UROP Research Mentor Project Submission Portal: Submission #1317

Overall Research Project Description Wild oysters native to the Floridian coastline are known to reproduce throughout most of the year, although the reasons allowing populations to sustain this trend have never been looked at quantitatively. In Apalachicola Bay, the collapse of the oyster populations have led to continued and targeted efforts at restoration including the placement of material to try and rebuild the reefs. However, oysters are recovering in various rates across the bay, with some regions rebounding more strongly than others. My project seeks to monitor the health and reproductive investment of oysters from various bars within Apalachicola Bay, and determine the potential factors in the environment that might be impacting recovery (temperature, salinity, food availability, parasites, etc.). Additionally, I am trying to look at historical data collected by FWC to determine if patterns in oyster health have changed over time.