Table of Contents

• Coverage
• Dataset Description
  • Methods & Sampling
  • Data Processing Description
• Data Files
• Related Publications
• Parameters
• Instruments
• Project Information
• Funding

This dataset includes Olympia oyster larvae length measurements from depth-specific sampling collected by boat in Fidalgo Bay, WA, during July 2017.

We measured larval abundance, chlorophyll-a, temperature, and salinity from four depths at one location in Fidalgo Bay, WA, by boat each day from July 11 to July 14, 2017. Each day, we completed eleven sampling events. During each sampling event, we collected samples from four depths in the water column: surface (0.5 m below surface), bottom (0.5 m above seafloor), and two mid-depth samples, which evenly split the depth between surface and bottom samples. We planned each sampling event to begin at specific times relative to the predicted low tide with the goal of collecting approximately equal numbers of samples during ebb and flood tide. To collect each larval sample, we used a modified bilge pump to filter 100 liters of water from our targeted depths through a 102-µm mesh plankton net to ensure retention of Olympia oyster larvae. Each sample was stored on ice while in the field and then preserved in 70% ethanol.

We used an Olympus Optical Company SZ-ST stereoscope fit with polarized lens filters to hand sort Olympia oyster larvae from each sample. First, we narrowed down all the potential local species of bivalve larvae that might be in our samples based on reproductive season (Loosanoff et al. 1966, personal communication Julie Barber). We then distinguished Olympia oyster larvae from these other species by comparing morphological features relative to size based on identification keys (Loosanoff et al. 1966, Shanks 2001) and reference Olympia oyster larvae that we reared in the laboratory. Reference larvae were fixed and photographed under an Olympus CH-2 microscope to aid identification.We measured larva shell lengths perpendicular to the hinge of each larva digitally using a stereomicroscope equipped with a camera and ImageJ software (Leica MC170 HD and Leica Application Suite, Leica, Wetzlar, Germany).

BCO-DMO Processing Notes:
- added conventional header with dataset name, PI name, version date
- modified parameter names to conform with BCO-DMO naming conventions
- reformatted and renamed date_time_UTC to ISO_DateTime_UTC
- renamed mdy as date_local and time as time_local
- reformatted date_local from m/d/yy to yyyy-mm-dd

In the face of climate change, future distribution of animals will depend not only on whether they adjust to new conditions in their current habitat, but also on whether a species can spread to suitable locations in a changing habitat landscape. In the ocean, where most species have tiny drifting larval stages, dispersal between habitats is impacted by more than just ocean currents alone; the swimming behavior of larvae, the flow environment the larvae encounter, and the length of time the larvae spend in the water column all interact to impact the distance and direction of larval dispersal. The effects of climate change, especially ocean acidification, are already evident in shellfish species along the Pacific coast, where hatchery managers have noticed shellfish cultures with 'lazy larvae syndrome.' Under conditions of increased acidification, these 'lazy larvae' simply stop swimming; yet, larval swimming behavior is rarely incorporated into studies of ocean acidification. Furthermore, how ocean warming interacts with the effects of acidification on larvae and their swimming behaviors remains unexplored; indeed, warming could reverse 'lazy larvae syndrome.' This project uses a combination of manipulative laboratory experiments, computer modeling, and a real case study to examine whether the impacts of ocean warming and acidification on individual larvae may affect the distribution and restoration of populations of native oysters in the Salish Sea. The project will tightly couple research with undergraduate education at Western Washington University, a primarily undergraduate university, by employing student researchers, incorporating materials into undergraduate courses, and pairing marine science student interns with art student interns to develop art projects aimed at communicating the effects of climate change to public audiences

As studies of the effects of climate stress in the marine environment progress, impacts on individual-level performance must be placed in a larger ecological context. While future climate-induced circulation changes certainly will affect larval dispersal, the effects of climate-change stressors on individual larval traits alone may have equally important impacts, significantly altering larval transport and, ultimately, species distribution. This study will experimentally examine the relationship between combined climate stressors (warming and acidification) on planktonic larval duration, morphology, and swimming behavior; create models to generate testable hypotheses about the effects of these factors on larval dispersal that can be applied across systems; and, finally, use a bio-physically coupled larval transport model to examine whether climate-impacted larvae may affect the distribution and restoration of populations of native oysters in the Salish Sea.