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Marine Biology

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

2000

Articles 1 - 9 of 9

Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences

Population Dynamics Of The Smooth Dogfish, Mustelus Canis, In The Northwest Atlantic, Christina L. Conrath Jan 2000

Population Dynamics Of The Smooth Dogfish, Mustelus Canis, In The Northwest Atlantic, Christina L. Conrath

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

No abstract provided.


Demographics, Production, And Benthic -Pelagic Coupling By The Suspension Feeding Polychaete Chaetopterus Pergamentaceus In The Lower Chesapeake Bay, Michelle Lynne Thompson Neubauer Jan 2000

Demographics, Production, And Benthic -Pelagic Coupling By The Suspension Feeding Polychaete Chaetopterus Pergamentaceus In The Lower Chesapeake Bay, Michelle Lynne Thompson Neubauer

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

For many shallow water environments, ecosystem function depends on the cycling and flow of materials and energy between benthic and pelagic subsystems. Benthic suspension feeders often are important links between the water column and sediment in coastal ecosystems. Populations of the suspension feeding polychaete Chaetopterus pergamentaceus (previously reported as Chaetopterus variopedatus) are widely distributed along the United States East Coast, ranging from New England to Florida. This species is a structurally and functionally important member of the lower Chesapeake Bay benthic community, where it has maintained stable populations for at least the last 15 years. Little is known regarding the …


Organic Matter Composition Of Sediments And The History Of Eutrophication And Anoxia In The Mesohaline Chesapeake Bay, Andrew R. Zimmerman Jan 2000

Organic Matter Composition Of Sediments And The History Of Eutrophication And Anoxia In The Mesohaline Chesapeake Bay, Andrew R. Zimmerman

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

To evaluate the effects of anthropogenic alteration of the Chesapeake Bay (CB) watershed since European settlement, the historical progression of eutrophication and anoxia in the mesohaline region of CB was reconstructed. Lipid biomarker and carbon and nitrogen stable isotopic and elemental composition of CB surficial sediments were examined seasonally in order to identify the present sources of organic matter to CB sediments and the processes controlling their distribution. Temporal variability in surficial sediment composition could be linked to seasonal changes in phytoplankton community composition and biomass while spatial variation was dominated by the delivery of alloclithonous versus autochthonous sources of …


The Human Factor In Size Selectivity In The Sea Scallop, Placopecten Magellanicus Fishery, Arman O. Kaltayev Jan 2000

The Human Factor In Size Selectivity In The Sea Scallop, Placopecten Magellanicus Fishery, Arman O. Kaltayev

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

No abstract provided.


Synoptic Scale Climatic Forcing Of Multispecies Fish Recruitment Patterns In Chesapeake Bay, Robert J. Wood Jan 2000

Synoptic Scale Climatic Forcing Of Multispecies Fish Recruitment Patterns In Chesapeake Bay, Robert J. Wood

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

Five fishery independent data sets were used to investigate multispecies fish recruitment patterns in Chesapeake Bay (1966--1997). Despite differences in sampling gear, sampled habitat, collection methods, and sampling sites, the strongest multispecies recruitment patterns within each data set (revealed by separate principal components analyses) depict a negative relationship between recruitment of spring spawning anadromous fishes and fall-winter continental shelf spawning species. This pattern dominates both low and high frequency components of the multispecies data. Because these two species groups utilize freshwater and oligohaline reaches of the Bay and its tributaries as springtime nursery areas, this Chesapeake Bay Anadromous-Shelf Spawner (CBASS) …


The Role Of Stress In Determining Community Structure: Effects Of Hypoxia On An Estuarine Epifaunal Community, Alessandra Sagasti Jan 2000

The Role Of Stress In Determining Community Structure: Effects Of Hypoxia On An Estuarine Epifaunal Community, Alessandra Sagasti

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

Community models predict the effects of stress on community structure and processes. I tested the Menge and Sutherland 1987 model in an estuarine epifaunal community experiencing low oxygen stress, termed hypoxia. Epifauna, animals living on the surfaces of substrates, are ecologically important in many estuaries where hypoxia occurs, yet little is known about the effects of hypoxia on these communities. Epifauna formed dense communities in the York River, a tributary of the Chesapeake Bay, USA, despite frequent hypoxia. Abundance and species composition was similar in two areas of the river, even though the downstream study area often experienced lower oxygen …


Ecological Interactions Between Benthic Oyster Reef Fishes And Oysters, Juliana Maria Harding Jan 2000

Ecological Interactions Between Benthic Oyster Reef Fishes And Oysters, Juliana Maria Harding

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

Restoration of oyster reef structures rehabilitates habitats and the multi-level ecological communities built on eastern oysters (Crassostrea virginica), the keystone species. Quantitative descriptions of ecological interactions within a habitat are required to delineate essential fish habitats for management and protection. Parallel development of primary (oysters) and secondary trophic levels (benthic fishes) offer an ecological metric of restoration progress over time. The interaction between larval oysters and larval fishes (e.g., Gobiosoma bosc, Chasmodes bosquianus) is quantitatively examined. Oyster settlement estimates for Palace Bar reef, Piankatank River, Virginia are of the same order of magnitude as field densities of recently settled oysters. …


Ecological Dispersal Mechanisms, Reproductive Ecology, And The Importance Of Scale In Zostera Marina In Chesapeake Bay, Matthew C. Harwell Jan 2000

Ecological Dispersal Mechanisms, Reproductive Ecology, And The Importance Of Scale In Zostera Marina In Chesapeake Bay, Matthew C. Harwell

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

Previous knowledge of the seed ecology of the clonal seagrass Zostera marina L. (eelgrass) suggests that sexual reproduction is not very important to the population dynamics of eelgrass; however, researchers have hypothesized long-distance dispersal for nearly a century. From a bay-wide sampling effort, viable eelgrass seeds in the seed bank were found throughout most of the lower and middle Chesapeake Bay, but abundance of seeds was highly variable. Lower seed-bank densities were found in middle Chesapeake Bay, the region with slow recovery of eelgrass populations. From natural and artificially created eelgrass populations, regional environmental conditions were found to have a …


Photosynthetic Response And Nutrient Uptake Dynamics Of Phytoplankton In The Ross Sea, Antarctica, Christina Marie Van Hilst Jan 2000

Photosynthetic Response And Nutrient Uptake Dynamics Of Phytoplankton In The Ross Sea, Antarctica, Christina Marie Van Hilst

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

No abstract provided.