Life Sciences Commons^™

Land Use As A Predictor Of Water Hyacinth (Eichhornia Crassipes) Presence On The Entebbe Coast Of Lake Victoria, Uganda, Zachary Hoffman

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Lake Victoria is shared amongst Tanzania, Kenya, and Uganda and has tremendous ecological, economical, and cultural significance. Within the lake system, there are several problems, including the proliferation of an invasive weed, water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes). Therefore, this study aims to assess several factors that may correlate with water hyacinth proliferation. The specific objectives are (1) to identify possible correlations of water hyacinth density and land use around Entebbe, Uganda, and (2) to identify annual trends in water hyacinth coverage, to better inform policy and conservation efforts. Entebbe has a coastline of six land cover types: flooded vegetation, trees, grasses, …

An Eventful Past Predicting A Bizarre Future: Assessing The Influence Of Ocean Circulation On Key Fish Species In Icelandic Waters. An Analysis Of Past Circulation Records In Order To Predict The State Of Demersal Fish Stocks In Future Climate Scenarios, Matthew Engfer

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Feedback-driven changes in North Atlantic Ocean circulation are affecting marine ecosystems off the coast of Iceland and are predicted to have differing outcomes by 2100. In this study, data reflecting Icelandic fish stock distributions was compiled on a map with oceanographic temperature and depth in order to observe patterns of population changes with changes in ocean currents. After evaluating past temperature effects on demersal fish stocks, future habitat predictions were estimated in weaker ocean circulation scenarios. A number of assumptions were made in order to pinpoint a correlation between ocean temperature and fish habitat. Iceland’s unique location and climate offers …

Abundance, Foraging Levels, And Dietary Preferences Of Chaetodon Capistratus On Reefs Surrounding Porvenir Island In The Guna Yala Comarca Of Panamá, Eleanor Ann Casement

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Reef fish are a physically and functionally diverse group of organisms that live in close association with coral reef habitats. Chaetodontidae represents the most species rich family of corallivorous fish, and their reliance on corals as food resources has led to their designation as indicator species of coral cover and health. However, the majority of research on the foraging ecology of Caribbean Chaetodontids dates back several decades, and therefore does not account for recent changes in coral community composition as the result of disease, climate change, and other stressors. As the novel and deadly stony coral tissue loss disease (SCTLD) …

Investigating The Impact Of Land Use On Avian Diversity And Abundance In Areas Surrounding Mabamba Swamp, Uganda, Sydney Marie Jones

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The primary objective of this study was to investigate the impact of wetland-adjacent land use on avian species richness and abundance areas surrounding Mabamba Swamp, Uganda. Four types of land use were investigated: Eucalyptus plantations, wetland-edge agricultural fields, residential areas, and mature secondary forests. A total of 40-morning point counts were conducted for ten days in late November and late December of 2021. One-way ANOVA tests and Tukey’s HSD tests revealed significant differences in mean avian richness and abundance between all sites except residential areas and Nkima Forest. Additionally, Nkima Forest was found to contain the most number of specialist …

The Influence Of Bottom Type And Water Column Stratification On Reef Fish Community Structure At Gray’S Reef National Marine Sanctuary, Bridget Campbell

Honors Theses

Understanding the physical and oceanographic differences across reef habitats can help researchers assess how those differences influence fish distribution and community structure, which leads to a better understanding of what a healthy reef system looks like. The traditional methods used to assess fish communities on temperate reefs are limited and often focus solely on either the reef structure or water column conditions alone. An assessment of both data sets yields a more complete understanding of the ecosystem as a whole. In this study, Gray’s Reef National Marine Sanctuary (GRNMS) was surveyed both inside and outside a Marine Protected Area (MPA) …

Public Perception Of Forest And Fire Management Policy In Portugal, Jensen Rocha

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The impacts of forest fires are growing as climate change creates more frequent ideal temperature conditions for extreme wildfires. With the devastating fires it experienced in 2017, Portugal stands as an example of the impacts of dangerous wildfires and is working on developing a plan to protect its country from this rising threat. Important in the plan development is the opinion of the many stakeholders involved and the public whom the fires impact. Using an interview and survey approach, this study gathers public and stakeholder opinion on the forest and fire management policy in Portugal to understand what issues in …

Beach Suitability For Nesting Olive Ridley Sea Turtles (Lepidochelys Olivacea), Playa Malena, Azuero Peninsula, Panama, Soleil Foy

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Sea turtle species all over the world are facing continuous declines in their populations partly due to diminished viable nesting habitat. Understanding sea turtle nesting preferences and the suitability of beaches for reproductive success is necessary in order to sustain their populations and ensure their conservation. Olive ridley sea turtles (Lepidochelys olivacea) are one of the species experiencing this trend, especially in the Eastern Pacific. This study examined the beach suitability of a site known as Playa Malena in the Azuero Peninsula in Panama for Olive ridley nesting. This site was compared to the suitability of 7 other …

Ecological Risk Assessment For The Temperate Demersal Elasmobranch Resource, Department Of Primary Industries And Regional Development, Western Australia

Fisheries research reports

No abstract provided.

Using Ecological Diversity Analyses To Characterize The Availability Of Healthy Food And Socio-Economic Food Deserts, Annie Goyanes, J. Matthew Hoch

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles

“Food deserts” are usually defined as geographic areas without local access to fresh, healthy food. We used community ecology statistics in supermarkets to quantify the availability of healthy food and to potentially identify food deserts as areas without a diverse selection of food, rather than a binary as to whether fresh food is present or not. We test whether produce diversity is correlated with neighborhood income or demographics. Abundance and diversity of fresh produce was quantified in supermarkets in Broward County, Florida, USA. Neighborhood income level and racial/ethnic makeup were retrieved from the U.S. Census and American Community Survey. Although …

Megafauna Of The German Exploration Licence Area For Seafloor Massive Sulphides Along The Central And South East Indian Ridge (Indian Ocean), Klaas Gerdes, Terue Cristina Kihara, Pedro Martínez Arbizu, Thomas Kuhn, Ulrich Schwarz-Schampera, Christopher L. Mah, Jon L. Norenburg, Thomas D. Linley, Kate Shalaeva, Enrique Macpherson, Dennis Gordon, Sabine Stöhr, Charles G. Messing, Simon Bober, Theresa Guggolz, Magdalini Christodoulou, Andrey Gebruk, Antonina Kremenetskaia, Andreas Kroh, Karen Sanamyan, Kathrin Bolstad, Leon Hoffman, Andrew J. Gooday, Tina Molodtsova

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles

Background

The growing interest in mineral resources of the deep sea, such as seafloor massive sulphide deposits, has led to an increasing number of exploration licences issued by the International Seabed Authority. In the Indian Ocean, four licence areas exist, resulting in an increasing number of new hydrothermal vent fields and the discovery of new species. Most studies focus on active venting areas including their ecology, but the non-vent megafauna of the Central Indian Ridge and South East Indian Ridge remains poorly known.

In the framework of the Indian Ocean Exploration project in the German license area for seafloor massive …

Metabolomics Of Healthy And Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease Affected Montastraea Cavernosa Corals, Jessica M. Deutsch, Olakunle A. Jaiyesimi, Kelly A. Pitts, Jay Houk, Blake Ushijima, Brian K. Walker, Valerie J. Paul, Neha Garg

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles

Stony coral tissue loss disease, first observed in Florida in 2014, has now spread along the entire Florida Reef Tract and on reefs in many Caribbean countries. The disease affects a variety of coral species with differential outcomes, and in many instances results in whole-colony mortality. We employed untargeted metabolomic profiling of Montastraea cavernosa corals affected by stony coral tissue loss disease to identify metabolic markers of disease. Herein, extracts from apparently healthy, diseased, and recovered Montastraea cavernosa collected at a reef site near Ft. Lauderdale, Florida were subjected to liquid-chromatography mass spectrometry-based metabolomics. Unsupervised principal component analysis reveals wide …

Wildflower Pollen Quality In Roadside Habitats, With Particular Emphasis On Hedera Helix, Aoife Mcmullin, Paul Hamilton

SURE Journal: Science Undergraduate Research Experience Journal

The quality of air is of more significance today than ever before. Human population growth and pollutants emitted through fossil fuel consumption put pressures on air quality. It is widely acknowledged that atmospheric pollutants negatively impact human health; the same is also true for the health of wildlife and plants exposed to these pollutants (Brunekreef & Holgate, 2002; EEA, 2019; Schiavoni, et al., 2017). Pollen and seed formation of flowering plants have been affected when grown in areas of poor air quality (Azzazy, 2016; Sénéchal, et al., 2015). The purpose of this research was to assess pollen of …

The Design, Production And Validation Of The Biological And Structural Performance Of An Ecologically Engineered Concrete Block Mattress – A Nature Inclusive Design For Shoreline And Offshore Construction, Ido Sella, T. Hadary, A. Rella, Bernhard Riegl, Denise Swack, S. Perkol-Finkel

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles

Over the past decade, the scientific community has studied, experimented, and published a notable body of literature on ecological enhancement of coastal and marine infrastructure (CMI). The Nature-Inclusive Design (NID) approach refers to methods and technologies that can be integrated into the design and construction of CMI to create suitable habitat for native species (or communities) whose natural habitat has been degraded or reduced. To examine the compliance of new environmentally sensitive technologies with structural requirements and fiscal restraints, while providing ecosystem and habitat value, this paper presents the findings of a structural-economical-biological analysis of ecologically engineered Articulated Concrete Block …

Stable Isotopes Used To Infer Trophic Position Of Green Turtles (Chelonia Mydas) From Dry Tortugas National Park, Gulf Of Mexico, United States, David C. Roche, Michael S. Cherkiss, Brian J. Smith, Derek A. Burkholder, Kristen M. Hart

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles

Evaluating resource use patterns for imperiled species is critical for understanding what supports their populations. Here we established stable isotope (δ¹³C, δ¹⁵N) values for the endangered green sea turtle (Chelonia mydas) population found within the boundaries of Dry Tortugas National Park (DRTO), south Florida, USA. There is little gene flow between turtles sampled at DRTO and in other rookeries in Florida, underscoring the need to study this distinct population. Between 2008 and 2015 we collected multiple sample types (skin [homogenized epidermis/dermis], whole blood, red blood cells, plasma, carapace) from 151 unique green turtles, including …

Effectiveness Against White Sharks Of The Rpela Personal Shark Deterrent Device Designed For Surfers, Craig Blount, Dan Pygas, Marcus P. Lincoln Smith, Daryl P. Mcphee, Colby Bignell, Ocean Ramsey

Journal of Marine Science and Technology

Many shark bites to humans, including fatalities, have involved surfers. Various personal shark deterrents are commercially available to surfers, including Rpela v2, which is a battery-powered device fitted to a surfboard. It produces an electric field around the surfer aimed at deterring sharks from approaching or biting by disrupting their electro-reception organs. The device was tested on white sharks (Carcharodon carcharias) at Salisbury Island, Western Australia. In total, 46 trials were done with the Rpela v2 either active or not active to determine the device’s effect on sharks’ response to a floating board with fish bait attached (to tempt a …

Inter-Annual Changes Of Water Temperature In The Southern South China Sea's Continental Shelf: The Influence Of Enso On Malaysian Waters, Afifi Johari, Mohd Fadzil Akhir, Muhammad Naim Satar, Zuraini Zainol, Guo Jingsong

Journal of Marine Science and Technology

An extensive amount of data from the World Ocean Database (WOD) that covers the southern South China Sea (SSCS) were analysed to study the long-term trends and variations of the El-Nino Southern Oscillation (ENSO) event. The WOD data were selected from 1951 to 2010, which included the area within 0–10 °N and 100–117 °E. El-Nino and La-Nina anomaly results showed that the sea surface temperature anomalies (SSTa) trend of SSCS was higher during offset-El-Nino years and lower during offset-La-Nina years. Besides, the inter-annual vertical water temperature profile revealed that the deepening of the warmer water temperature occurred in February and …

The Eumedonine Genera Eumedonus H. Milne Edwards, 1834, And Gonatonotus White, 1847 (Crustacea: Brachyura: Pilumnidae) In Taiwan, Peter K. L Ng, Chia-Wei Lin

Journal of Marine Science and Technology

Two species of eumedonine crabs, Eumedonus zebra Alcock, 1895, and Gonatonotus nasutus Chia & Ng, 2000, are recorded from Taiwan, the former for the first time. Both are also new genera records for the island. Notes on variation are noted and their taxonomy briefly treated. The number of eumedonine species, all of which are obligate symbionts on echinoderms, known from the island is now seven genera and seven species.

An Analysis Of Consumer Evaluations Of The “Tagonoura Shirasu” Certification Under The Japan Geographical Indication Protection System, Yu-Heng Lu, Takahiro Sajiki

Journal of Marine Science and Technology

Over time, the Geographical Indication (GI) protection system has been independently adopted in more than 100 countries worldwide. In Japan, the GI protection system has been operating since 2015 in response to a growing interest in local brands. Therefore, based on a questionnaire survey, we econometrically analyze the consumer evaluation of Shizuoka Prefecture’s Shirasu “Tagonoura Shirasu,” which is registered under the GI protection system. Shirasu is a collective term for long and narrow larvae such as anchovy (Engraulis japonicus), sardine (Sardinops melanostictus), or red-eye round herring (Etrumeus sadina). Based on the contingent valuation method, we clarified that consumers' additional willingness …

A Two-Stage Approach To Integrate Vessel Geo-Tracking Data And Logbooks For Monitoring Fishing Activity Of Coastal Fisheries In Waters Off Northwestern Taiwan, Yi-Jou Lee, Nan-Jay Su, Cheng-Hsin Liao, Wei-Chuan Chiang, Chun-Huei Li

Journal of Marine Science and Technology

Catch and fishing effort data are fundamental information to stock assessment and fisheries management, but difficult to obtain without the support of administration and sound fishery data collection system. This study integrated various sources of data from a simplified vessel geo-tracking system and logbooks from interviews with captains of coastal gillnet fisheries. We developed a two-step approach based on hierarchical cluster analysis to characterize the operation patterns and infer the fishing activities of the fishery. Results showed that the fishing effort in terms of operation duration could be estimated precisely for various vessel sizes, with catch composition and harvest information …

Effect Of Chlorine Dioxide On The Removal Of Sulfadimethoxine And Sulfamethoxazole In Freshwater And Seawater, Zhen-Hao Liao, Dai-Chee Ng, Yu-Sheng Wu, Fan Hua Nan

Journal of Marine Science and Technology

This study aimed to understand the fate of sulfonamides (SAs) under dark condition in a laboratory-scale aquatic system, and evaluate the removal of SAs by using Chlorine dioxide. Based on the mass spectrometry quantification, our results have shown that two sulfonamides were transformed at very slow rate in the dark. The 180 day degradation efficiencies (%) of sulfadimethoxine (SDM) in freshwater and seawater were 6.37 ± 2.56 and 4.38 ± 3.43, respectively, while those of sulfamethoxazole (SMX) in freshwater and seawater were 7.81 ± 2.15 and 6.60 ± 2.69, respectively. In the treatment of Chlorine dioxide for the removal of …

Long-Term Observations Of Interannual And Decadal Variation Of Sea Surface Temperature In The Taiwan Strait, Ming-An Lee, Wei-Po Huang, Yi-Lo Shen, Jinn-Shing Weng, Bambang Semedi, Yi-Chen Wang, Jui-Wen Chan

Journal of Marine Science and Technology

Long-term observations of interannual and decadal variation of sea surface temperature (SST) in the Taiwan Strait (TS) were studied for the period 1870–2018; the climatology data were obtained from the Met Office Hadley Centre, UK. In the study period, the highest annual mean and lowest SST observed were 25.3°C in 1998 and 22.4°C in 1919, respectively. Six distinct regimes were identified. The first regime of fairly stable or slightly cooling SST lasted through the 1920s. The two regime shifts of 1919 to 1945 and 1976–1977 to 1998 led to the two fast warming trends of 2.0°C in 26 years, from …

Experimental Investigation And Modeling Of The Response Surface Methodology For The Optimization Of A Multiloop Heat Pipe, Dar-Sun Liou

Journal of Marine Science and Technology

Considering thermohydrodynamic instabilities in the design of cooling systems has become a trend, which has led to the evolution of thermal management. However, such instabilities, which cause flow perturbations, are difficult to explain by using physical theories. The aim of this study was to use a parameter-based modeling technique, namely the response surface methodology (RSM), to characterize the dynamics of multiloop heat pipes (MLHPs) under various heat loads. The RSM, which is based on statistics, was used to determine the relationship between the design parameters and thermal responses of MLHPs, which are represented using polynomials. Th aim of our RSM …

Supply Chain Inventory Model With Markov Chain Demand, Zhi-Ping Lin, Su-Ping Ho

Journal of Marine Science and Technology

This study aims to develop a new one-vendor multiple-buyers integrated inventory model. We believe that our proposed model can forecast the demand of all buyers in the coming future by using data that have already existed and to minimize the total cost-for both buyers and vendors. In recent days, the Markov chain approach has played one of the critical methods of demand forecasting in the Supply Chain Management (SCM) field. The proposed model of this study is to analysis the demand of all buyers in one specific season that was impacted by the demand in the same season from last …

Fire Resistance Of Steel Connectors Of Precast Lightweight Concrete Walls, Jen-Hao Chi, Maochieh Chi, Yue-Lin Huang

Journal of Marine Science and Technology

In this study the fire test was performed to investigate the mechanic behaviors and failure patterns of precast normal weight concrete (NWC) and lightweight concrete (LWC) walls with three types of commonly used steel connectors, namely dry (61), wet (81), and bearing (56E) connectors. For the LWC wall specimens, on lateral application of tension, the cracking load values of the dry, wet, and bearing-type connectors were 95.1%, 86.3%, and 83.0%, respectively, of the original loads, and their ultimate load values were 81.6%, 90.7%, and 85.0%, respectively, of the original. In the shearing test after the fire resistance test, the cracking …

Differential Evolution Algorithm For Ship Path Planning In Open Waters, Yu-Tao Kang, Wei-Jiong Chen, Jin-Hui Wang

Journal of Marine Science and Technology

A general approach to the derivation of simple yet accurate formulas for identifying bandpass nonlinear channels in or-thogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) systems is proposed in this paper. The OFDM is an widely adopted tech-nique for wideband communication applications. An OFDM signal could be highly vulnerable to nonlinearities in a com-munication link. This makes proper estimation of the nonlin-ear channel essential for an OFDM system. A nonlinear bandpass communication channel is commonly described by a complex Voletrra series, in which the task of nonlinear channel identification is to determine the Volterra kernels. This task can become very difficult when the order …

Integrated Simulation Of Virtual Prototypes And Control Algorithms Of Unmanned Surface Vehicles Based On A Robot Operating System, Hye-Won Lee, Joo-Hyun Woo, Myung-Il Roh, Seung-Ho Ham, Luman Zhao, Sol Ha, Nak-Wan Kim, Chan-Woo Yu

Journal of Marine Science and Technology

Unmanned surface vehicles (USVs) require autonomous software with a high level of liberalization and automation to complete various missions. Therefore, experimental verification and validation of this software at the initial design stage are essential. However, such experiments are impossible before the actual hardware is developed, and the creation of an external environment for the mission requires substantial cost and time. In this study, virtual prototypes of the mission environment and hardware for the USV are developed. Then, a simulation environment for testing the control algorithms in the autonomous software is constructed. Data communication with the USV hardware is necessary for …

Identification Of Nonlinear Channels In Bandpass Communication Systems With Ofdm Inputs, Jen-Ho Cheng, Ching-Hsiang Tseng

Journal of Marine Science and Technology

A general approach to the derivation of simple yet accurate formulas for identifying bandpass nonlinear channels in or-thogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) systems is proposed in this paper. The OFDM is an widely adopted tech-nique for wideband communication applications. An OFDM signal could be highly vulnerable to nonlinearities in a com-munication link. This makes proper estimation of the nonlin-ear channel essential for an OFDM system. A nonlinear bandpass communication channel is commonly described by a complex Voletrra series, in which the task of nonlinear channel identification is to determine the Volterra kernels. This task can become very difficult when the order …

Blue Carbon In South Florida's Mangroves: The Role Of Large Roots And Necromass, Zoë I. Shribman

LSU Master's Theses

Blue carbon sequestration and storage in mangroves largely result from belowground biomass allocation in response to flooded anaerobic soil conditions and nutrient availability. Biomass allocation to belowground roots is a major driver of mangrove soil formation and organic matter accumulation leading to blue carbon storage potential. Belowground biomass sampling in mangroves is labor intensive, limiting data availability on biomass stocks, particularly for large roots (>20 mm diameter) and necromass (dead roots). The mangrove nutrient model (NUMAN) uses mostly literature values to parameterize a soil cohort approach to simulate depth distribution of root mass and organic carbon concentration. We evaluated …

Squid And Cuttlefish Resources Of Western Australia, Daniel Yeoh, Danielle J. Johnston Phd, David C. Harris

Fisheries research reports

No abstract provided.

Otoliths Of South-Western Australian Fish: A Photographic Catalogue, Chris Dowling, Kim Smith, Elain Lek, Joshua Brown

Fisheries research reports

No abstract provided.