From January 2012 to December 2012 I collected adult oysters from two intertidal populations on a monthly basis in the Coos Bay estuary, Oregon for histological analysis of their gonads. Gametogenesis and spawning occur seasonally from May through September, when water temperatures exceed 14.5° C, with brooding oysters found from July through September. Oocyte diameters increased significantly from May to June, and from June to July within oyster populations at Haynes Inlet and Coalbank Slough, respectively. Male gametogenesis initiated in May at Haynes Inlet and in June at Coalbank Slough. Dry meat condition values increased significantly during periods of reproduction and decreased following the reproductive season's end. Condition index values for Coalbank Slough were consistently lower than those at Haynes Inlet, suggesting poor nutrition or physiological stress. Salinities below recorded physiological thresholds are believed to be the primary environmental factor influencing the discrepancy in reproductive activity at Coalbank Slough.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:uoregon.edu/oai:scholarsbank.uoregon.edu:1794/13329 |
| Date | 03 October 2013 |
| Creators | Oates, Mark |
| Contributors | Young, Craig |
| Publisher | University of Oregon |
| Source Sets | University of Oregon |
| Language | en_US |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
| Rights | All Rights Reserved. |
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