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Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences

Reef Fish Assemblages And Fisheries In Parque Nacional Del Este, Dominican Republic, Emily Schmitt Lavin, Mark Chiappone, Kathleen Sullivan-Sealey, F. Geraldes, E. Pugibet, Robert Sluka, R. Torres, M. Vega, Y. Rodriguez, J. Alarcon, Y. Lictensztain, G. Bustamante Nov 2015

Reef Fish Assemblages And Fisheries In Parque Nacional Del Este, Dominican Republic, Emily Schmitt Lavin, Mark Chiappone, Kathleen Sullivan-Sealey, F. Geraldes, E. Pugibet, Robert Sluka, R. Torres, M. Vega, Y. Rodriguez, J. Alarcon, Y. Lictensztain, G. Bustamante

Emily F Schmitt Lavin

Parque National del Este is the second largest protected area in the Dominican Republic, comprising 110 km2 of terrestrial habitats located in the southeastern Dominican Republic. Established in 1975, the park delineation did not include the adjacent marine area, despite its long history of commercial fisheries. Since 1994, several U.S. and Dominican partner organizations have conducted scientific investigations of the marine resources of the area. This paper provides data on the status of snapper and groupers reef assemblages and finfish fisheriescollected during 1995 1997. Methods used in the study included: 1) visual transects (20 m x 5 m) of predatory …


Service Learning In Science Education: A Valuable And Useful Endeavor For Biology Majors, Emily Schmitt Lavin, Kaitlin Donovan Nov 2015

Service Learning In Science Education: A Valuable And Useful Endeavor For Biology Majors, Emily Schmitt Lavin, Kaitlin Donovan

Emily F Schmitt Lavin

All college students can benefit from becoming more engaged in their local community. This is especially true for biology majors who can play an active role in enhancing science education opportunities for students in the local K-12 school system. One such service-learning (SL) opportunity is presented where Nova Southeastern University college students work together with local schools by engaging young students in the excitement of hands-on science learning. This type of SL activity is beneficial to all those involved. College students gain valuable public speaking experience while learning how to explain potentially complex scientific concepts in a fun and engaging …


Evaluating The Use Of Roving Diver And Transect Surveys To Assess The Coral Reef Fish Assemblage Off Southeastern Hispaniola, Emily Schmitt Lavin, Robert Sluka, Kathleen Sullivan-Sealey Nov 2015

Evaluating The Use Of Roving Diver And Transect Surveys To Assess The Coral Reef Fish Assemblage Off Southeastern Hispaniola, Emily Schmitt Lavin, Robert Sluka, Kathleen Sullivan-Sealey

Emily F Schmitt Lavin

The relatively little-studied fish fauna off southeastern Hispaniola was rapidly assessed using a combination of visual survey techniques including transects and roving diver surveys. It was found that when combined, both methods provided a more complete overall species assessment than either method was able to provide in isolation. Being able to conduct rapid species assessments is becoming increasingly more important as a conservation tool. Data on species composition, sighting frequency, and abundance of all fishes were collected using both methods. Abundance was recorded in four logarithmic-based categories (roving diver method) while the number of fishes were counted within 40-m2 transects …


Analysis Of A Volunteer Method For Collecting Fish Presence And Abundance Data In The Florida Keys, Emily Schmitt Lavin, Kathleen Sullivan-Sealey Nov 2015

Analysis Of A Volunteer Method For Collecting Fish Presence And Abundance Data In The Florida Keys, Emily Schmitt Lavin, Kathleen Sullivan-Sealey

Emily F Schmitt Lavin

A roving diver fish survey method that requires relatively little time and equipment was developed for use by trained volunteer divers to regularly, rapidly, and inexpensively document patterns of reef fish distribution and abundance, In this method, a diver searches a dive site and records all observed fish species and their abundance in log10 categories, Results from 130 h of observation were analyzed from three regional surveys conducted in the Florida Keys at a total of 27 reefs by four observers during the summer of 1994. The Upper Keys had the most species (166) followed by the Lower Keys (151) …


The Grilled Cheese Principle. Personal Belief Essay As Part Of A Public Dialog About Belief, Emily Schmitt Lavin Nov 2015

The Grilled Cheese Principle. Personal Belief Essay As Part Of A Public Dialog About Belief, Emily Schmitt Lavin

Emily F Schmitt Lavin

No abstract provided.


Comparison Of Grouper Assemblages In Northern Areas Of The Wider Caribbean: A Preliminary Assessment, Emily Schmitt Lavin, Robert Sluka, Kathleen Sullivan-Sealey Nov 2015

Comparison Of Grouper Assemblages In Northern Areas Of The Wider Caribbean: A Preliminary Assessment, Emily Schmitt Lavin, Robert Sluka, Kathleen Sullivan-Sealey

Emily F Schmitt Lavin

Groupers (Pisces: Serranidae) are important top-level predators in wider Caribbean, but have experienced significant exploitation, resulting in declines in abundance, size, spawning aggregations, and changes in species composition. Larger groupers are particularly vulnerable to intense fishing because of their longevity, slow growth, delayed reproduction, and aggregate spawning. Marine fishery reserves (MFR), areas permanently closed to consumptive use, offer a viable means to protect grouper resources. This study reports on fishery-independent surveys of groupers in four regions of the tropical western Atlantic during 1995 - 1997: Florida Keys, central Bahamas, southeastern Cuba, and Dominican Republic. The regions surveyed included two national …


Breaking Through The Spiral Ceiling: An American Woman Becomes A Dna Scientist By Laura L. Mays Hoopes, Emily Schmitt Lavin, Laura Mays Nov 2015

Breaking Through The Spiral Ceiling: An American Woman Becomes A Dna Scientist By Laura L. Mays Hoopes, Emily Schmitt Lavin, Laura Mays

Emily F Schmitt Lavin

No abstract provided.


Density, Species, And Size Distribution Of Groupers (Serranidae) In Three Habitats At Elbow Reef, Florida Keys, Robert Sluka, Mark Chiappone, Kathleen Sullivan-Sealey, Thomas Potts, Jose Levy, Emily Schmitt Lavin, Geoff Meester Nov 2015

Density, Species, And Size Distribution Of Groupers (Serranidae) In Three Habitats At Elbow Reef, Florida Keys, Robert Sluka, Mark Chiappone, Kathleen Sullivan-Sealey, Thomas Potts, Jose Levy, Emily Schmitt Lavin, Geoff Meester

Emily F Schmitt Lavin

We examined the density, size and species distribution of groupers in three habitats on an inshore-to-offshore transect across Elbow Reef, Florida Keys: high-relief spur-and-groove (4–9 m depth), relict spur-and-groove (10–20 m), and deep fore reef slope (21–30 m). Physical relief was greatest in the high-relief spur-and-groove (up to 3 m), lowest in the relict spur-and-groove habitat (<0.5–1 m), and intermediate in the deep fore reef slope habitat (1–1.5 m). Benthic coverage in the three habitats was dominated by algae (>30%). There were significant differences in the density, size, and species distribution of groupers among the three habitats. Graysby, Epinephelus cruentatus, was numerically dominant, constituting 82–91% of individual observed. Black grouper, Mycteroperca bonaci, and Nassau grouper, E. striatus, were more abundant in high …