Abstract The European flat oyster Ostrea edulis once settled in high densities throughout its natural range but now exists only in small fragmented populations. In the Sea Lough of Strangford, Northern Ireland, recent increases in intertidal oyster numbers at historical sites along the north-east shore were recorded in 2018. A substantial number of conjoined oyster settlements were recorded within this density increase. One intertidal site produced numerous three-dimensional (3D) O. edulis specific matrices containing >16 oysters. In contrast, an extensive search of post and pre-1700s literature uncovered relatively few accounts of species-specific 3D O. edulis matrices and none relating to intertidal populations. The gregarious 3D settlements discovered during this research represent the first documented evidence of the phenomenon in Ireland. These emergent native oyster reef structures offer an insight into the possible intertidal O. edulis formations, which existed pre-1700 and could act as a guide to what may still be obtainable in the future.

中文翻译：

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北爱尔兰 Strangford Lough 潮间带 Ostrea edulis 3D 结构矩阵的第一个记录 - 一个新兴的珊瑚礁？

摘要 欧洲扁牡蛎 Ostrea edulis 曾经在其整个自然范围内以高密度定居，但现在仅存在于小规模的分散种群中。在北爱尔兰斯特兰福德海湖，2018 年记录了东北海岸沿线历史遗址潮间带牡蛎数量的近期增加。在这种密度增加的情况下，记录了大量连体牡蛎定居点。一个潮间带地点产生了大量包含超过 16 只牡蛎的三维 (3D) O. edulis 特定基质。相比之下，对 1700 年代后和 1700 年代之前的文献进行的广泛搜索发现，物种特定的 3D O. edulis 矩阵的描述相对较少，并且与潮间带种群无关。在这项研究中发现的群居 3D 定居点代表了爱尔兰这一现象的第一个有记录的证据。