Coastal Wetlands StudiesAaron Bland
2023 The Garden Club of America Award in Coastal Wetlands Studies

Limits to Oyster Development on Breakwater Structures
Built to protect habitat and provide substrate for oysters, many breakwaters fail to develop into oyster reefs. Bland’s studies will focus on the many ecological factors that might limit oyster settlement and survival, including larval supply, water quality, predation, and tidal elevation. Bland will test the importance of these ecological factors by monitoring bare and pre-seeded settlement tiles at various elevations at two restoration sites. Bland aims to identify factors limiting oyster development on breakwater structures to inform future project design and siting for more effective oyster restoration.
The Garden Club of America Award in Coastal Wetlands Studies
To promote, expand and enrich the body of research concerning the coast by actively supporting graduate students in the field of coastal wetlands science.
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