Abstract
Effects of petroleum covered substrate on intertidal oyster spat (Crassostrea virginica) set were measured at three intertidal elevations in a southeastern North Carolina estuary.Mercenaria mercenaria shells were coated with Bunker C crude oil or a 40∶1 mixture of gasoline: 2-cycle engine oil and placed intertidally for seven 13-d periods. Spat densities were significantly lower on oil treatments versus control and gas-treated shells in the high intertidal zone. This was principally attributed to an increased sediment coat on oiled shells. Maximum spat size was smaller on oil-treated shells at all elevations when compared to gas and control shells, indicating that setting may be delayed on oiled shell. For all experimental 13-d periods in the low intertidal zone and for three periods in the mid-tidal zone, barnacle densities (primarilyBalanus improvisus andB. eburneus) were significantly greater on oiled shells than on control shells.
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Smith, C.M., Hackney, C.T. The effects of hydrocarbons on the setting of the American oyster,Crassostrea virginica, in intertidal habitats in Southeastern North Carolina. Estuaries 12, 42–48 (1989). https://doi.org/10.2307/1351449
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.2307/1351449