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Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences

Plant Physiological Responses To Environmental Change In A Marsh-Mangrove Ecotone, Matthew Sturchio Jan 2021

Plant Physiological Responses To Environmental Change In A Marsh-Mangrove Ecotone, Matthew Sturchio

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Globally, photosynthesis (A) and autotrophic respiration (R) are the two largest physiological processes responsible for CO2 flux. Coastal wetland ecosystems are responsible for some of the highest rates of C sequestration. Marsh grass and mangrove habitats responsible for this service are important in supporting biodiversity and preventing shoreline erosion, yet little is known about how this vegetation will respond physiologically to effects of climate and global change. In the first chapter a warming experiment was used to determine whether a C4 marsh grass (Spartina alterniflora) and a C3 mangrove (Avicennia …


Characterization Of A Scalloped Hammerhead (Sphyrna Lewini) Nursery Habitat In Portions Of The Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway, Bryanna N. Wargat Jan 2021

Characterization Of A Scalloped Hammerhead (Sphyrna Lewini) Nursery Habitat In Portions Of The Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway, Bryanna N. Wargat

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The scalloped hammerhead shark (Sphyrna lewini) worldwide population has been in sharp decline, and they are currently listed as a globally critically endangered species by the IUCN. This warrants a need to identify and protect critical habitats for the species, such as nurseries, which promote stable populations. A section of the Tolomato River, in northeastern Florida, has shown to host large and consistent numbers of young of year scalloped hammerhead sharks. This gave cause to determine whether this portion of the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway (ICW) serves as a nursery habitat for the species and to understand how the …


The Relative Contribution Of The Blue Crab (Callinectes Sapidus) To Periwinkle Snail (Littoraria Irrorata) Predation Mortality In The Lower Salt Marsh Intertidal Of Northeast Florida, Amanda Paige Small Jan 2021

The Relative Contribution Of The Blue Crab (Callinectes Sapidus) To Periwinkle Snail (Littoraria Irrorata) Predation Mortality In The Lower Salt Marsh Intertidal Of Northeast Florida, Amanda Paige Small

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In top-down regulation of ecological communities, predation of grazers is critical for maintaining the presence and growth of essential vegetation. The periwinkle snail (Littoraria irrorata) is a ubiquitous grazer in Atlantic salt marshes that can defoliate patches of Spartina alterniflora when populations are extremely dense. On the east coast of Florida, multiple predators could contribute to periwinkle population control maintaining this critical habitat. This study aimed to determine if the blue crab (Callinectes sapidus) is the primary predator of periwinkle snails in the salt marsh lower intertidal. Tethering was utilized to assess if periwinkle mortality is …


Residency And Sociality Analysis Of Skin Lesions In Bottlenose Dolphins (Tursiops Truncatus) Of The St. Johns River, Fl, Brittney Divittore-Goodrum Jan 2021

Residency And Sociality Analysis Of Skin Lesions In Bottlenose Dolphins (Tursiops Truncatus) Of The St. Johns River, Fl, Brittney Divittore-Goodrum

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Photo analysis of skin lesions is a non-invasive method to measure the health of cetacean populations. The St. Johns River (SJR) in NE Florida is an estuarine system inhabited by bottlenose dolphins that is characterized by high levels of anthropogenic activity, which can impact dolphin health. Social transmission of disease may influence lesion formation in dolphins; thus this study aimed to determine if skin lesion prevalence and body coverage differed based on 1) the amount of time spent in the SJR annually and 2) sociality measures. The dataset was restricted to three 12-month periods, based on the occurrence of an …


Weak Olfactory Preferences Of The Gall Midge Asphondylia Borrichiae, Associated Fungal Endophytes And Implications On Gene Flow And Host Range Expansion, Frances S. Nagle Jan 2021

Weak Olfactory Preferences Of The Gall Midge Asphondylia Borrichiae, Associated Fungal Endophytes And Implications On Gene Flow And Host Range Expansion, Frances S. Nagle

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Asphondylia borrichaie is a small fly (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae) that is currently undergoing host-associated sympatric divergence. Asphondylia borrichaie is an ambrosia galler, these insects utilize a host plant for oviposition, but its offspring also rely on a symbiotic fungus (or fungal community) to promote the formation of the gall as well as serve as a food source for the developing larvae. Previous studies indicate that A. borrichaie consists of two host- associated populations based on its original host plant Borrichia frutescens (Asterales: Asteraceae), and another one from the two Iva species (I. frutescens (Asterales: Asteraceae) and I. imbricata …


Benthic Microalgae Response To A Warming Climate And Shift In Foundational Vegetation Species In A Saltmarsh-Mangrove Ecotone, Gabriela Canas Jan 2021

Benthic Microalgae Response To A Warming Climate And Shift In Foundational Vegetation Species In A Saltmarsh-Mangrove Ecotone, Gabriela Canas

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The ecotone in Northeast Florida is experiencing rapid change as mangroves begin to encroach northward into saltmarsh dominated coastal wetlands. This is especially prevalent within the boundaries of the Guana Tolomato Matanzas National Estuarine Research Reserve where studies are attempting to understand the consequences of more mangroves. Although we are beginning to understand some of the implications of this shift in dominant vegetation, the true effects and the accompanying sustained climatic warming effects on the resilience of wetland habitats and their associated communities remains unknown. Primary producers such as benthic microalgae (BMA) are important food sources in both mangrove and …