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Credit: Ben Wray
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Project Description
Marine biogenic reefs are ecologically important habitats and provide society with key ecosystem services (ESs). Yet, they are among the most degraded habitats. The 21st century has seen a global surge in large-scale restoration with the native oyster Ostrea edulis being at the forefront. Predicting climate adaptation and building resilience are critical for sustainable restoration.
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Current restoration lacks conclusive evidence on how Ostrea will cope with climate change in delivering ESs and biodiversity gains, particularly relative to the warm water tolerant and already widespread non-native Pacific oyster Magallana gigas (introduced for aquaculture). Somewhat surprisingly, Ostrea appears to cope physiologically better with warmer temperatures than Magallana. However, little is known about the relative performance of populations over critical life-stages and reproduction.
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We will test two approaches for building more resilient Ostrea restoration. First, we will examine the benefits of mitigating additional stressors known to adversely affect organismal health, namely artificial light at night (ALAN). Second, we will assess the perceptions of key stakeholder and the public to contribute towards Ostrea restoration.
This transdisciplinary project is co-designed between Bangor University, the University of Plymouth, and Natural Resources Wales (NRW) and will address one of NRW’s evidence priorities “Understanding impacts of climate change on vulnerable species and habitats”.
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Aims and objectives
The aim of this PhD is to assess the current socio-ecological climate resilience of Ostrea restoration and explore the feasibility of two approaches to build resilience.
The project will:
i) quantify relative performance of Ostrea and Magallana adults and larvae under increased temperature and ALAN;
ii) identify stakeholder and broader public perception, knowledge, and willingness to contribute towards Ostrea restoration (such as through Restorative Aquaculture).
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The project will suit a student interested in developing skills in both ecological and socio-economic research.
Credit: Tom Galley and Nick Jones
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Training
A bespoke training will equip the student with skills, knowledge, and experiences to become an independent, creative, and competitive researcher for multiple roles in and outside academia. The student will be trained to design, execute, and analyse biological experiments and socio-economic studies. The experiments provide the opportunity to learn how and when to use biological and socio-economic approaches. The student will gain theoretical and practical insight into the management of marine resources, actively engage with stakeholders
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Project structure
The student will be jointly based at Bangor University and NRW and also undertake visits to the University of Plymouth throughout the project. The student will conduct the biological experiments at Bangor University while starting to engagement with stakeholders. Informed by the findings, the student will carry out surveys, face-toface interviews, and focus group consultation. Finally, the student will synthesize the findings identifying key points of intervention to improve the sustainability of the Ostrea restoration and aquaculture system.
The project will be supervised by myself, Dr Svenja Tidau and Professor Stuart Jenkins (Bangor University), Dr Lynda Rodwell (University of Plymouth), Dr Karen Robinson, Dr Ben Wray and Dr Rowland Sharp from Natural Resources Wales and Dr Thomas Galley and Dr Nicholas Jones (Bangor University).
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