Life Sciences Commons^™

Reproductive Parameters Of Two Coastal Pelagic Fishes Off Southeast Florida: Blackfin Tuna Thunnus Atlanticus And Little Tunny Euthynnus Alletteratus, Sonia Ahrabi-Nejad

HCNSO Student Theses and Dissertations

The ability to manage a fish stock relies on an understanding of life history characteristics and basic biology of the species. Numerous age-growth studies are facilitated by the relative ease of ageing fishes through hard-part analyses. Determining reproductive parameters for fish populations is equally important for stock assessments and management, and histological examination of gonads provides the most accurate determination of fecundity and spawning periods. Coastal pelagic fishes are often targeted commercially and recreationally due to their easy access by private vessels. However, there are few studies researching the biology and reproduction of recreational fishes in the waters of Southeastern …

Changes In Coral Community Composition At Devil's Crown, Galapagos Islands, Ecuador: A 7,700 Year Perspective, Katharine Jane Hendrickson

HCNSO Student Theses and Dissertations

Coral mortality caused by El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) activity and its related disturbances has been researched throughout the Eastern Pacific. In the past three decades, disturbances related to the El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) have been shown to influence coral growth in the Eastern Pacific. In the Galápagos Islands, Ecuador, more than 97% of corals experienced mortality after the severe 1982-1983 ENSO episode. However, two of the most dominant coral species found in a coral community adjacent to Devil’s Crown; Psammocora stellata and Diaseris distorta survived this severe ENSO event. By reconstructing sediment cores of the coral community, this study assessed …

Distribution, Growth, And Impact Of The Coral-Excavating Sponge, Cliona Delitrix, On The Stony Coral Communities Offshore Southeast Florida, Ari Halperin

HCNSO Student Theses and Dissertations

Bioerosion is a major process that affects the carbonate balance on coral reefs, and excavating sponges from the genus Cliona are some of the most important bioeroders on Caribbean reefs. The orange boring sponge, Cliona delitrix, is an abundant excavating sponge offshore southeast Florida that frequently colonizes dead portions of live stony corals, killing live coral tissue as it grows. With the recent decline in coral cover attributed to combined environmental and anthropogenic stressors, the increasing abundance of excavating sponges poses yet another threat to the persistence of Caribbean coral reefs.

In the first part of this study, I …

Assessment Of Macroinvertebrate Communities And Heavy Metal Contamination Along The Intracoastal Waterway In Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Robert Bernhard

HCNSO Student Theses and Dissertations

Sediments from four areas adjacent to marinas and a background site in the Intracoastal Waterway were assessed for macroinvertebrate composition and heavy metal contamination. Sediment core samples were collected in 2004 and 2005 for analyses of macroinvertebrate composition and sediment grain size. Additional sediment samples were collected in 2005 for chemical analyses of metals (Al, As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Pb, Hg, Ni and Zn). MANOVA and dendograms using Bray-Curtis similarity matrices grouped the sites into two clusters: the 3 sites closest to the New River formed one group, and the two end sites formed the other. The sites nearest …

Habitat And Seasonal Distribution Of The North American River Otter (Lontra Canadensis) And Vertebrate Species Assemblages In Two Protected Areas Of The Florida Everglades, Catherine Faye Hamilton

HCNSO Student Theses and Dissertations

The Florida Everglades ecosystem is threatened by human development, increased pollution, freshwater scarcity, and invasive species; factors that have negatively impacted the Everglades and native species health and populations. Man-made canals and levies have redirected the natural flow of fresh water from Lake Okeechobee into the Florida Everglades, starving central and south Florida ecosystems of necessary fresh water and nutrients. Through the efforts of the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Project (CERP), freshwater is being redirected back into central and south Florida, returning the sheet flow of water back into the Everglades. Monitoring species abundance in the Everglades is a beneficial conservational …

The Effects Of An Extended Power Plant Shutdown On The Florida Manatee (Trichechus Manatus Latirostris) In Port Everglades, Florida, Christopher Grissett

HCNSO Student Theses and Dissertations

Florida manatees (Trichechus manatus latirostris) seek out warmer waters during winter months when ambient water temperatures drop below 20 degrees Celsius. Over time, manatees have discovered artificial warm water sites from power plant discharges in addition to natural sites such as springs and passive thermal refugia (PTRs). The Florida Power and Light (FPL) Port Everglades power plant in Broward County is one such artificial warm water refuge used by manatees. This plant was shutdown on July 16, 2013, and is expected to remain off line for at least three years during demolition and construction of a new facility. …

Modeling Flightless Galapagos Seabirds As Impacted By El Nino And Climate Change, Brian Seth Putman

HCNSO Student Theses and Dissertations

Noteworthy species endemic to the Galapagos Islands off Ecuador are two flightless birds, the Galapagos Penguin (Spheniscus mendiculus) and Flightless Cormorant (Phalacrocrax harrisi). Both adapted increased swimming ability at the cost of flight. This however has limited their ability to find richer feeding grounds in times of low resource availability, or to escape potential predators. Their population numbers, though small, were stable. Stress on this stability has increased since human arrival. Various invasive species from pets, farm animals and rats to even mosquito vectors of avian disease accompanied humans. . El Nino Southern Oscillation or ENSO …

Microbial Community Assembly Found With Sponge Orange Band Disease In Xestospongia Muta (Giant Barrel Sponge), Rebecca Mulheron

HCNSO Student Theses and Dissertations

The giant barrel sponge, Xestospongia muta is an iconic and essential species of the coral reefs in South Florida. The sponge has primary roles providing ecosystem services and creating unique habitats for diverse microbial communities. On April 27, 2012 an outbreak of Sponge Orange Band Disease (SOB) was detected off the coast of South Florida. The disease begins with sponge bleaching, followed by mesohyl or “mesohyl” necrosis and often total mesohyl disintegration. Sampling from two diseased populations at Boynton Beach and Fort Lauderdale, FL took place on May 11th and May 29th, 2012. Each of the nine diseased sponges from …

Long-Term Stony Coral Transplantation Success Offshore Southeast, Florida, Usa, Theresa Elizabeth Robitaille

HCNSO Student Theses and Dissertations

Transplanted coral (Order: Scleractinia) colony condition was surveyed at five injury event sites, two coral nurseries, and one impact minimization location off the coast of Broward County, Florida, USA in 2012. Because stony corals are long-lived and slow growing, generally growing less than one centimeter in diameter per year, determining transplantation success requires long-term (greater than two years) monitoring. Long-term monitoring efforts, however, are rarely completed. This study is unique in that it examined stony coral transplantation success of several projects over a time period of 6-17 years. Control colonies were also surveyed in order to compare naturally growing coral …

Loggerhead Sea Turtle (Caretta Caretta) Hatchling Disorientation In Broward County, Florida, Allison Durland Donahou

HCNSO Student Theses and Dissertations

Hatchling disorientation after emergence is a major factor impacting sea turtle populations. This study utilized data from over 1,200 Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) Marine Turtle Disorientation Report forms from years 2006 to 2011 to assess changes in the severity and locations of disorientation events and the impact of municipal beach lighting ordinances. While the FWC forms were completed for all sea turtle species observed, this study focused only on loggerhead sea turtles (Caretta caretta). A Disorientation Severity Index (DSI) was derived from the number of hatchlings and the direction of their tracks leaving the nests …

Biophysical Interactions In The Straits Of Florida: Turbulent Mixing Due To Diel Vertical Migrations Of Zooplankton, Cayla Whitney Dean

HCNSO Student Theses and Dissertations

Diel vertical migrations (DVM) comprise the largest animal migration on the planet and are a phenomenon present in all bodies of water on Earth. A strong sound scattering layer undergoing DVM was observed in the Straits of Florida via a bottom-mounted Acoustic Doppler current profiler (ADCP) Workhorse Longranger 75 kHz (Teledyne RD Instruments) located at the 244 m isobath. ADCP average backscatter showed a clear periodicity corresponding with sunrise and sunset times indicating the presence of a nocturnal DVM. Analysis of the ADCP backscatter data indicated zooplankton swimming velocities were faster during sunrise than sunset times. In several cases the …

Socioeconomics Of The Lionfish Derby Fishery, Kristina Ann Trotta

HCNSO Student Theses and Dissertations

Throughout the western North Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean Sea, and the Gulf of Mexico, invasive Indo-Pacific lionfish (Pterois volitans/miles) have established dense populations, greatly impacting their host environments. Lionfish tournaments have been an important tool for resource managers and other concerned stakeholders in suppressing local populations of lionfish. Tournaments can also bring economic benefits to the communities where they are held, despite this not being the primary purpose.

Five derby events in Florida and the Bahamas were surveyed and 119 participants were interviewed on site, using a survey asking them to describe (1) the lionfish derby experience; (2) non-derby related lionfish …

Global Population Structure Of The Dusky Shark And Geographic Sourcing Of Shark Fins From Commercial Markets, Teagen K. Gray

HCNSO Student Theses and Dissertations

The dusky shark, Carcharinus obscurus, is a globally distributed, coastal-pelagic species subject to an apparent high level of exploitation. The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) lists this species as “Vulnerable” globally, and “Endangered” within western North Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico waters due to an over 80% decline in this region, with no evidence of population recovery. The extensive exploitation of dusky sharks may partly be attributed to the high market value of its fins, but the contribution of individual dusky shark stocks to the fin markets is unknown. This knowledge would be helpful to detect …

Behavioral Criteria For The Diagnosis Of Domoic Acid Toxicosis In Zalophus Californianus, Christiana Wittmaack

HCNSO Student Theses and Dissertations

Introduction

California sea lion (Zalophus californianus) health is severely compromised by domoic acid toxicosis, which occurs in high levels during harmful algal blooms of Pseudonitzschia australis along the coast of California. Current diagnostic protocols are often inconclusive due to a 2-48 hour window of detectability within the urinary, circulatory, and gastric systems (Cook, et al. 2011 and Monte, Pers Comm, 2012). Past studies suggest that Z. californianus, with domoic acid toxicosis, commonly display abnormal behaviors (Goldstein, et al. 2008). However, many of these abnormal behaviors are also associated with other diagnoses and are therefore unreliable as diagnostic indicators. …

Reproduction And Population Of Porites Divaricata At Rodriguez Key: The Florida Keys, Usa, John Mcdermond

HCNSO Student Theses and Dissertations

Sexual reproduction in Porites divaricata (Le Sueur, 1820) was studied over a one year period (August, 2012 to August, 2013) in a shallow water (~2m depth) carbonate bank (also described as marginal) habitat at Rodriguez Key, a small island located 1.44 km off the east coast of Key Largo. Porites divaricata is a brooding, gonochoric species with peak reproductive output (planula release) occurring in March and at least a smaller event in May. This species showed an overall female to male sex ratio of 3.5:1. However, during peak reproduction, the sex ratio was 1.2:1. Spawning (sperm release) most likely occurred …

A Principal Component Analysis Of Vertical Temperature Profiles For Tracking Movements Of Swordfish Xiphias Gladius, Kathryn G. Carmody

HCNSO Student Theses and Dissertations

Electronic pop-up satellite archival tag (PSAT) technology has been successfully used to monitor the at-large behavior of a suite of pelagic animals, especially regarding habitat utilization. Additionally, algorithms using ambient light-level data have allowed the derivation of geolocation estimates along the duration of the deployment. However, the diel behavior of swordfish moving below the photic zone during daylight hours precludes this methodology because of the lack of ambient light-level data. To produce deployment tracks for swordfish, a mathematical model was created to analyze hydrographic temperature and pressure data recorded by PSATs. This hydrographic-based model applies Principal Component Analysis (PCA) to …