Modeling oyster populations: III. Critical feeding periods, growth and reproduction

It is hypothesized that variations in the seasonal sequence in temperature and food supply cause variations in oyster reproductive effort. Causes of alterations in the duration of spawning and seasonal spawning patterns include temperature changes (a few degrees) and shifts in bloom timings (2 to 4 weeks). Using a time-dependent population dynamics model, this hypothesis is tested by simulating environmental conditions for Laguna Madre, Galveston Bay, and Chesapeake Bay. It is shown that reproductive effort decreases with increasing latitude; lower latitudes exhibit continuous spawning more frequently.