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Habitat Preferences Of Adult Spotted Seatrout, Cynoscion Nebulosus, In Lake Pontchartrain, Louisiana, Noelle Marie Bramer
Habitat Preferences Of Adult Spotted Seatrout, Cynoscion Nebulosus, In Lake Pontchartrain, Louisiana, Noelle Marie Bramer
LSU Master's Theses
Spotted seatrout (Cynoscion nebulosus) are a highly sought after sportfish, making up over 90% of the recreational fishery in Louisiana. As a significant portion of every life history stage is spent within its natal estuary, it is an ideal bio-indicator of estuarine health. As one of the largest estuaries in Louisiana, Lake Pontchartrain represents one such supporting ecosystem. From November 2012 to April 2014 acoustic tagging of individual fish, a lake-wide receiver array, and ArcGIS mapping software were utilized to determine the spatial distribution of spotted seatrout within the lake. Receivers were placed in representative locations including man-made and natural …
Nitrogen Biogeochemistry In A Restored Mississippi River Delta: A Modeling Approach, Benjamin Lee Branoff
Nitrogen Biogeochemistry In A Restored Mississippi River Delta: A Modeling Approach, Benjamin Lee Branoff
LSU Master's Theses
There is evidence that significant reductions (about 50%) in surface water nitrate concentrations within coastal deltaic wetlands receiving diverted Mississippi River water can be contributed to denitrification. Yet there is also contrasting evidence that other processes could be responsible for this nitrate reduction. As Louisiana plans the implementation of major Mississippi River sediment diversions, a thorough understanding of nitrogen dynamics is necessary to reduce risks of coastal eutrophication and offshore hypoxia. A mechanistic numerical computer model has been developed to simulate nitrogen biogeochemistry within the wetlands of the prograding Wax Lake Delta. This model is calibrated to observed fluxes within …
Patterns Of Habitat Suitability And Abundance Trends Of Current And Candidate Coastal Fish Species Of Concern In Louisiana, Elin Rose Sandy
Patterns Of Habitat Suitability And Abundance Trends Of Current And Candidate Coastal Fish Species Of Concern In Louisiana, Elin Rose Sandy
LSU Master's Theses
Louisiana’s estuaries and coastal waters play an important role in providing habitat for several estuarine-dependent species and also serve as a nursery for the juveniles of several other species. The current rate of land loss in Louisiana and the decline of estuarine-dependent species force us to improve our understanding of the recruitment of these species into Louisiana’s estuaries. Habitat suitabilities were developed for several fish species of concern (SOC) and other estuarine-dependent species across three environmental gradients, abundance patterns were developed for seasons, five-year intervals, and coastal study areas (CSAs). Chi-square analyses and ANOVAs were then used to test for …
Effects Of Habitat Structural Complexity On Nekton Assemblages: Lab And Field Observations In Southern Louisiana, Austin T. Humphries
Effects Of Habitat Structural Complexity On Nekton Assemblages: Lab And Field Observations In Southern Louisiana, Austin T. Humphries
LSU Master's Theses
Greater structural complexity is often associated with more diverse and abundant species assemblages. Biogenic reefs formed by the eastern oyster (Crassostrea virginica) are structurally complex in nature and have been recognized for their potential habitat value in estuarine systems along the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico coasts. To determine how the structural complexity of newly created oyster reefs may influence the abundance and distribution of species, three objectives were established. First, to examine spatial and temporal patterns of nekton use at newly created oyster reefs, as well as the impact of wave exposure, six paired oyster reef and mud-bottom treatments …
The Effect Of An Inshore Artificial Reef On The Community Structure And Feeding Ecology Of Estuarine Fishes In Barataria Bay, Louisiana, Kirsten A. Simonsen
The Effect Of An Inshore Artificial Reef On The Community Structure And Feeding Ecology Of Estuarine Fishes In Barataria Bay, Louisiana, Kirsten A. Simonsen
LSU Master's Theses
Recently we have begun to understand the importance of inshore hard-bottom substrate, including oyster reefs, to estuarine fish communities in the Gulf of Mexico, especially in the context of identifying Essential Fish Habitat (EFH). However, problems such as habitat loss, disease, overharvest, and failure to replace shell have severely decreased the amount of high-relief oyster reef habitat available to finfish. The purpose of this project was to establish an artificial high-relief mimic-oyster reef in Barataria Bay, Louisiana, and monitor its use by economically and ecologically important finfish, including spotted seatrout (Cynoscion nebulosus) and Atlantic croaker (Micropogonias undulatus). The finfish and …
Habitat Use By Nekton In A Saltmarsh Estuary Along A Stream-Order Gradient In Northeastern Barataria Bay, Louisiana, Pablo Granados-Dieseldorff
Habitat Use By Nekton In A Saltmarsh Estuary Along A Stream-Order Gradient In Northeastern Barataria Bay, Louisiana, Pablo Granados-Dieseldorff
LSU Master's Theses
Mesohaline estuarine regions in Louisiana play an important role in coastal ecosystems. To begin to understand how nektonic species and communities respond to environmental variables before habitat modification, I examined patterns of habitat use by fishes and decapod crustaceans in a seemingly pristine mesohaline system that drains into Bay Batiste, southeastern Louisiana. The study area was focused on a relatively unaltered core saltmarsh complex drained by intertidal and subtidal streams and it was representative of a larger surrounding system in terms of nekton community structure and associated environmental variables. Stratified monthly sampling (February – November 2004) along a stream-order gradient …
A Comparison Of Finfish Assemblages On Subtidal Oyster Shell (Cultched Oyster Lease) And Mud Bottom In Barataria Bay, Louisiana, John Plunket
LSU Master's Theses
Recent research suggests that oyster reefs provide unique three-dimensional hard bottom habitat for many fish species. Along the northern shore of the Gulf of Mexico, oyster shell bottoms are predominantly flat, subtidal and cultched, lacking the vertical relief and spatial heterogeneity provided by natural reefs. This study compared finfish assemblages, gut contents, and macroinvertebrate assemblages at subtidal oyster shell (cultched oyster lease) and mud bottoms in Barataria Bay, Louisiana. Three mud and three shell sites were sampled on seven dates from October 2001 to October 2002, using gill nets and substrate trays. Data from the gill nets were used to …
An Ecopath/Ecosim Analysis Of An Estuarine Food Web: Seasonal Energy Flow And Response To River-Flow Related Perturbations, Laura Lynette Althauser
An Ecopath/Ecosim Analysis Of An Estuarine Food Web: Seasonal Energy Flow And Response To River-Flow Related Perturbations, Laura Lynette Althauser
LSU Master's Theses
Estuaries are often the receiving basins for major river systems which makes them vulnerable to anthropogenic influences. I used Ecopath and Ecosim to investigate the structure of the Weeks Bay, Alabama, USA food web, and the responses of the food web to bottom-up perturbations. Four season-specific steady-state Ecopath models were developed and used to compare the production, biomass, consumption, biomass flows, and higher order indices of ecosystem functioning of the Weeks Bay food web under winter, spring, summer, and fall conditions. The season-specific Ecopath snapshots indicated that the structure of the Weeks Bay food web was resilient. Winter had the …