The expansion of oyster aquaculture relies on identifying and utilizing estuarine conditions that enable the economical production of a filter-feeding species. Detrital complexes may provide nutrition to oysters between beneficial phytoplankton blooms. The upper Damariscotta estuary is the most successful aquaculture site in Maine for eastern oysters Crassostrea virginica. To examine the impact of labile detrital protein detected in this estuary on oyster growth, we monitored enzymatically hydrolysable amino acids (EHAA, labile protein), chlorophyll a (chl a) and particulate organic matter (POM) biweekly, along with continuous monitoring of temperature, turbidity, and chl a by a Land/Ocean Biogeochemical Observatory (LOBO) buoy. Oyster feeding and growth were measured biweekly in the field and in a controlled laboratory experiment to assess responses to detrital proteins. Phytoplankton alone provided insufficient nutrition for field oysters based on measured POM absorption rate, suggesting a role for additional organics such as detritus in oyster nutrition. Oysters readily absorbed phytodetritus under laboratory conditions and cleared phytodetritus with high efficiency under field conditions. Bioavailable EHAA in the field was nearly completely absorbed by oysters, unlike POM, and seasonal EHAA concentrations correlate well with field growth rates. These indications of protein limitation on oyster growth are not explained by phytoplankton, which cannot account for all EHAA, and are consistent with seasonally abundant, labile detrital protein and observed phytodetritus. Detrital protein influence on this species implies that EHAA measurements can improve aquaculture site selection, help determine nutritional carrying capacity of estuaries, and help explain clarification of water columns by these filter feeders.

中文翻译：

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碎屑蛋白有助于美国缅因州达马里斯科塔河口的牡蛎营养和生长

牡蛎养殖的扩展依赖于识别和利用能够经济生产滤食性物种的河口条件。碎屑复合物可以在有益的浮游植物大量繁殖之间为牡蛎提供营养。Damariscotta 河口上游是缅因州东部牡蛎 Crassostrea virginica 最成功的水产养殖场。为了检查在该河口检测到的不稳定碎屑蛋白对牡蛎生长的影响，我们每两周监测一次酶促水解氨基酸（EHAA，不稳定蛋白）、叶绿素 a (chl a) 和颗粒有机物 (POM)，同时持续监测温度、浊度和 chla 由陆地/海洋生物地球化学观测站 (LOBO) 浮标测得。每两周在田间和受控实验室实验中测量牡蛎的摄食和生长，以评估对碎屑蛋白质的反应。根据测量的 POM 吸收率，单独的浮游植物为田间牡蛎提供的营养不足，这表明其他有机物（如碎屑）在牡蛎营养中的作用。牡蛎在实验室条件下很容易吸收植物碎屑，并在田间条件下高效清除植物碎屑。与 POM 不同，田间生物可利用的 EHAA 几乎完全被牡蛎吸收，并且季节性 EHAA 浓度与田间增长率密切相关。这些蛋白质限制牡蛎生长的迹象不能用浮游植物来解释，浮游植物不能解释所有的 EHAA，并且与季节性丰富、不稳定的碎屑蛋白和观察到的植物碎屑一致。