L); pH; Salinity (ppt); Temperature (degree Celsius) and in the “Oyster Response” tab: End of Exposure Date (mm/dd/yyyy); Stressor Treatment; Replicate; Live Spat; Dead Spat; Change in Wet Weight (mg); Shell Growth Rate (mm2/day).
Methods:
Field water quality conditions were measured between 2021-05-01 to 2021-07-31 at Bay St. Louis, Mississippi using HOBO data loggers (Onset Computer, Bourne, MA, USA) set to record dissolved oxygen (DO; U26-001), pH (MX2501), salinity (U24-002-C) and temperature at 5-min intervals. Publicly available continuous data records for dissolved oxygen, salinity and temperature were accessed from weather stations at Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium (LUMCON), Mississippi Department of Marine Resources (MDMR) Deer Island Aquaculture Park, and Dauphin Island Sea Lab (DISL) in Alabama during the same period as the sensor deployment.
Water quality conditions in all multistressor exposures were measured using the following methods: dissolved oxygen levels were quantified with a fiber optic oxygen probe (OXROB10) connected to a FireSting O2 meter (FSO2-4, PyroScience, Aachen, Germany). pH was measured using an Orion 2 Star benchtop pH meter with a 9165BNWP Combination Sure-Flow pH electrode (Thermo Fisher Scientific, Beverly, MA, USA), which was calibrated using NIST-traceable buffer solutions. Salinity and temperature were measured with a YSI Professional Plus Multiparameter Meter (Yellow Springs, OH, USA). For the juvenile multistressor exposure, salinity was only measured after water changes which were performed every 3rd day.
Oyster data were collected in the veliger larval multistressor exposure by counting the number of shells with tissue (i.e., live) and without tissue (i.e., dead) in three 1 mL subsamples of preserved samples. Photos of live larvae were used to measure shell area with ImageJ software. Shell growth rate was calculated as the difference between final and initial shell area divided by the length of the exposure. In the pediveliger multistressor exposure the number of larvae attached to the settlement tile, jar wall, or jar lid were counted. Unattached pediveliger larvae were preserved to determine the number of unattached live and dead larvae. In the post-settlement juvenile multistressor exposure, the number of live and dead oyster spat was counted at the end of the exposure. Live individuals were photographed to measure final shell area using ImageJ software. In the juvenile multistressor exposure, oyster mortality was assessed at each water change and the number of live and dead oyster spat at the end of the exposure were recorded. Individual oyster wet weights and photographs were taken at the beginning and end of the exposure to calculate change in wet weight and shell growth rate (difference between final and initial shell area divided by the length of the exposure).
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