Life Sciences Commons^™

Collaborative Research: Determinants Of Male Reproductive Success In Natural Spawns, Philip O. Yund, Paul Rawson

University of Maine Office of Research Administration: Grant Reports

This proposal is an extension of previous work aimed at understanding the effects of reproductive biology on patterns of life history evolution in a colonial marine tunicate, Botryllus schlosseri. The project will test five hypotheses about factors that may determine male reproductive success in natural spawns of this colonial invertebrate. The five hypotheses specifically aim to explore the effects of timing of sperm release, relatedness of mates, population density, and allocation to male function on fertilization success in field and experimental populations of Botryllus.

Previous work has shown that there is a narrow temporal window in which fertilization can result …

Molecular Systematics Of A Rapidly Evolving Species Flock: The Mbuna (Cichlidae) Of Lake Malawi, Irving L. Kornfield

University of Maine Office of Research Administration: Grant Reports

Kornfield Irv Kornfield of the University of Maine will employ hypervariable microsatellite markers to study the systematics and phylogeny of the mbuna , a large group of cichlid fishes of Lake Malawi, East Africa, that have obligate ties to shallow, rocky habitats. Mbuna represent a highly speciose assemblage known for rapid and extensive diversification over a short periods of time. Mbuna thus represent an ideal model system in which to examine processes (e.g., habitat fragmentation, trophic and spatial niche shifts, interspecific agonistic interaction, and sexual selection) that are associated with speciation and adaptive radiation. Kornfield will use microsatellite markers to …

Proteins Of Oxygen-Binding And Energy Metabolism In Muscles Of Antarctic Fishes: Evolutionary Adjustments To Life At Cold Temperature, Bruce Sidell, Michael E. Vayda

University of Maine Office of Research Administration: Grant Reports

The suborder Notothenoidei is the dominant fish group of the Southern Ocean surrounding Antarctica, both in terms of number of species and biomass. For about fourteen million years, these highly successful fish evolved under stable thermal conditions that result in body temperatures of about zero degrees centigrade throughout their life histories. Evolution this cold environment has led to unusual physiological and biochemical characteristics. In some cases, the characteristics contribute to overcoming constraints of cold temperature on biological processes. In other instances, mutations that probably would have been lethal in warmer, less oxygen-rich environments than the Southern Ocean have been retained …

Toward Closure Of Upwelling Radiance In Coastal Waters, Grace C. Chang, Tommy D. Dickey, Curtis D. Mobley, Emmanuel Boss, W. Scott Pegau

Marine Sciences Faculty Scholarship

We present three methods for deriving water-leaving radiance Lw(λ) and remote-sensing reflectance using a hyperspectral tethered spectral radiometer buoy (HyperTSRB), profiled spectroradiometers, and Hydrolight simulations. Average agreement for 53 comparisons between HyperTSRB and spectroradiometric determinations of Lw(λ) was 26%, 13%, and 17% at blue, green, and red wavelengths, respectively. Comparisons of HyperTSRB (and spectroradiometric) Lw(λ) with Hydrolight simulations yielded percent differences of 17% (18%), 17% (18%), and 13% (20%) for blue, green, and red wavelengths, respectively. The differences can be accounted for by uncertainties in model assumptions and model input data (chlorophyll fluorescence quantum efficiency and the spectral chlorophyll-specific absorption …

Is Hemoglobin Gelation An Adaptation To The Cold In Boreal Fishes?, Ione Hunt Von Herbing

University of Maine Office of Research Administration: Grant Reports

Recent studies of fish red blood cells found that a regular paracrystalline array of hemoglobin (Hb) tetamers formed under low oxygen conditions in 2 species of boreal fishes, Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) and toadfish, (Opsanus tau). This phenomenon is termed hemoglobin gelation and its physiological characteristics and importance to survival of boreal fishes is unknown. The study outlined in this proposal will obtain preliminary data on the frequency and physiological nature of the phenomenon of hemoglobin (Hb) gelation in red blood cells of fishes that inhabit cold-water temperate and Arctic environments. The present study will test the hypothesis that hemoglobin …

Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowships At The Darling Marine Center, Kevin J. Eckelbarger

University of Maine Office of Research Administration: Grant Reports

This award provides funding to initiate a Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) program at the University of Maine's Darling Marine Center. The two-year pilot program will sponsor six to eight undergraduate students in an eleven-week internship that includes seminars and a research project. Mentors chosen by the students will help the students formulate and conduct a research project. Students will receive instruction in scientific methodology and related skills that are common to all fields of science (hypothesis formulation and testing, elementary statistics, experimental and sampling design, scientific writing, and data presentation). They will also participate in a seminar focused on …

Subsurface Maxima Of Phytoplankton And Chlorophyll: Steady-State Solutions From A Simple Model, Katja Fennel, Emmanuel Boss

Marine Sciences Faculty Scholarship

In oligotrophic lakes and oceans, the deep chlorophyll maximum may form independently of a maximum of phytoplankton biomass, because the ratio of chlorophyll to phytoplankton biomass (in units of carbon) increases with acclimation to reduced light and increased nutrient supply at depth. Optical data (beam attenuation as proxy for phytoplankton biomass and chlorophyll fluorescence and absorption as proxies for chlorophyll concentration) and conventional measurements of biovolume, particulate organic carbon, and chlorophyll from two oligotrophic systems (Crater Lake, Oregon, and Sta. ALOHA in the subtropical North Pacific Ocean) are presented and show a vertical separation of the maxima of biomass and …

The Effect Of Bottom Substrate On Inherent Optical Properties: Evidence Of Biogeochemical Processes, Emmanuel Boss, J. Ronald V. Zaneveld

Marine Sciences Faculty Scholarship

Measurements of inherent optical properties (IOP) were conducted over bottoms with different substrates by use of a sampling package mounted on and operated by a SCUBA diver. It was found that in areas of low ambient currents the distribution of IOP varies with bottom type in (1) its value relative to a nearby bottom of different type, (2) its vertical gradient, and (3) its variability. This implies that radiative transfer modeling in shallow environments may need to include, besides the bottom characteristics, the bottom effect on in-water IOP. In tidally flushed shallow banks, vertical and horizontal gradients over scales of …

The Influence Of Bottom Morphology On Reflectance: Theory And Two-Dimensional Geometry Model, J. Ronald V. Zaneveld, Emmanuel Boss

Marine Sciences Faculty Scholarship

The reflectance of the bottom is of importance when interpreting optical data in shallow water. Closure studies of radiative transfer, interpretation of laser line scanner data, lidar, and remote sensing in shallow waters require understanding of the bottom reflectance. In the Coastal Benthic Optical Properties experiment (CoBOP), extensive measurements of the material reflectance (reflectance very close to the bottom) were made. Far field reflectance will be needed in carrying out closure of the radiative transfer model and observed radiometric and inherent optical properties. The far field reflectance is the bottom reflectance that includes the effect of bottom morphology (such as …

Nearshore Physical Processes And Bio-Optical Properties In The New York Bight, G. C. Chang, T. D. Dickey, O. M. Schofield, A. D. Weidemann, E. Boss, W. S. Pegau, M. A. Moline, S. M. Glenn

Marine Sciences Faculty Scholarship

Temporal and spatial variability of physical, biological, and optical properties on scales of minutes to months and meters to ∼50 km are examined using an extensive data set collected on the New York Bight continental shelf during the Hyperspectral Coastal Ocean Dynamics Experiment. Measurements from a midshelf mooring and bottom tripod (∼25 km offshore, 24 m water depth) and two nearshore profiling nodes (∼5 km offshore, 15 m water depth) are utilized to quantify and correlate midshelf and nearshore variability. Towed shipboard undulating profilers and a high-frequency radar (CODAR) array provide complementary spatial data. We show that phytoplankton and dissolved …

Food Substrates And Digestive Capabilitites Of Marine Deposit Feeders, Lawrence M. Mayer

University of Maine Office of Research Administration: Grant Reports

Deposit feeders play several important roles in determining whether organic material is demineralized or buried. These animals function to make surfaces available for microbial growth and move particles both horizontally and vertically within the seabed at a pace that far exceeds sedimentation. The central problem in understanding deposit feeders is to identify the materials that they utilize and to determine the sources of those materials. The interdisciplinary approach of this project is to combine a chemical reactor theory of digestion with measurements of the processing of enzymatically available amino acids, focusing on rates of hydrolysis in, and absorption from, the …

The Effect Of Gamete Competition On Levels Of Gamete Production In A Marine Invertebrate, Kevin J. Eckelbarger

University of Maine Office of Research Administration: Grant Reports

Previous work suggests that high population densities result in more intense male gamete competition and select for increased levels of production of these gametes. This hypothesis will be tested by examining spatial and temporal correlations between density and male gamete production levels in natural populations of a colonial ascidian. Two additional considerations which might modify the effect that male gamete competition has on levels of male gamete production will also be explored. First, natural selection can only act on the genetic portion of total phenotypic variance. Secondly, selection acts simultaneously on the entire phenotype, and so the effect of selection …

Fsml: Construction Of Visiting Investigator/Classroom Building At Darling Marine Center, Kevin J. Eckelbarger

University of Maine Office of Research Administration: Grant Reports

Since 1991, the University of Maine has made significant financial investments in its marine laboratory, the Darling Marine Center to equally benefit both University personnel and visiting colleges and researchers. During 1997-99 alone, the University supported improvements including a student dormitory/dining hall. New flowing seawater facilities (construction to begin spring 2000), a new 42' coastal research vessel (under construction), and more classroom microscopes and computers (delivered and in use) have also been supported. All of these improvements directly benefit visitors and they reflect a stated policy of encouraging increased use of the facilities by visiting investigators and outside colleges. Extensive …

Ocean Color Observations Of Eddies During The Summer In The Gulf Of California, W. Scott Pegau, Emmanuel Boss, Antonio Martínez

Marine Sciences Faculty Scholarship

Using SeaWiFS ocean color satellite images collected during 1997-2001, a series of eddies have been observed in the Gulf of California. These eddies are not clearly seen in the summertime sea surface temperature images. The surface circulation between the midriff islands and the mouth of the gulf appears to be dominated by this series of eddies that have an alternating sense of rotation. An eddy pair is observed to extend from Cabo Lobos in each of the three years, suggesting that the eddies are topographically locked. The formation mechanism of the eddies remains unknown; however, we suspect the most likely …

Powre: A Pilot Study Of Chemoreception Mechanisms In Deposit-Feeding Polychaetes, Sara M. Lindsay

University of Maine Office of Research Administration: Grant Reports

This proposal was submitted to the NSF-wide Professional Opportunities for Women in Research and Education (POWRE) program. The PI proposes to begin research on the sensory mechanisms coordinating chemoreception in spionid polychaetes, a common deposit-feeding invertebrate. These worms are widely distributed in soft-sediment benthic marine environments and, along with other deposit-feeders, are responsible for the bioturbation that is important to this environment. Some evidence indicates that chemoreception may coordinate sediment ingestion rate and other aspects of deposit-feeding in a variety of species. The proposed research will attempt to identify some of the physiological and molecular mechanisms used by the worms …

Phase Function Effects On Oceanic Light Fields, Curtis D. Mobley, Lydia K. Sundman, Emmanuel Boss

Marine Sciences Faculty Scholarship

Numerical simulations show that underwater radiances, irradiances, and reflectances are sensitive to the shape of the scattering phase function at intermediate and large scattering angles, although the exact shape of the phase function in the backscatter directions (for a given backscatter fraction) is not critical if errors of the order of 10% are acceptable. We present an algorithm for generating depth–and wavelength-dependent Fournier–Forand phase functions having any desired backscatter fraction. Modeling of a comprehensive data set of measured inherent optical properties and radiometric variables shows that use of phase functions with the correct backscatter fraction and overall shape is crucial …

Growth Increment Analysis Of Marine Bivalves From The North, Stephen D. Houk

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study aids in developing a sea surface temperature (SST) proxy with monthly temporal resolution using a combination of growth increment and stable isotope analyses of marine bivalves from the north coast of Peru. Faunal assemblages from the Siches and Ostra Base Camp archaeological sites contain shells of warm-tropical mollusks that currently live farther north in Ecuador. The presence of warm-tropical species in these sites and others as far south as 10"s latitude and dating prior to 5730 cal yr B.P. indicates a stable warm-water regime in the eastern tropical Pacific which subsequently changes to a modern temperate-water regime after …

Effects Of An Increasing Harbor Seal Population On Changes In Sites Used For Pupping, Nikolina Guldager

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Aerial survey data from 198 1 to 1997 of an increasing harbor seal (Phoca vitulina concolor) population in Penobscot and Blue Hill bays, Maine, were used to evaluate spatial and temporal patterns of use of pupping sites by mother-pup pairs. Pupping sites refer to haul-out sites where pups were observed during surveys, and are assumed to be used consistently from birth to weaning. Sites with pups were spatially clustered to remove spatial auto-correlation, reduce temporal variability and provide biologically cohesive and independent sample units. Spatial, temporal and habitat analyses were completed for 2 spatial scales: individual sites and …

Thermal Adaptation Of Polar Macroalgae, Ian R. Davison

University of Maine Office of Research Administration: Grant Reports

Davison 9418033 The genetic adaptations that enable certain plant species to survive and grow in polar environments where temperatures are near or below 0oC year-round are poorly understood. Low- temperature adaptation is complicated in terrestrial plants by freezing, desiccation and stomatal conductance, and in marine phytoplankton by a variable and unpredictable physical environment. Polar macroalgae provide an experimental system that is not subject to these complications and that is well- suited to the study of cold-adaptation in plants. Cold- adaptation is particularly well developed in Antarctic macroalgae, in which rates of photosynthesis and growth at OoC are comparable to rates …

Emersion Stress In Intertidal Seaweeds: Role Of Active Oxygen, Ian R. Davison

University of Maine Office of Research Administration: Grant Reports

The study will examine stress-tolerance in two major groups of perennial intertidal macroalgae, the red and brown seaweeds. The research will test the hypothesis that active oxygen is involved in emersion stress of intertidal seaweeds. Damage due to active oxygen will be determined in stress-tolerant and stress- susceptible species exposed to emersion stress by measuring the peroxidation of membrane lipids. Plants will be grown in laboratory culture under conditions that increase their ability to withstand emersion stress. If the research hypothesis is correct, increases in stress tolerance should be associated with increased levels of antioxidants and/or protective enzymes. The proposed …

School Of Marine Sciences / Darling Marine Center, Kevin J. Eckelbarger

University of Maine Office of Research Administration: Grant Reports

Over the last six years, the University of Maine has made an unprecedented investment in its marine laboratory, the Darling Marine Center to benefit both University faculty and visiting researchers and their students. Facility improvements include many new laboratory and offices spaces, more research instrumentation, and basic support facilities such as a dining hall and new classrooms. The inauguration of a Visiting Investigation Program in 1991, the expansion of educational offerings, and the growth of a large undergraduate internship program, have resulted in a population explosion that shows no sign of abating. To set priorities for improvements, the University has …

Collaborative Research: Nitrate Flux Associated With Vertically Migrating Phytoplankton In The Central North Pacific, Cynthia H. Pilskaln

University of Maine Office of Research Administration: Grant Reports

This proposal will address a fundamental problem in biological oceanography format he viewpoint that vertically migrating algal mats in the open ocean are instrumental in redistributing nitrogen within the surface waters of the North Pacific Ocean. Using previously funded shiptime, the project will documents Rhizosolenia mat vertical distribution throughout the upper 100-300 m, the quantitative N inputs, and potential for NO₃-release in the surface layers by mats in the central North Pacific gyre. The research will characterize depth of origin, migration times and absolute transport rates by these macroscopic associations and determine if NO₃-release by mat …

Linking Marine Science To Industry: One Building Block, Kathleen Ellis

Maine Policy Review

All involved in the work to develop Maine’s marine industry are united in the view that partnerships are paramount in maximizing the potential of this resource for the benefit of the state’s economy in a global marketplace. One entity with experience in the arena of working in collaboration with the private and public sectors is the University of Maine, which now is attempting to develop its role within the state’s marine industry further by becoming the home of a new School of Marine Sciences. Kathleen Ellis in this commentary offers some historical perspective on the university’s place in the state’s …

Explorations, Vol. 6, No. 1, Carole J. Bombard, George J. Mitchell, William S. Cohen, Gregory N. Brown, Daniel Belknap, Joseph Kelley, Mark E. Wood, William Duffy, Rebecca Smith, Andrew Walsh, Donald Robbins, Bradley W.B. Hay, Molly Horvath, Richard Hale, James Philip, Robert A. Strong, Bret P. Vicary

Explorations — A Journal of Research

Cover: Panthera pardus, Chui in Kiswatuli, was photographed by Dr. Linda Karbonit ar Dr. James A. Sherburne in Serengeti National Park, Tanzania. Karbonit was accompanying Sherburne who was working on the design and development of the University of Maine, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, assistance program in wildlife training and conservation education to Tanzania’s National Parks. Sherburne, who has worked in Tanzania for several years, was there most recently in 1988 and 1989 working on the parks project. He serves as the Director of International Natural Resources and Agricultural Programs at the University of Maine.

Articles include:

"Research and …

The Harpswell Laboratory 1898-1920: A Marine Biological Station, Mary Francis Williams

Maine History

This article reviews the founding and history of The Harpswell Laboratory, A Marine Biological Station

Explorations, Vol. 2, No. 2, Kathleen Lignell, Carole J. Bombard, David Dean, James A. Wilson, Robert S. Steneck, Les Watling, David K. Stevenson, Daniel F. Belknap, Joseph T. Kelley

Explorations — A Journal of Research

Cover: The painting reproduced on the cover is an oil on canvas entitled “Konrad Oberhuber’s Visit to Compass Harbor, Maine, ” by Michael Lewis, 1985. Lewis is Professor of Art at the University of Maine at Orono. ©Michael Lewis, 1985

Articles include:
"The Gulf of Maine: A Sea Beside a Sea," by Kathleen Lignell

"The Gulf of Maine Littoral world of promise," by Carole J. Bombard for David Sanger

"Marine Worms Worth Fifteen Dollars Each?" by David Dean

"Free Trade, Not Trade War," by James A. Wilson

"Inner Space—The Gulf of Maine: its history and future for research," by Robert …

B764: Nitrogen Transformation And Movement In A Marine Sediment Soil Following Treatment With Varying Rates Of Poultry Manure, R. F. Jeffrey, F. E. Hutchinson

Bulletins

Nitrate in water can be hazardous to human health and also cause excess algal growth. Recent research has revealed agriculture to be a potential contributor to these problems. Nitrate (N03-) present in the soil, in amounts in excess of plant needs,may be leached through the soil profile to the groundwater and eventually to lakes and streams. This investigation was undertaken under laboratory conditions to determine the transformation and movement of nitrogen through a poorly drained marine sediment soil following application of varying rates of poultry manure.

Growth And Spawning Characteristics Of The Sea Scallop, Placopecten Magellanicus (Gmelin), Walter R. Welch

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Anatomical studies of Placopecten magellanicus agreed with previous investigations, except that a crystalline style was found, but only in fresh specimens. Ring mesh size of the dredge controlled relative frequency of size classes in commercial dredging, which yielded 97.7 per cent commercial sizes. Growth was most rapid during the first five years and slowest after the seventh. The minimum size for commercial utilization was about 80 millimeters, attained at about four years. The commercial catch was 60-8 per cent composed of ages up through seven years and 38.8 per cent composed of ages up through five. Maximum age was over …