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Patterns Of Habitat Use And Trophic Structure In Turtle Grass (Thalassia Testudinum)-Dominated Systems Across The Northern Gulf Of Mexico, Christian Hayes
Patterns Of Habitat Use And Trophic Structure In Turtle Grass (Thalassia Testudinum)-Dominated Systems Across The Northern Gulf Of Mexico, Christian Hayes
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Seagrass structural complexity is a primary driver of nekton recruitment and faunal community structure. Few studies, however, have quantified the role of seagrass complexity on habitat use and trophic structures over large spatial scales. A large-scale simultaneous survey was conducted to assess relationships of multiple seagrass morphological complexity metrics to nekton habitat use, trophic dynamics, and blue crab (Callinectes sapidus) growth and mortality across the Northern Gulf of Mexico. Seagrass morphological and nekton community characteristics depended on site and season, and regional variation in seagrass morphology was an important driver of juvenile nekton abundance, species richness, beta diversity, …
Migratory Movement, Fishery Exploitation, And Sperm Limitation Of The Louisiana Blue Crab Spawning Stock, Helen Olmi-Graham
Migratory Movement, Fishery Exploitation, And Sperm Limitation Of The Louisiana Blue Crab Spawning Stock, Helen Olmi-Graham
Dissertations
Effective management of commercial fisheries is a challenge as it must balance social, economic, and biologic costs for the betterment of the population in the long term, while also sustaining the fishermen who rely on the industry in the short term. The first step in establishing an effective balanced management plan is to understand the biology and habitat use of the exploited stock. Blue crabs are one of the most commercially and ecologically significant species in the United States. Coast-wide U.S. commercial landings in 2019 totaled 147 million pounds for a dockside value of $206 million. Blue crabs also play …