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Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences

Polyp To Population: A Tale Of Two Corals, Christopher T. Fountain May 2018

Polyp To Population: A Tale Of Two Corals, Christopher T. Fountain

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Deep-sea corals are of conservation concern in the North Atlantic due to prolonged disturbances associated with the exploitation of natural resources and a changing environment. As a result, the recovery rates of deep-sea coral communities are of heightened interest. These recovery rates are suggested to be on the order of decades to millennia, based on slow growth rates and longevity, of various deep-sea coral species. In 2014 and 2017 two research cruises in the Gulf of Maine, collected samples of two locally dominant species, Primnoa resedaeformis and Paramuricea placomus. These specimen collections were coupled with video surveys, conducted by …


Cyanobacteria Reduce Quagga Mussel (Dreissena Rostriformis Bugensis) Spawning And Fertilization Success, Anna G. Boegehold, Nicholas S. Johnson, Jeffrey L. Ram, Donna R. Kashian May 2018

Cyanobacteria Reduce Quagga Mussel (Dreissena Rostriformis Bugensis) Spawning And Fertilization Success, Anna G. Boegehold, Nicholas S. Johnson, Jeffrey L. Ram, Donna R. Kashian

Environmental Science and Geology Faculty Research Publications

Quagga mussels (Dreissena rostriformis bugensis) are highly fecund broadcast spawners invasive to freshwaters of North America and western Europe. We hypothesized that environmental cues from phytoplankton can trigger gamete release in quagga mussels. Nutritious algae may stimulate dreissenid spawning, but less palatable food, such as bloom-forming cyanobacteria, could be a hindrance. The objective of our study was to test whether exposure to cyanobacteria can inhibit quagga mussel spawning and fertilization. We assessed spawning in the presence of serotonin, a known spawning inducer, where adult quagga mussels placed in individual vials were exposed to 13 cyanobacteria cultures and purified algal toxin …