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Population Dynamics Of The Sub-Arctic Copepod Calanus Finmarchicus In The Gulf Of Maine: Demography And Mortality Estimation, Cameron R. S. Thompson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Calanus finmarchicus is a widely distributed copepod species that dominants the zooplankton community in the Gulf of Maine. It is of particular interest in its role as a major food source for the endangered northern right whale and stocks of herring, mackerel and cod. More accurate coupled models to predict its distribution requires better life history models. However, due to the difficulty in estimating it, mortality is often used as a closure term in those models; the value is justified mathematically rather than ecologically. Instantaneous mortality is difficult to measure, but the Vertical Life Table method (VLT) has gained some …

Gentrification And Vulnerability Of Maine Fishing Communities, Cameron R. S. Thompson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Maine hosts numerous small fishing villages that contribute greatly to the States economy and culture. The cumulative effects of state and federal regulation, stock depletion and other socio-economic trends threaten these communities. Drawing on ethnographic research and interviews, we examine how gentrification is affecting the vulnerability and resilience of fishing communities. This study has revealed gentrification to be a complex process, which is merely the most readily recognizable symptom of forces that are reshaping the post-industrial landscape. Fishing communities can no longer be thought of as discrete entities isolated from broad social and economic changes. Technology and new markets have …

From Not So Simple A Beginning: The Voyage Of The Beagle To The Voyage Of The Endeavour Retracing The Steps Of Charles Darwin In The Galapagos Islands, Kathleen Carroll

Honors College

This is a natural history exploration of the behavior and distinct features of common vertebrates of the Galápagos Islands. Covering more than 26 species, this journey of observation begins with an in-depth look at Charles Darwin's field notes, and moves through history to examine how the knowledge about these species has changed. It is finalized with my personal experiences after a ten day journey exploring the islands with the crew of the National Geographic vessel, the Endeavour. My understanding of the species is solidified through my notes, sketches, films and photographs.

While journeying through the islands I carried a professional-grade …

The Lobster Bulletin, Fall 2012, Lobster Institute, University Of Maine

Lobster Bulletin

The Lobster Bulletin newsletter includes research updates, and information on lobsters and the lobster industry. The Lobster Institute at the University of Maine is dedicated to protecting and conserving the lobster resource, and enhancing lobstering as an industry and a way of life.

Headlines in the Fall 2012 issue include:

• Group Seeks to Protect Ocean by Promoting Better Lawn Care Practices
• Lobster Institute 25th Anniversary Celebration Continues
• Maine Conforms First-Ever Case of West Nile Virus
• Research Report: Direct Determination of Age in Lobsters
• Research Report: Lobster Cam Back Online Soon
• Lobster Council Taking Giant Step Forward

Dissertation Research: The Role Of Breeding Hormones In Seasonal Interactions: How Do Birds Meet The Conflicting Demands Of Breeding Preparation And Migration?, Rebecca L. Holberton, Christopher Tonra

University of Maine Office of Research Administration: Grant Reports

Migratory birds complete different stages of their life cycle in locations that can be thousands of miles apart. Conditions during one stage can impose carry-over effects on subsequent stages. It is critical that researchers examine how environmental factors act as carry-over effects across different annual stages in order to fully understand how migratory bird populations are regulated. In the American redstart (Setophaga ruticilla), males wintering in superior quality habitats arrive earlier at the breeding grounds and have greater breeding success than those wintering in poor habitats. While these seasonal interactions are well documented, the underlying mechanisms are not …

Characterizing Fish Assemblage Structure In The Penobscot River Prior To Dam Removal, Ian Andrew Kiraly

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The Penobscot River drains the largest watershed in Maine, and once provided spawning and rearing habitats to at least 11 species of diadromous fish. The construction of dams blocked migrations of these fish and likely changed the structure and function of fish assemblages throughout the river. Further alteration to fish assemblage structure likely occurred as a result of habitat fragmentation and alteration. The proposed removal of two main-stem dams, improved upstream fish passage at a third dam, and construction of a fish bypass on dam obstructing a major tributary is anticipated to increase passage of diadromous and resident fishes. To …

The Lobster Bulletin, Summer 2012, Lobster Institute, University Of Maine

Lobster Bulletin

The Lobster Bulletin newsletter includes research updates, and information on lobsters and the lobster industry. The Lobster Institute at the University of Maine is dedicated to protecting and conserving the lobster resource, and enhancing lobstering as an industry and a way of life.

Headlines in the Summer 2012 issue include:

• Understanding the Soft Shell Lobster
• Lobster Institute to Host UMaine Lobster Showcase to Celebrate Its 25th Anniversary
• New Lobster Mandatory V-Notch Rules In New York Marine Waters
• Research Report: Effects of Acidification on Juvenile Lobsters Being Studied at UMaine
• Research Report: Fact Sheet Released on Status of Eutrophication in the …

Resistance Of Abomasal Parasites To Common Anthelmintics In Small Ruminants In The Northeast, Alexandra M. Settele

Honors College

The abomasal worm of ruminants, Haemonchus contortus, is detrimental to Northeast sheep and goats. It is also often resistant to anthelmintics commonly used by sheep producers in Maine. We developed methods to assess response of these parasites to anthelmintics. Fecal samples from experimentally infected sheep in West Virginia and from two farms in Maine were used as sources of parasite ova and larvae in these experiments. Parasites were grown to the L3 stage, examined, and then studied using motility tests, Methylthiazol Tetrazolium (MTT) assays and spectrophotometry. Due to selection for resistance over time in Maine parasites, we expect anthelmintics …

Identification Of Internal Parasites Of Sheep And Goats, Amanda Chaney

Honors College

Abomasal worms are a major cause of small ruminant disease. Differentiation of the most pathogenic nematode, H. contortus, from the other common species can be difficult using standard diagnostic fecal floatation techniques because the ova are similar in size and morphology. Known pure culture H. contortus fecal samples from West Virginia University were used to develop morphologic assays using FITC-labeled lectin agglutination and immunocytochemistry to identify species of abomasal worms. These assays were applied to assess disease due to abomasal worms on selected small ruminant farms in Maine. The diagnostic tests were used to test the hypothesis that H. contortus …

The Effects Of White Noise Disturbance On Zebra Finch Behavior; Does Disturbance Predictability Matter?, Kathryn Chenard

Honors College

It is undeniable that the progress of human civilization has altered the natural landscape of the world in ways that range from the merely aesthetic to the irreparably destructive. Some impacts are patently obvious. Others may not be as obvious to the casual observer, and yet they can be just as important in terms of truly understanding not only our impact on the world around us, but how we can mitigate this impact.

One of the most far-reaching of these latter impacts is the increased and altered levels of background noise upon the natural acoustic landscape. These changes have the …

The Lobster Bulletin, Spring 2012, Lobster Institute, University Of Maine

Lobster Bulletin

The Lobster Bulletin newsletter includes research updates, and information on lobsters and the lobster industry. The Lobster Institute at the University of Maine is dedicated to protecting and conserving the lobster resource, and enhancing lobstering as an industry and a way of life.

Headlines in the Spring 2012 issue include:

• Lobster Institute’s 2012 Canadian/U.S. Lobstermen’s Town Meeting Attracts over 100
• Darden Restaurants to Establish a “Lobster Farm” in Malaysia
• National Seafood Marketing Coalition Addresses U.S. Senate
• Lobster Science Symposium Planned for November
• Research Report: Warm Water Affecting Lobsters
• Research Report: Steneck participates in Task Force on Global Fishing
• Lobster Institute’s …

Marine Ecology Of Gulf Of Maine Atlantic Salmon -- Summary Document From A 2008-2010 Series Of Workshops, Maine Sea Grant

Maine Sea Grant Publications

Present-day Atlantic salmon losses at sea are higher than documented prior to 1990 but scientists and managers are often overwhelmed at the scale of the issue and multiple unknowns. This is confounded by the small biomass of salmon in a large ecosystem-- a needle in a haystack.

Maine Sea Grant provided convening and facilitation services to a project sponsored by NOAA Fisheries to bring together marine scientists of multiple disciplines to discuss and develop:

1) testable hypotheses to advance our understanding of current low marine survival of Atlantic salmon and

2) management prescriptions to increase marine survival. A series of …

The Role Of Forest Harvesting And Subsequent Vegetative Regrowth, Viorel D. Popsedu, David A. Patrick, Malcolm L. Hunter Jr., Aram J K Calhoun

Publications

Conservation of forest-dependent amphibians is dependent on finding a balance between timber management and species’ habitat requirements. To examine the effect of short-term vegetative regrowth post-harvesting on amphibian habitat use, we studied the response of eight species (four forest specialists and four habitat generalists) to four forestry treatments (partial harvest, clearcut with coarse woody debris [CWD] removed, clearcut with CWD retained, and uncut control) over a 6-year period, using replicated experimental treatments in Maine, USA. Forest amphibians showed a strong negative response to clearcutting through the duration of the study, regardless of the presence of CWD, but only during the …

Maine Sea Grant: Facts At A Glance 2012, Maine Sea Grant

Maine Sea Grant Publications

Maine Sea Grant supports scientific research that is relevant to the issues and needs of coastal communities in Maine and the northern Gulf of Maine region. Research in our program is accomplished in three ways, which are often connected:

(1) competitive research grants from both Maine research funds and national solicitations;
(2) program development grants to investigators in the state and region; and
(3) research activities of the Marine Extension Team.

Reaching Into The Past For Future Resilience: Recovery Efforts In Maine Rivers And Coastal Waters, John Lichter, Ted Ames

Maine Policy Review

John Lichter and Ted Ames discuss how analysis of environmental histories of human activities affecting Maine’s estuary, river, and coastal marine ecosystems can shed light on the role key fish species may play. Through Maine’s Sustainability Solutions Initiative, a group of researchers from Bowdoin, Bates, Univer­sity of Southern Maine, and Penobscot East Resource Center have teamed up to examine ecological recovery in the state’s waterways and coastal fisheries. Several river restoration efforts were already underway, and others are being planned as a direct result of this inter­disciplinary project.