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Articles 1 - 21 of 21
Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences
Monitoring Faunal Responses To Biodegradable Oyster Reef Restoration Materials With Camera Traps, Tara L. Blanchard
Monitoring Faunal Responses To Biodegradable Oyster Reef Restoration Materials With Camera Traps, Tara L. Blanchard
Honors Undergraduate Theses
Restoration of the oyster reefs has become increasingly crucial due to great population declines around the globe. Intertidal oyster reefs provide essential foraging and loafing grounds to many faunal species, including several threatened/endangered wading bird species. Biodegradable oyster reef restoration materials have been introduced to avoid potential plastic pollution from traditional materials. Studies have shown success regarding oyster recruitment rates to these materials. However, their impacts on fauna using restored oyster reefs are unknown. This project aims to evaluate oyster reef restoration using biodegradable materials to increase faunal diversity, abundance, and foraging behaviors. Camera traps were deployed to observe fauna …
Cultivation Of A Commercially Important Macroalga (Ulva Sp) For Polyculture Research In Coastal Georgia, Kyle Mundy
Cultivation Of A Commercially Important Macroalga (Ulva Sp) For Polyculture Research In Coastal Georgia, Kyle Mundy
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
The Georgia coast has shown great potential for large-scale oyster aquaculture, and the rate at which the sector has grown demands implementation of novel techniques to ensure sustainability and success in the face of climate change. One practice – integrated multi-trophic aquaculture (IMTA) or polyculture – is known to have positive effects on the health and quality of farmed organisms and the surrounding environment through low pH/alkalinity amelioration, while also being a unique and viable way for a farming operation to diversify its products. To date, there has been no such attempt at investigating or demonstrating macroalgae culture in Georgia. …
Climate Change And Coastal Development Impacts On Oyster Abundances In Mosquito Lagoon, Fl, Emily Suchonic
Climate Change And Coastal Development Impacts On Oyster Abundances In Mosquito Lagoon, Fl, Emily Suchonic
Graduate Thesis and Dissertation 2023-2024
Live eastern oyster (Crassostrea virginica) reefs have declined by 62.6% in Mosquito Lagoon (ML) along the eastern Florida coast since 1943. While this species creates reefs by successive generations of oysters recruiting to conspecific shells, C. virginica can also attach to non-reef substrates including mangrove roots and armoring (e.g., seawalls), which may help counteract reef habitat loss. In recent decades, warmer winters have enabled red (Rhizophora mangle) and black (Avicennia germinans) mangrove expansion in subtropical salt marshes and temperate estuaries where oyster reefs occur. Additionally, 11.8% of ML's shorelines have been armored as of …
Assessing The Effects Of Live Oysters And Sampling Gear On Biodiversity Metrics Of Reef-Associated Benthic And Nekton Assemblages, Finella Campanino
Assessing The Effects Of Live Oysters And Sampling Gear On Biodiversity Metrics Of Reef-Associated Benthic And Nekton Assemblages, Finella Campanino
LSU Master's Theses
Oysters are declining globally, resulting in an increase in oyster reef restoration, with many efforts prioritizing maintenance of reef-associated biodiversity. Understanding the role that reef-specific characteristics play in supporting biodiversity and how sampling gear influences measurements of biodiversity can inform design and management of restoration projects. I examined the relationship between live oyster volume and reef-associated benthic and nekton assemblages (hereafter reef assemblages) and how sampling gears influence our understanding of biodiversity on intertidal Crassostrea virginica reefs near Cocodrie, Louisiana. I quantified substrate characteristics, assemblages via trays, and water-column characteristics across four reefs and four seasons in 2022-2023, and compared …
Oyster Reef-To-Mangrove Regime Shifts Along The West Coast Of Florida, Stephen Gregory Hesterberg
Oyster Reef-To-Mangrove Regime Shifts Along The West Coast Of Florida, Stephen Gregory Hesterberg
USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations
Ecological regime shifts are transitions in ecosystem state, which can occur either when external conditions gradually change or when large perturbations force a system into an alternative state. Such transitions can exhibit non-linear dynamics, where small changes in external conditions can result in abrupt transition and often occur with little warning. After crossing a tipping point, the system may be unable to revert to its original state if the new regime possesses strong, reinforcing feedbacks. Numerous marine ecosystems have experienced regime shifts due to a combination of stressors that have eroded ecological resilience, such as overfishing, nutrient loading, and climate …
Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons And The Microbiomes Of Two Benthic Species, Samantha Ells
Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons And The Microbiomes Of Two Benthic Species, Samantha Ells
Master's Theses
The presence of oil has been shown to affect the microbiomes of the water column, sediments, and organisms, both by altering the diversity and the composition of those microbial communities. If the microbiome is altered it may no longer provide benefits to its host organism, impacting its ability to survive. Thus, it is important to understand the effects of large-scale contamination events including the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. This study set out to examine the effects of oil exposure on the microbiome of two benthic species, southern flounder (Paralichthys lethostigma) and eastern oysters (Crassostrea virginica) to further understand the effects …
Effects Of Salinity On Eastern Oysters: Locating Lower-Salinity Tolerant Populations And Defining Resource Zones Suitable To Restoration, Fisheries, And Aquaculture., Lauren Swam
LSU Master's Theses
Eastern oysters (Crassostrea virginica) provide valuable ecosystem services and support a productive commercial industry in the northern Gulf of Mexico. Declining abundance from water quality changes and other factors drives development of management and restoration strategies focused on a comprehensive, metapopulation approach. Identifying oyster resource zones based on water quality combined with selective breeding of oysters adapted to specific conditions provides strategies to support aquaculture development and ensure resilient oyster populations and high production. Using 2015-2019 satellite-derived continuous salinity and temperature data for coastal Louisiana, this work created maps defining oyster resource zones supportive of (1) broodstock sanctuary …
Quantifying The Gametogenic Cycle And Reproductive Efforts In The Eastern Oyster (Crassostrea Virginica) In Florida Estuaries, Nicole Patrice Maloney
Quantifying The Gametogenic Cycle And Reproductive Efforts In The Eastern Oyster (Crassostrea Virginica) In Florida Estuaries, Nicole Patrice Maloney
USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations
Oyster populations from six estuaries in Florida were sampled monthly from January to December of 2018 for reproduction and health analysis. Sites were located in Apalachicola Bay, Caloosahatchee River estuary, Lake Worth lagoon, Loxahatchee River estuary, St. Lucie estuary, and Tampa Bay. Oysters monitored for analysis in South Florida (Loxahatchee River estuary, St. Lucie estuary, and Caloosahatchee River estuary) were chosen as they are a part of a monitoring component of the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan. These estuaries are highly influenced by freshwater input from Lake Okeechobee and other river basins. Like the South Florida sites Apalachicola Bay is also …
Development And Validation Of Gene Delivery Methods For Crassostrea Virginica, Adrienne N. Tracy
Development And Validation Of Gene Delivery Methods For Crassostrea Virginica, Adrienne N. Tracy
Honors Theses
The Eastern oyster (Crassostrea virginica) is an important part of the East Coastal USA economy because aquaculture creates jobs. Sadly, the oysters are under constant threat due to increasing pollution, red tides, and diseases. Bivalves, and oysters in particular, are also becoming potential model organisms in medical research. With the sequencing of the oyster genome, scientists are focusing on deciphering the function of the predicted genes. However, the limited number of molecular and cellular tools available makes functional annotation of the genome challenging. A consistent, replicable gene delivery system needs to be developed to assess gene function and understand the …
Examining The Effect Of Interstitial Space On Eastern Oysters (Crassostrea Virginica): Applications Of Photogrammetry And Three-Dimensional Modeling, Bailie Lavan
Masters Theses, 2010-2019
Global oyster populations have decreased by as much as 99% in the past century. Oysters are known ecosystem engineers, providing benthic habitat for macrofauna, linking benthic and pelagic food webs, improving water quality, and mitigating shoreline erosion. Restoration efforts are critical in re-establishing native oyster populations. In the Chesapeake Bay, where oyster loss is primarily due to severe over harvest, artificial substrates with geometric shapes are widely used in restoration efforts. However, natural oyster reefs form emergent shapes with a high degree of aggregation and many interstitial spaces (three-dimensional volumetric spaces between oysters within a reef). The lack of interstitial …
Relative Importance Of Ions And Particles In Silver Nanoparticle Uptake And Accumulation In Keystone Estuarine Organisms; Prorocentrum Minimum And Crassostrea Virginica, Shelby Victoria Butz
Relative Importance Of Ions And Particles In Silver Nanoparticle Uptake And Accumulation In Keystone Estuarine Organisms; Prorocentrum Minimum And Crassostrea Virginica, Shelby Victoria Butz
Theses and Dissertations
In marine systems, silver is regarded as being one of the most toxic and readily accumulated metals, and is known to be taken up and accumulate within marine invertebrates, fish, phytoplankton and seaweeds. Reported open ocean concentrations of silver range from 0.1 – 2 ng L-1 while silver concentrations in coastal waters are typically 5 to 10 times higher than open ocean values (0.1 - 50 ng L-1). The determination of silver in marine and coastal waters presents several challenges including low concentrations and matrix complexity of seawater, which creates interferences and other challenges for many instrumental techniques creating a …
Synergistic Effects Of Temperature And Salinity On The Gene Expression And Physiology Of Crassostrea Virginica, Hollis Jones
Synergistic Effects Of Temperature And Salinity On The Gene Expression And Physiology Of Crassostrea Virginica, Hollis Jones
LSU Master's Theses
Crassostrea virginica, the eastern oyster, forms reefs that provide critical services and benefits to the resiliency of the surrounding ecosystem. Changes in environmental conditions, including salinity and temperature, can dramatically alter the services oysters provide by affecting their population dynamics. Climate warming may further exacerbate the effects of salinity changes as precipitation events increase in frequency, intensity, and duration. Temperature and salinity independently and synergistically influence gene expression and physiology in marine organisms. We used comparative transcriptomics, physiology, and a field assessment experiment to investigate whether Louisianan oyster are changing their phenotypes to cope with increased temperature and salinity …
Analysis Of Temperature And Salinity Effects On Growth And Mortality Of Oysters (Crassostrea Virginica) In Louisiana, Troy Sehlinger
Analysis Of Temperature And Salinity Effects On Growth And Mortality Of Oysters (Crassostrea Virginica) In Louisiana, Troy Sehlinger
University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations
Salinity (S) and temperature (T) control every facet of the eastern oyster (Crassostrea virginica) life cycle, principally reproduction, development, growth, and mortality. Previous studies conducted in in the Breton Sound (BR) and Barataria (BA) estuaries have reported differences in growth and mortality rates between the basins. In the present study, environmental conditions were synchronized to compare growth and mortality rates between basins at similar combinations of T and S. Results indicate that when T and S are the same (synchronized), seasonal oyster growth and mortality rates differ between BR and BA. Seasonal analyses revealed that as salinities increased …
The Impact Of Co2-Related Ocean Acidification On The Molecular Regulation Of Shell Development In The Eastern Oyster (Crassostrea Virginica)., Mackenzie L. Richards
The Impact Of Co2-Related Ocean Acidification On The Molecular Regulation Of Shell Development In The Eastern Oyster (Crassostrea Virginica)., Mackenzie L. Richards
LSU Master's Theses
Eastern oysters (Crassostrea virginica), native to the Gulf of Mexico, are keystone species in estuarine ecosystems and are economically valued. Current research indicates that ocean acidification adversely affects the physiology and morphology of larval oysters, but the molecular mechanisms of this impact remain unstudied. Ocean acidification is contributed to by elevated atmospheric CO2 due to increased anthropogenic activities, causing heightened partial pressure of CO2 (pCO2), and eutrophication from land-based runoff in the Gulf. The objective of this work was to determine the genomic response of the eastern oyster in Louisiana to simulated ocean acidification. …
Quantifying The Success Of Eastern Oyster Pilot Reefs In Brevard County, Florida, Lacie Anderson
Quantifying The Success Of Eastern Oyster Pilot Reefs In Brevard County, Florida, Lacie Anderson
Honors Undergraduate Theses
Crassostrea virginica, the eastern oyster, is a native keystone species that inhabits many coastal and estuarine ecosystems along the Atlantic seaboard. Introduction of the eastern oyster into estuarine areas with limited current populations is gaining popularity as a pro-active approach to improve estuarine water quality. In November 2014 and April 2015, a total of five pilot oyster reef treatments were deployed in Brevard County: bagged adult oysters (grown by community members under their docks through oyster gardening) collected in fall 2014 and spring 2015, bagged clean shell, oyster restoration mats, and empty plots (control). Locations of deployment included a …
Quantifying The Effects Of Boat Wakes On Intertidal Oyster Reefs In A Shallow Estuary, Donna Campbell
Quantifying The Effects Of Boat Wakes On Intertidal Oyster Reefs In A Shallow Estuary, Donna Campbell
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
There have long been concerns about the negative impacts of recreational boating activity in the Indian River Lagoon system (IRL), especially in Mosquito Lagoon (ML), the northernmost part of the IRL. My research is focused on the impacts of boat wakes on intertidal reefs formed by the eastern oyster, Crassostrea virginica. There has been a 24% loss of oyster habitat in ML since 1943, where natural oyster reefs have been replaced by dead oyster reefs which do not serve the same ecological function. While there is anecdotal and correlative evidence that this loss is a result of boat wakes, no …
Understanding The Role Of Stylochus Ellipticus As A Predator Of Crassostrea Virginica In Chesapeake Bay Tributaries, Marion Kensey Barker
Understanding The Role Of Stylochus Ellipticus As A Predator Of Crassostrea Virginica In Chesapeake Bay Tributaries, Marion Kensey Barker
Theses and Dissertations
Predation may be a key component of the unsuccessful restoration of the Eastern Oyster (Crassostrea virginica), a former keystone species in Chesapeake Bay. Here, I examine the polyclad flatworm Stylochus ellipticus and its potential role as an important predator of C. virginica. Using small-fragment size C. virginica specific DNA primers, oyster DNA was successfully detected in whole organisms homogenates of wild-caught S. ellipticus individuals. Of the 1,575 individuals tested, 68.1% tested positive, thus predation occurred. Predation did not appear to be affected by salinity or temperature; however, season did appear to have an effect on both predation and S. ellipticus …
Modeling The Dispersion Of Eastern Oyster Larvae (Crassostrea Virginica) And Its Effects On The Movement Of Disease Resistant Genes In The Delaware Bay Estuary, Diego A. Narvaez
Modeling The Dispersion Of Eastern Oyster Larvae (Crassostrea Virginica) And Its Effects On The Movement Of Disease Resistant Genes In The Delaware Bay Estuary, Diego A. Narvaez
OES Theses and Dissertations
This study combines several models to address two primary research questions. How does the interaction of larval biology and environmental variability determine the spatial distribution of oyster larvae in Delaware Bay? What is the role of larval dispersion in the transference of disease-resistant genes? The particle-tracking module in the Regional Ocean Modeling System (ROMS) was converted into an Individual-Based model representing Eastern oyster larvae that has growth and vertical migration. Exchange of larvae between natural oyster reefs was estimated and used in an Individual-Based genetic model that simulates the genetic structure of eastern oysters. Particles were released from a number …
The Potential For Eutrophication Mitigation From Aquaculture Of The Native Oyster, Crassostrea Virginica, In Chesapeake Bay: Quantitative Assessment Of An Ecosystem Service, Colleen Higgins
Theses and Dissertations
Native oysters have been promoted as a means to improve water quality in Chesapeake Bay. This project added important insights into the potential of oyster aquaculture to process and remove nutrients from Bay waters. Results clarified that nutrient removal of nitrogen (N), phosphorous (P), and carbon (C) through harvest of cultivated oyster biomass can be quantified and modeled with high levels of statistical confidence. A simple, yet accurate, method is now available for estimating the amount of nutrients removed via harvesting aquacultured oysters. Based on model estimates, 106 harvest sized oysters (76 mm TL) remove 132 kg TN, 19 kg …
Predation On The Eastern Oyster Crassostrea Virginica On Intertidal Reefs Affected By Recreational Boating, Jennifer Stiner
Predation On The Eastern Oyster Crassostrea Virginica On Intertidal Reefs Affected By Recreational Boating, Jennifer Stiner
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Widely regarded as a keystone species and ecosystem engineer, the eastern oyster Crassostrea virginica plays a vital role in estuarine environments. Complex, three-dimensional oyster reefs act as havens for biodiversity and contribute to ecological processes. Recently, concern for this resource has arisen in Mosquito Lagoon, Florida, the southernmost limit along the Atlantic coast for undisturbed, intertidal reefs of C. virginica. Since the 1990s, intense recreational boating activity has caused atypical dead margins (mounds of disarticulated shells) to emerge on the seaward edges of oyster reefs located along major navigational channels. Once dead margins are formed, little is known about their …
Native And Invasive Competitors Of The Eastern Oyster Crassostrea Virginica In Mosquito Lagoon, Florida, Michelle Boudreaux
Native And Invasive Competitors Of The Eastern Oyster Crassostrea Virginica In Mosquito Lagoon, Florida, Michelle Boudreaux
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Populations of Crassostrea virginica within Mosquito Lagoon, Florida have recently undergone significant die-offs, which are a subject of major concern. Restoration efforts within Mosquito Lagoon are focusing on reconstructing the three-dimensional reef habitats. Before effective protocols can be established, however, important questions about the sources of juvenile and adult oyster mortality must be answered. Potential causes of Crassostrea virginica mortality in the Indian River Lagoon system include sediment loads, competition, predation, and disease. My research focused on the interactions between oysters and the competitors that may affect the settlement, growth, and survival of Crassostrea virginica. The four objectives of my …