Life Sciences Commons^™

Coral Reef Ecosystem Restoration Off Southeast Florida, David S. Gilliam, Walter Jaap, Richard E. Dodge, Elizabeth Glynn Fahy, Jamie A. Monty, Brian K. Walker, Lauren F. Shuman, B. D. Ettinger, Daniel P. Fahy, Shaun M. Gill, Richard Shaul

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Proceedings, Presentations, Speeches, Lectures

Significant coral reef community development along the eastern shelf of the United States continues northward of the Florida Keys through Miami-Dade, Broward, Palm Beach, and Martin Counties, Florida (to Latitude 27° N). These Southeast Florida high-latitude coral communities have approximately 30 species of stony corals, stony coral coverage of 2-3%, and a diverse assemblage of reef gorgonians, sponges, and fishes.

This system lays within 3 km of the coast offshore a highly urbanized area comprising a population of over 5 million people (the population of Broward County alone exceeds 1.7 million). These reefs are important economic assets: a 2001 economic …

Techniques For Restoring Gorgonians To Coral Reef Injury Areas, Lauren F. Shuman, David S. Gilliam, Richard E. Dodge, B. D. Ettinger, Daniel P. Fahy, Elizabeth Glynn Fahy, Shaun M. Gill, Jamie A. Monty, Brian K. Walker

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Proceedings, Presentations, Speeches, Lectures

Great attention and energy has been spent investigating reattachment techniques for dislodged and fragmented scleractinian corals; however there has been a lack of controlled experimentation on how to restore dislodged gorgonians following a disturbance event, such as a ship grounding. Unfortunately, reef damage events occur frequently off southeast Florida. As an example, since 1998 at least five freighters have grounded on the reefs near Ft. Lauderdale, Broward County. These freighters dislodged many scleractinian and gorgonian corals and often destroyed thousands of square feet of reef habitat. After these events, restoration efforts concentrated on stabilizing loose debris and rubble, and reattaching …

Fall 2004, Nsu Oceanographic Center

Currents

No abstract provided.

Evidence Of Shark Predation And Scavenging On Fishes Equipped With Pop-Up Satellite Archival Tags, David W. Kerstetter, J. Polovina, John E. Graves

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles

No abstract provided.

The Perfect Microbial Symbiosis Hotel: Marine Sponges, Jose V. Lopez

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles

No abstract provided.

Southeast Florida Coral Reef Evaluation And Monitoring Project 2003 Year 1 Final Report, Jennifer Wheaton, Carl Beaver, Walter Jaap, Michael Callahan, Selena Kupfner, Shannon Wade, Jim Kidney, Stopher Slade, Erin Mcdevitt, Eric Ault, Fred Voss, David S. Gilliam, B. D. Ettinger, Daniel P. Fahy, Elizabeth Glynn Fahy, Shaun M. Gill, Jamie A. Monty, Lauren F. Shuman, Brian K. Walker, Richard E. Dodge, Tim Mcintosh, Steven Blair, Kenneth Banks, Louis E. Fisher, David Stout, Joe Ligas, Janet Phipps

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Reports

No abstract provided.

Spring 2004, Nsu Oceanographic Center

Currents

No abstract provided.

Cultivation Of Wrack Collected Seagrasses, Irene Arpayoglou

HCNSO Student Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

New Species Of Eustomias (Teleostei: Stomiidae) From The Western North Atlantic, With A Review Of The Subgenus Neostomias, Tracey Sutton, Karsten E. Hartel

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles

A new species of the deep-sea dragonfish genus Eustomias is described from 14 specimens from the western North Atlantic. This species belongs to the subgenus Neostomias, which is defined principally by the presence of a single pectoral ray, plus one small rudimentary ray. It is unique among members of the subgenus in having a combination of characters that includes a short mental barbel, multiple proximal bulbs on the barbel main stem, and a unique terminal bulb morphology. Analysis of similar species warrants resurrection of Eustomias monodactylus, previously placed in synonymy with Eustomias filifer. A revised key to …

Predicting Biodiversity Patterns In Deep Water Coral Ecosystems: Lessons From Phylogenetic Studies Of Shallow Water Coral Reef Crustacea, James Darwin Thomas

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Proceedings, Presentations, Speeches, Lectures

Comprehensive studies of coral reef biodiversity suggest that diversity patterns may be more congruent with geotectonic events than with the reigning paradigms of dispersal, center of origin, and vicariance. Geotectonic processes slowly accumulate taxa in areas exemplified by the presence of composite or lineage-based evolutionary diversity. This process-pattern model can suggest additional areas where similar patterns are likely to occur. Information on types and levels of diversity should be a primary concern in emerging conservation efforts for deepwater coral ecosystems. Current marine conservation efforts in shallow reef systems rely primarily on identifying “hotspots” that reflect measures of species richness and …

Trophic Ecology Of The Deep-Sea Fish Malacosteus Niger (Pisces: Stomiidae): An Enigmatic Feeding Ecology To Facilitate A Unique Visual System?, Tracey Sutton

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Proceedings, Presentations, Speeches, Lectures

The ‘dragonfishes’ and their relatives (family Stomiidae) are among the top predators of the mesopelagic zone of the open ocean. Based on feeding morphology (e.g., large gape, long fangs, and no gill-rakers or ethmoid membrane), the meso/bathypelagic fish Malacosteus niger would also be expected to be a large-item predator, as are the other members of its family. However, analysis of specimens from different ocean basins revealed that the most common prey items are calanoid copepods, despite an apparent inability to handle such small prey. Malacosteus niger is considered advanced within the Stomiidae, so this feeding mode represents a secondary reversion …

Interactions Between Zooplankton And Karenia Brevis In The Gulf Of Mexico., Kristen M. Lester, Gabriel A. Vargo, John J. Walsh, Cynthia A. Heil, Mary B. Neely, Danylle N. Spence, Susan Murasko, Tracey Sutton, Scott E. Burghart, Andrew Remsen, T. L. Hopkins, Richard N. Bohrer

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Proceedings, Presentations, Speeches, Lectures

Blooms of the toxic dinoflagellate K. brevis are common in the Gulf of Mexico, yet no in situ studies of the interactions between zooplankton and K. brevis in the Gulf of Mexico have been conducted. Zooplankton numerical abundance, biomass and taxonomic composition of nonbloom and K. brevis bloom stations within the ECOHAB study area were compared. At nonbloom stations, the most important determinant species were Parvolcalanus crassirostris, Oithona colcarva and Paracalanus quasimodo at the 5-m isobath and P. quasimodo, O. colcarva and Oikopleura dioka at the 25-m isobath. There was considerable overlap between the 5 and 25-m isobaths, with …

Development Of Gis Maps For Southeast Florida Coral Reefs, Bernhard Riegl, Brian K. Walker, Ryan P. Moyer, Luz Hernandez-Cruz, Greg Foster, Christy Foster

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Reports

The present report outlines the results of an integrated mapping project undertaken to provide a habitat map of the shallow Broward County seafloor between the 0m and 35m contour. The study area stretched from Golden Beach in northern Dade County to just north of the Palm Beach County line. To produce this map and assure its compatibility with other, in particular NOAA, mapping products, a series of data were integrated. Data types included Laser Airborne Depth Sounder (LADS) bathymetry, multi- and single-beam bathymetry, acoustic seafloor discrimination, ecological assessments, and groundtruthing. The method used for acoustic seafloor discrimination was based on …

Habitat Preferences And Diving Behavior Of White Marlin (Tetrapturus Albidus) Released From The Recreational Rod-And-Reel And Commercial Pelagic Longline Fisheries In The Western North Atlantic Ocean: Implications For Habitat-Based Stock Assessment Models, Andrij Horodysky, David W. Kerstetter, John E. Graves

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Reports

To improve billfish assessments, researchers have applied habitat-based models that incorporate behavioral and oceanographic parameters to standardize historical catch-per-uniteffort time -series data, accounting for significant gear changes over time. However, there has been little behavioral data from Atlantic billfishes to support these models. We provide information on habitat preferences of white marlin released from recreational and commercial fisheries in the western North Atlantic. White marlin were tagged with pop-up satellite archival tags (PSATs) from recreational rod and reel (n=22) and commercial pelagic longline (n=2) fisheries between May-November 2002. Our data indicate that each surviving white marlin spent the majority of …

Sea Turtle Conservation Program, Broward County, Fl 2004 Report, Curtis M. Burney, Stefanie Ouellette

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Reports

No abstract provided.

Microfauna As Tracers Of Sediment Transport: Ft. Pierce Dredge Spoils Sediment Study, Patricia Blackwelder, Carlos Alvares Zarikian, Terry Hood, Charles M. Featherstone, John Proni, Jules Craynock

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Reports

No abstract provided.

Biozonation On Deep-Water Carbonate Mounds And Associated Hardgrounds Along The Western Margin Of Little Bahama Bank, With Notes On The Caicos Platform Island Slope, Charles G. Messing

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Proceedings, Presentations, Speeches, Lectures

Carbonate mounds found in a broad band from about 325 to 700 m along the western margin of Little Bahama Bank exhibit consistent faunal zonations characterized by assemblages of attached, suspension-feeding macroinvertebrates dominated by sponges, octocorals, crinoids and stylasterid and scleractinian corals. Biozonation on hard substrates appears chiefly dependent on depth (and associated parameters, e.g., temperature) and current flow. Mounds in 325-435 m with up to 30 m vertical relief reveal dense assemblages on gentler up current slopes and flanks, and an almost complete lack of macrofauna on steep downcurrent slopes. Macrofauna include stalked crinoids on upcurrent slopes and crest, …

Spatial And Temporal Recruitment Patterns Of Juvenile Grunts (Haemulon Spp.) In South Florida, L. K. B. Jordan, David S. Gilliam, Robin L. Sherman, Paul T. Arena, Fleur M. Harttung, Robert M. Baron, Richard E. Spieler

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Proceedings, Presentations, Speeches, Lectures

Grunts (Haemulidae) are important fisheries species and represent a major component of reef fish communities in the Greater Caribbean region. To date, little is known about their recruitment pattems. Data from more than 2,000 visual fish counts from multiple natural and artificial reef studies in Broward County, Florida, over a seven-year period, were examined to identify both spatial and temporal trends in recruitment of juvenile (i.e., < 5cm TL) grunts of the genus Haemulon. In general, data from these studies indicate that juvenile Haemulon spp. recruitment increases in the spring and peaks in the early summer months (i.e., June and July). Data from natural reef surveys revealed a predominantly nearshore preference for recruitment in water depths less than 8 m. However, on artificial reefs, recruitment commoniy occurred at 20 m depths. The biotic and abiotic factors determining the settlement of grunts are not clear and will be examined in future studies.

Winter 2004, Nsu Oceanographic Center

Currents

No abstract provided.

Diel Activity Patterns, Space Utilization, Seasonal Distribution And Population Structure Of The Yellow Stingray, Urobatis Jamaicensis (Cuvier, 1817) In South Florida With Comments On Reproduction., Daniel P. Fahy

HCNSO Student Theses and Dissertations

The yellow stingray, Urobatis jamaicensis is the most common elasmobranch in the coastal waters of Southeast Florida. Despite their common occurrence the ecology of yellow stingrays remains poorly understood. In particular, yellow stingray daily movements, space utilization, seasonal distribution and population structure have not been described. This study was conducted to address the lack of knowledge of these fundamental life history parameters and to provide further information on the ecology of U. jamaicensis in coastal waters of Broward County, Florida.

The activity patterns and space utilization of U. jamaicensis were assessed by manual tracking with ultrasonic telemetry. Telemetry tracking of …

Presence Of Juvenile Blackfin Snapper, Lutjanus Buccanella, And Snowy Grouper, Epinephelus Niveatus, On Shallow-Water Artificial Reefs, Paul T. Arena, Patrick Quinn, Lance K. B. Jordan, Robin L. Sherman, Fleur M. Harttung, Richard E. Spieler

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Proceedings, Presentations, Speeches, Lectures

The inshore environment of Broward County, Florida consists of three reef tracts, each separated by sand substrate, running parallel to the coastline in sequentially deeper water. A wide variety of artificial reef designs have been deployed in Broward County, many lying in sand flats between the reeftracts. From 1995 through 2002, over 1,100 visual fish censuses (predominantly point-counts) were completed on the three natural reeftracts in water depths from 3 m to 30 m and over 1,100 censuses were done on artificial reefs at depths of 7 m to 23 m. Curiously, the juvenile stages of two deeper-water species of …