Denitrification and nutrient assimilation on a restored oyster reef

Global loss of 85% of oyster reef ecosystems over the past 130 yr (Beck et al. 2011) has led to both growing recognition of the services once provided by healthy oyster reef ecosystems (Grabowski et al. 2012) and increasing interest in restoring these ecosystems. In Chesapeake Bay, USA, populations of the native oyster Crassostrea virginica have been reduced to <1% of historic levels through a combination of overharvesting, poor management practices and the impacts of 2 oyster diseases (Wilberg et al. 2011 and references therein). Between 1990 and 2007, oyster reef restoration activities were under-