Across
- 4. They aim to restore a billion of the mollusks to New York Harbor by 2035.
- 6. Feeders hese filter feeders pump water through their bodies, filtering out algae and bacteria to eat (see Inside an Oyster, below).
- 8. Over time, pollution, overharvesting, and habitat loss decimated the oyster population.
- 10. “That makes them one of the most imperiled habitats on our planet,” says Peter Kingsley-Smith.
- 11. These animals’ soft bodies are protected inside closed shells.
- 16. An oyster is a bivalve mollusk whose shell is made up of two halves connected by a hinge.An oyster is a bivalve mollusk whose shell is made up of two halves connected by a hinge.
- 17. A student pulls a rope hanging over the park’s railing, hoisting up a cage that had been submerged in the harbor.
- 21. Inside, young oysters are growing. The students use adjustable tools called calipers to measure the growth of the mollusks.
- 22. Stomach: Digests algae caught in the gills
- 24. Species Oysters are a keystone species.
- 25. Mantle: Skin-like covering that protects the oyster’s organs
Down
- 1. Palp Labial Palp: Sorts and transfers food from the gills to the digestive tract
- 2. A student pulls a rope hanging over the park’s railing, hoisting up a cage that had been submerged in the harbor. Inside, young oysters are growing.
- 3. The reefs help reduce erosion by blocking waves that can wash away sand and soil.
- 5. Surges They protect shorelines by acting as a buffer against storm surges, which occur when rising water is pushed onto land, causing flooding.
- 7. Oysters live in shallow waters around the world. In the wild, the animals grow on top of one another to form reefs. Hundreds of years ago, oyster reefs covered 890 square kilometers (340 square miles) of New York Harbor. That’s a little larger than New York City itself! But now, these reefs have all but vanished.
- 9. Over time, pollution, overharvesting, and habitat loss decimated the oyster population. Oysters around the world are facing a similar fate
- 12. The tiny, immature oyster larvae have shells smaller than the period at the end of this sentence.
- 13. Students and volunteers place the bags filled with the oysters on the seafloor near the coast. Some reefs are made of hundreds of these bags.
- 14. Muscle Adductor Muscle: Opens and closes the shell
- 15. Today, oysters are considered a delicacy.
- 18. Gills: Filter oxygen, algae, and particles from the water
- 19. That means they’re vital to their ecosystem—a community of organisms interacting with their nonliving environment.
- 20. Heart: Pumps the oyster’s blood
- 23. Loss Over time, pollution, overharvesting, and habitat loss decimated the oyster population. Oysters around the world are facing a similar fate.