Kasey Tollefson
The Evergreen State College
Dr. Pauline Yu
The Evergreen State College
Oysters are an important link in the carbon sequestration chain in the South Puget Sound due to their shell growth which sequesters carbon as it is forming, as calcium carbonate; this project also helps to support future curriculum at the Evergreen State College.
Oyster seedlings were obtained from Taylor Shellfish farms and planted in small-netted bags (to ensure no escape of oysters), with temperature, size and survivorship measurements being recorded from a range of dates.
The oysters were chosen at random for measurements, with size being measured via a simple vernier and temperatures through a digitalized thermometer.
Of the two species in this project, Magallana gigas survivorship was 92% whereas M. sikamea survivorship was 100%, perhaps showing a higher heat tolerance.
The combined average height for M. sikamea on 7/17 was 17.58 mm and 28.94 mm on 8/26, with a growth rate per day of 0.291 mm; on the other hand, combined average height for M. gigas on 7/17 was 22.28 mm and 39.23 mm on 8/26, with a growth rate per day of 0.435 mm.
M. sikamea showed a higher tolerance for heat and low tide, which is observed in our survivorship data; this could be due to the oysters native habitat happening to align with the heatwave, however more research is needed in order to substantiate such claims.