Anna Deck M.S. student (entered 2007) Research interests: biological invasions, estuaries and bays, community ecology Project: Effects of space competition on native oyster performance by depth akdeck@ucdavis.edu

I started my MS in the Grosholz Lab in Fall 2007, and am working with the native Olympia oyster (Ostrea conchaphila) in Tomales Bay, CA. Historically, these oysters were very abundant in estuaries along the west coast. Following overharvesting, populations declined by the early 1900s and have since not recovered. Restoration efforts are currently underway. Although oysters can persist in intertidal and shallow subtidal areas of estuaries, the majority of research on native oysters has been done in the intertidal zone. Virtually nothing is known about oyster performance at subtidal depths. I am interested in characterizing oyster growth, survival, and recruitment along a depth gradient in Tomales Bay. I am also interested in how the presence of other potential space competitors may limit oyster growth and recruitment, and how this might vary with depth.




Overgrowth by other sessile species