Life Sciences Commons^™

Remote Detection Of Coral 'Bleaching' Using Pulsed-Laser Fluorescence Spectroscopy, J. T. Hardy, F. E. Hoge, J. K. Yungel, Richard E. Dodge

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles

Despite their biological and economic importance coral reefs are increasingly threatened by human activities. Recently, 'bleaching' of reefs, i.e. loss of photosynthetic pigmentation, has occurred at numerous globally-distributed sites. A number of environmental stressors, including increased water temperature, can induce bleaching. Several investigators have suggested that the widespread occurrence of coral bleaching represents an early warning signal of global greenhouse warming. Regardless of the cause, the extent of coral bleaching, both regionally and globally, needs to be documented and monitored. We conducted laboratory studies to evaluate the potential of using remotely-sensed laser-induced fluorescence to monitor coral pigmentation. Five species of …

Southern Nevada Effluent Wetlands: A Proposed Cooperative Venture Between The Bureau Of Reclamation & City Of Las Vegas, Bureau Of Reclamation

Publications (WR)

Throughout North America there is a growing interest in constructed wetlands, both as relatively inexpensive, low-maintenance systems for removing nutrients from wastewater, and as a means of using municipal wastewater to enhance wildlife habitat and create public use opportunities. Because wetlands appear to have good potential as a component in the overall management of scarce water resources, the Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) has undertaken several cooperative research and demonstration projects to evaluate their effectiveness in a variety of local environments.

While a number of projects have demonstrated that wetlands can be beneficially employed to improve water quality, few such projects …

Podocerus Kleidus, New Species From The Florida Keys (Crustacea, Amphipoda, Dulichiidae), James Darwin Thomas, J. L. Barnard

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles

Podocerus kleidus, a new species from high-current channels in the Florida Keys, is described. The species is very close to P. fulanus from marine channels in California but differs in the strongly cleft coxa I.

Plankton Transport Patterns And Residence Times Around A Tall Seamount: Simulation Results, Dorlisa Louise Hommel

OES Theses and Dissertations

A semi-spectral primitive equation circulation model was used to simulate flow over an isolated gaussian seamount. Model configuration was such that a Taylor Cap was generated in the flow over the seamount. Arrays of 100 drifters were released in the simulated flow fields at several depths (50, 100, 200, and 400 m) both upstream and over the seamount. For several experiments vertical behaviors were imposed on the drifters to simulate zooplankton migration patterns. The drifter simulations extended for three months. Drifter transport patterns were determined by the initial release position of the drifter relative to the Taylor Cap as well …

The Gulf Stream Front, Its Role In Larval Fish Survival And Recruitment In Florida: Hydrographic Station And Plankton Data, Denis William Frazel, M. Elizabeth Clarke, G. S. Kleppel, Peter B. Ortner, John M. Braker, Carol A. Burkart, Gayle Louise Stone

Technical Reports

The goal of this project was to develop a clearer understanding of the role that the Gulf Stream system plays in larval fish survival and recruitment in Florida waters. The specific objectives of this study were to:

1. Determine whether the biomass of fish larva, other zooplankton, microzooplankton and phytoplankton is higher at the shoreward front of the Gulf Stream than on either side of it.
2. Characterize the assemblages of fish larvae predators and prey both at the front and on either side of it.
3. Determine if the composition, abundance and size frequency distribution of larval and juvenile fishes in the …

Mat Movement In Coastal Louisiana Marshes: Effect Of Salinity And Inundation On Vegetation And Nutrient Levels, Christopher Martin Swarzenski

Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations

The present research compared and contrasted the physical structure of floating and rooted marshes, their differing responses to open-water salinities and inundation, as well as the nutrient distribution in the porewaters and sediment. The effects of the physical differences in the two marsh types on the ocurrence of the dominant emergent vegetation was discussed.

The main difference in physical structure of the two marsh types was the presence of a mineral, non-buoyant layer at 25-45 cm depth in the rooted marsh, which could serve as an anchor for the overlying highly organic mat layer found in both marsh types. Porewater …

The Growth And Bioenergetics Of Callinectes Sapidus Larvae And The Effects Of Diet Quality On Larval Physiology, James J. Pletl

OES Theses and Dissertations

Food quality, especially ω3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), can affect the physiology and metabolic efficiency of larvae of the blue crab, Callinectes sapidus. These affects may correlate with success in development and juvenile recruitment.

Larvae were exposed to two diets differing quantitatively in ω3 PUFA and respiration, excretion, growth, and feeding rates were measured for each larval stage and the megalopal stage. The energy partitioned to molts and specific dynamic action was also measured. T

he ω3 PUFA enriched diet resulted in a lower respiration rate when compared to the unsupplemented diet, but there was little differences in excretion …

Factors Affecting The Kinetics Of Light Intensity Adaptation In Marine Phytoplankton, Chunzhi Guo

OES Theses and Dissertations

It has been suggested that the recent light history of phytoplankton and the kinetics of photoadaptation can be used to provide information about the vertical mixing processes in the upper mixed layer. To be useful as a parameter in a model of photoadaptation and vertical mixing, the response of a photoadaptive variable to changes in growth irradiance must be monotonic, significant, and comparable in time rate scale to mixing processes. Previous studies of photoadaptation kinetics have focused on the response of phytoplankton to changes in light intensity under continuous illumination. This dissertation attempts to elucidate the effects of light:dark cycle, …

The Helioporacean Octocoral Epiphaxum, Recent And Fossil: A Monographic Iconography, Frederick M. Bayer

Studies in Tropical Oceanography

No abstract provided.

Sea Turtle Conservation Program, Broward County, Fl 1992 Report, Curtis M. Burney, Catherine A. Mattison

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Reports

Since 1978, the Broward County Environmental Protection Department (BCEPD) has provided for the conservation of endangered and threatened sea turtle species within its area of responsibility. Broward County is within the normal nesting areas of three species of sea turtles: the loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta caretta), the green sea turtle (Chelonia mydas) and the leatherback sea turtle (Dermochelys coriacea). The loggerhead is listed as a threatened species, while the green and leatherback are listed as endangered under the U.S. Endangered Species Act, 1973, and Chapter 370, F.S.

Since these statutes strictly forbid any disturbance …

Fall 1992, Nsu Oceanographic Center

Currents

No abstract provided.

Spring 1992, Nsu Oceanographic Center

Currents

No abstract provided.

Winter 1992, Nsu Oceanographic Center

Currents

No abstract provided.

Summer 1992, Nsu Oceanographic Center

Currents

No abstract provided.

Fisheries Under The Extended Jurisdiction Of Sri Lanka, Hewawasan S.G. Fernando

Theses and Major Papers

Fishing has been an important economic activity in Sri Lanka for generations. Firstly, the fisheries sector provides employment to a substantial portion of the population particularly in the coastal area. Secondly, it provides 65 percent of animal protein consumed by the people of Sri Lanka. Thirdly, the fishing industry has proved its capabilities as an earner of foreign exchange through the export of marine product such as prawns, lobsters and other varieties. In 1977 Sri Lanka declared its 200 miles Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) under the new regime for the Law of the Sea. The government of Sri Lanka formulated …

Effects Of The Hol Chan Marine Reserve (Belize) On Associated Coral Reef Finfish Populations, Pamela Barrick Baker

Theses and Major Papers

People throughout the Caribbean depend on fishery resources for subsistence and income. Overfishing is a concern in many areas and the need for resource management is apparent. Coral reef protected areas are being used to maintain sustainable tropical reef fisheries. This research examined the effectiveness of the Hol Chan marine Reserve (HCMR), Belize, in meeting fisheries management objectives. Fishes were surveyed within the HCMR and in a comparable non-protected site to examine changes in fish community structure over time in the HCMR and between protected and non-protected sites. Results show that abundance, mean length, biomass, and species richness of commercially …

Sea-Surface Temperature Related Fisheries And Resource Markets, Jeffrey Michael Rasinski

Theses and Major Papers

This thesis addresses the potential application of sea-surface temperature (SST) data to economic resource markets. It considers the revolution in technology and the accessibility of timely, accurate SST observations for resource markets. Specifically, it addresses issues related to pelagic fisheries and the fish meal industry. The thesis presents a discussion and overview of the upwelling ecosystem of Peru and the Peruvian anchovy (Engraulis ringens) including quantitative analysis and forecasts for the fishery and fish meal prices. This analysis is used to demonstrate the commercial application and relationship between SST and related resource markets. The thesis establishes a bioeconomic statistical model …

Survival Of Juvenile Queen Conch, Strombus Gigas, In Natural Habitats: Impact Of Prey, Predator And Habitat Features, Livingston Sinclair Marshall Jr

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

In this dissertation, I experimentally examine predation-induced mortality upon juvenile queen conch, Strombus gigas, and assess the importance of select habitat predator and conch characteristics affecting predation intensity. Experiments were conducted during the summer and early fall of 1987, 1988, 1990 and 1991 in seagrass beds and adjacent sand flats near Lee Stocking Island, Exuma Cays, Bahamas. These experiments indicate that various factors act interactively to produce habitat-specific mortality rates in queen conch due to predation. These include (1) habitat type, whereby seagrass beds offer some protection; (2) local population dynamics, such that populated seagrass beds appear to enhance conch …

A Trophic Gradient Analysis Of Lake Powell During Spring Runnoff 1992, Wayne A. Wurtsbaugh, Clyde Lay, Darren Carlise, Corey Huxol, Craig Schaugaard, Beau Clements, David Beauchamp

Watershed Sciences Faculty Publications

Between 26 April and 2 May 1992, students in a utah state university aquatic ecology class visited Lake Powell to do a study of trophic gradients of the reservoir. The main axis of the reservoir was surveyed, as well as less detailed analyses of Moki and Escalante Canyons. The work was conducted in collaboration with personnel from the u.s. Bureau of Reclamation headed by Bill Vernieu, and from the u.s. Geological Survey (Dick Marzolf). Some of their data appear in the physical-chemical section of this report.

Each student was responsible for compiling a report on one of the following specific …

Snake River Sockeye Salmon (Oncorhynchus Nerka) Habitat/Limnologic Research, Scott Spaulding, Wayne A. Wurtsbaugh, Shoshone-Bannock Tribe

Watershed Sciences Faculty Publications

This report outlines long-term planning and monitoring activities that occurred in 1991 and 1992 in the Stanley Basin Lakes of the upper Salmon River, Idaho for the purpose of sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka) recovery. Limnological monitoring and experimental sampling protocol, designed to establish a limnological baseline and to evaluate sockeye salmon production capability of the lakes, are present:ed. Also presented are recommended passage improvements for current fish passage barriers/impediments on migratory routes to the lakes. We initiated O. Nerka population evaluations for Redfish and Alturas lakes; this included population estimates of emerging kokanee fry entering each lake in the spring …

Podocerus Chelonophilus, A Testudinous Amphipod Newly Recorded From The Western Atlantic Ocean, James Darwin Thomas, J. L. Barnard

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles

Podocerus chelonophilus (=P. cheloniae), an amphipod inhabiting the carapace of the loggerhead turtle, Caretta caretta, is reported for the first time from the western Atlantic Ocean.

A Study Of The Summer Steelhead, Oncorhynchus Mykiss In Several Intermittent Tributaries Of The Satus Creek Basin, Washington, Joel Denney Hubble

All Master's Theses

The summer steelhead, Oncorhynchus mykiss population was studied in three intermittent tributaries in the Satus Creek Basin. There was a strong tendency for post emergent fry, resulting from redds located in intermittent reaches to move downstream. However, survival to perennial flow conditions was very low. Steelhead production in Dry Creek appears to be lower than in Logy Creek, because of elevated water temperatures and minimal spring and summer stream flow.

The Effects Of Beaver-Created Wetlands On Surface Water Quality Of Streams And Rivers In Dupage County, Illinois, Brian Conklin

Masters Theses

Dam construction by beavers creates wetlands which have the potential to improve water quality, especially in areas near urban centers. However, beaver dams may also cause flooding problems which can result in the removal of the beaver(s) and the destruction of their dam. A further understanding of how beaver-created wetlands affect water quality will provide additional data which can be utilized in beaver management decisions.

In this study, 41 chemical parameters were examined from water taken above and below beaver-created wetlands that existed in DuPage County, Illinois between May and September 1991. This study was designed to examine the effects …

Using Physical, Chemical And Biological Indicators To Assess Water Quality On The Ouachita National Forest Utilizing Basin Area Stream Survey Methods, J. Alan Clingenpeel, Betty G. Cochran

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

The Ouachita National Forest (ONF) has developed a series of Best Management Practices (BMP's) designed to protect water quality and associated beneficial uses (fisheries, municipal water supplies, etc.). A monitoring program is necessary to document the effectiveness of that protection. The Basin Area Stream Survey (BASS) methodology provides a monitoring link from BMP's to the aquatic ecosystems. The goal of BASS is to identify the physical, chemical and biological characteristics of a stream in a format that will allow comparisons with other streams, and indicate when a stream is being impacted. Six index streams within two ecoregions were selected and …

Role Of Habitat Features And Chemical Cues In Substrate Selection By Blue Crab Megalopae: Evidence From Laboratory Experiments, Bruce Clare Layman

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

No abstract provided.

Survival And Abundance Of Juvenile Caribbean Spiny Lobster: Effects Of Shelter Size And Geographic Location, Jonathon Daniel Mintz

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

No abstract provided.

Zooplankton Community Abundance And Diversity In Dardanelle Reservoir, Arkansas, 1981-1990, John D. Rickett, Robert L. Watson

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

Zooplankton samples were collected quarterly from five stations representing the discharge bay and four "control" or "dispersing impact" stations. Rotifers dominated all samples numerically and by the number of taxa. All major groups (Rotifera, Cladocera, Copepoda, and Protozoa) exhibited greatest abundances during the summer. Quarterly variations in abundance and number of taxa were documented. Except for an increase in taxonomic analysis detail between 1981 and 1984 resulting in several more taxa added to the list, no long-term increases, declines or repeating cycles were apparent. Margalef's Richness Index reflected this change and showed a long-term increase with evidence of a 5- …

Phytoplankton Community Abundance And Diversity In Dardanelle Reservoir, Arkansas, 1981-1990, John D. Rickett, Robert L. Watson

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

Phytoplankton samples were collected quarterly from 1981-1990 at five stations representing discharge water from Arkansas Nuclear One, a nuclear generating station, and four "control" or "dispersal evaluation" stations. Seventy-five taxa representing five divisions were identified and enumerated. Community structure was evaluated using abundances, number of taxa, and Margalef's Richness, Shannon's Heterogeneity and Pielou's Evenness indices. No long-term trends were identified, but the beginning of cyclic variations, with a 7-year periodicity, in abundance, number of taxa, and Shannon's and Pielou's indices were apparent. Margalef's index values were constant during most of the study period. For all samples, t-tests and Mann-Whitney U …

Distribution Of Foraminifera And Pollen In Coastal Depositional Environments Of The Southern Delmarva Peninsula, Virginia, U.S.A., Han Jun Woo

OES Theses and Dissertations

The coastal zone of the southern Delmarva Peninsula exhibits a wide variety of barrier island system subenvironments. This study investigates whether 20 a priori subenvironments can be distinguished from each other on the basis of abiotic environmental variables, pollen assemblages, living foraminiferal populations, and total (living plus dead) foraminiferal assemblages.

The physical data collected from the coastal zone were subjected to canonical variate analysis which discriminated 83% of the stations in 19 groups. These groups were clustered into two internally overlapping sets which represented the inside and outside of the inlet.

Twenty-two pollen types were found in low-energy marsh and …

Development And Standardization Of A Short-Term Assay For Evaluating Polluted Estuarine And Coastal Environments: The Medaka Embryo-Larval Assay, Michael Frederick Helmstetter

OES Theses and Dissertations

The eggs of the Japanese medaka (Oryzias latipes) were employed in a number of studies to develop a routine, standardized assay which can assess the acute and sublethal impacts of individual toxicants and complex mixtures. The eggs of this Cyprinodont minnow were topically treated with each toxicant or mixture dissolved in membrane permeable dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO) solvent. Nine chemicals were initially evaluated with two, pentachlorophenol (PCP) and tributyltin chloride (TBTCl), subsequently selected for extensive evaluations of salinity tolerance and the accuracy of the topical exposure method for representing a typical immersion exposure. The amount of material actually penetrating the eggs was …