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1. Meta‐analysis of ecosystem services associated with oyster restoration

   https://doi.org/10.1111/cobi.13966  

   Smith, Rachel S.; Cheng, Selina L.; Castorani, Max C. (February 2023, Conservation Biology)

   Abstract Restoration of foundation species promises to reverse environmental degradation and return lost ecosystem services, but a lack of standardized evaluation across projects limits understanding of recovery, especially in marine systems. Oyster reefs are restored to reverse massive global declines and reclaim valuable ecosystem services, but the success of these projects has not been systematically and comprehensively quantified. We synthesized data on ecosystem services associated with oyster restoration from 245 pairs of restored and degraded reefs and 136 pairs of restored and reference reefs across 3500 km of U.S. Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic coastlines. On average, restoration was associated with a 21‐fold increase in oyster production (mean log response ratio = 3.08 [95% confidence interval: 2.58–3.58]), 34–97% enhancement of habitat provisioning (mean community abundance = 0.51 [0.41–0.61], mean richness = 0.29 [0.19–0.39], and mean biomass = 0.69 [0.39–0.99]), 54% more nitrogen removal (mean = 0.43 [0.13–0.73]), and 89–95% greater sediment nutrients (mean = 0.67 [0.27–1.07]) and organic matter (mean = 0.64 [0.44–0.84]) relative to degraded habitats. Moreover, restored reefs matched reference reefs for these ecosystem services. Our results support the continued and expanded use of oyster restoration to enhance ecosystem services of degraded coastal systems and match many functions provided by reference reefs. 

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2. Hydrodynamics, elevation, and restoration history structure intertidal oyster recruitment

   https://doi.org/10.1007/s10980-025-02126-9  

   Tedford-Callahan, Kinsey N; Smith, Rachel S; Lusk, Bowdoin W; Castorani, Max_C N (June 2025, Landscape Ecology)

   Context Reversing global declines of foundation species requires recovery of critical bottlenecks in population dynamics, particularly the recruitment of early life stages. Understanding the controls on recruitment can substantially improve restoration success. Objectives We investigated how geophysical conditions and restoration history determine recruitment in eastern oysters (Crassostrea virginica), a foundation species requiring substantial restoration efforts following severe, widespread losses. Methods Over 3 years, we measured annual oyster recruitment to standardized ceramic tiles on 9–16 intertidal reefs in coastal Virginia, USA. We paired these measurements with an 18-year time series of recruitment to natural substrate on 8 natural reference reefs and 44 restored reefs (0–16 years post-construction). Results Recruitment to tiles was highly correlated with recruitment to natural substrate, validating our methodology. Recruitment was positively spatially autocorrelated within 1 km and increased 9–14 × with moderate wind fetch. A one-meter increase in substrate elevation tripled recruitment. Recruitment was 4 × higher on natural reefs compared to restored reefs, regardless of elapsed time since restoration. Geospatial model predictions identified 6% (24 km2) of intertidal areas as highly suitable for oyster recruitment, offering a refined target for restoration practitioners. Conclusions By integrating multi-year field studies, long-term monitoring, and habitat suitability modeling, our research identified environmental conditions favorable for oyster recruitment, offering insights that could enhance restoration planning and population resilience. Our findings provide actionable insights for optimizing oyster restoration by targeting areas with favorable wind fetch and elevation. These results offer valuable guidance for spatial planning in restoration and may inform strategies for other species where recruitment limits restoration success. 

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3. Salt marsh shoreline geomorphology influences the success of restored oyster reefs and use by associated fauna

   https://doi.org/10.1111/rec.12992  

   Keller, Danielle A.; Gittman, Rachel K.; Brodeur, Michelle C.; Kenworthy, Matthew D.; Ridge, Justin T.; Yeager, Lauren A.; Rodriguez, Antonio B.; Fodrie, F. Joel (July 2019, Restoration Ecology)

   Restoration is increasingly implemented as a strategy to mitigate global declines in biogenic habitats, such as salt marshes and oyster reefs. Restoration efforts could be improved if we knew how site characteristics at landscape scales affect the ecological success of these foundation species. In this study, we determined how salt marsh shoreline geomorphologies (e.g. with variable hydrodynamic energy, fetch, erosion rates, and slopes) affect the success of restored intertidal oyster reefs, as well as how fauna utilize restored reefs and forage along marsh habitats. We constructed oyster reefs along three marsh shoreline geomorphologies in May 2012: 1) “creek” (small‐fetch, gradual‐sloped shoreline), “ramp” (large‐fetch, gradual‐sloped shoreline), and “scarp” (large‐fetch, steep‐sloped shoreline). Following recruitment, oyster spat density was greatest on ramp reefs; however, 2 years later, the highest adult oyster densities were found on creek reefs. Total nekton and blue crab catch rates in trawl nets were highest in the creek, while piscivore catch rates in gill nets were highest along the scarp shoreline. We found no difference in predation on snails in the salt marsh behind constructed reef and nonconstructed reference sites, but there were more snails consumed in the creek shoreline, which corresponded with the distribution of their major predator—blue crabs. We conclude that oyster reef construction was most successful for oysters in small‐fetch, gradual‐sloped, creek environments. However, nekton abundance did not always follow the same trends as oyster density, which could suggest constructed reefs may offer similar habitat‐related functions (prey availability and refuge) already present along existing salt marsh borders. 

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4. Edge effects influence the composition and density of reef residents on subtidal restored oyster reefs

   https://doi.org/10.1111/rec.13693  

   Davenport, Theresa M.; Grabowski, Jonathan H.; Hughes, A. Randall (April 2022, Restoration Ecology)

   Within estuarine and coastal ecosystems globally, extensive habitat degradation and loss threaten critical ecosystem functions and necessitate widescale restoration efforts. There is abundant evidence that ecological processes and species interactions can vary with habitat characteristics, which has important implications for the design and implementation of restoration efforts aimed at enhancing specific ecosystem functions and services. We conducted an experiment examining how habitat characteristics (presence; edge vs. interior) influence the communities of resident fish and mobile invertebrates on restored oyster (Crassostrea virginica) reefs. Similar to previous studies, we found that restored reefs altered community composition and augmented total abundance and biomass relative to unstructured sand habitat. Community composition and biomass also differed between the edge and interior of individual reefs as a result of species‐specific patterns over small spatial scales. These patterns were only weakly linked to oyster density, suggesting that other factors that vary between edge and interior (e.g. predator access or species interactions) are likely more important for community structure on oyster reefs. Fine‐scale information on resident species' use of oyster reefs will help facilitate restoration by allowing decision makers to optimize the amount of edge versus interior habitat. To improve the prediction of faunal use and benefits from habitat restoration, we recommend investigations into the mechanisms shaping edge and interior preferences on oyster reefs. 

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5. Restored oyster reefs match multiple functions of natural reefs within a decade

   https://doi.org/10.1111/conl.12883  

   Smith, Rachel S.; Lusk, Bo; Castorani, Max C. (July 2022, Conservation Letters)

   Abstract Global declines of foundation species have reduced ecological function at population, community, and ecosystem levels. Restoration of foundation species promises to counter such losses, despite unknown recovery timelines, undefined benchmarks, and uncertainty about whether restored ecosystems approximate natural ones. Here, we demonstrate through a 15‐year large‐scale experiment in coastal Virginia, USA, that restored oyster reefs can quickly recover multiple ecological functions and match natural reefs. Specifically, abundances of oysters and a key crab mesopredator on restored reefs equaled reference reefs in approximately 6 years, indicating that restoration can initiate rapid, sustained recovery of foundation species and associated consumers. As reefs matured and accrued biomass, they became more temporally stable, suggesting that restoration can increase resilience and may stabilize those ecosystem processes that scale with foundation species biomass. Together, these results demonstrate that restoration can catalyze rapid recovery of imperiled coastal foundation species, reclaim lost community interactions, and help reverse decades of degradation. 

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