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- Biological Sciences Peer-Reviewed Articles (28)
- Fisheries Science Peer-Reviewed Articles (12)
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- Aquatic Health Sciences Peer-Reviewed Articles (7)
- Alkalinity budget; calcium carbonate cycling; Chesapeake Bay; oyster reef; shell budget (1)
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- Amphipod; antipredator behavior; diversity; food web; marine; multiple predator; nonconsumptive effects (1)
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- Black sea bass · Acoustic telemetry · Dispersal · Fish habitat · Movement · Continental shelf · Negative binomial model (1)
- Blue-Crab; Parasitic Dinoflagellate; Ribosomal-Rna; Protistan Parasite; Perkinsus-Marinus; Alternate Hosts; Chesapeake Bay; Sp Alveolata; N-Sp; Crustaceans (1)
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- CLAM MACOMA-BALTHICA; BEHAVIORAL-RESPONSES; BENTHIC MACROFAUNA; OXYGEN DEPLETION; DISSOLVED-OXYGEN; EUTROPHICATION; POLYCHAETE; DYNAMICS; WATER; POPULATION (1)
- COUPLED NITRIFICATION-DENITRIFICATION; COASTAL MARINE-ENVIRONMENT; NITROGEN INCORPORATION; ESTUARINE SEDIMENTS; AMINO-ACIDS; NUTRIENT AVAILABILITY; MICROBIAL COMMUNITY; INTERTIDAL SEDIMENT; CHAETOMORPHA-LINUM; LIPID BIOMARKERS (1)
- Chondrichthyes; Atlantic; Catalog (1)
- Community structure · Demersal fishes · Chesapeake Bay · Environmental conditions · Species richness · Species diversity · Hypoxia · Bottom trawl survey (1)
- Complementary Resources; Generalist Herbivore; Trophic Complexity; Prey Diversity; Specialization; Growth; Plant; Omnivory; Quality; Models (1)
- Crassostrea virginica · Denitrification · Nitrogen · Nitrogen fixation (1)
- DWELLING SNAPPING SHRIMPS; ALPHEIDAE SYNALPHEUS; CLIMATE-CHANGE; DISCOVERY-BAY; CORAL-REEFS; BELIZE; BIODIVERSITY; DEMOSPONGIAE; CRUSTACEA; ABUNDANCE (1)
- Deep-Sea Fishes; Vertical-Distribution; Crystalline Lens; Feeding Ecology; Eastern Gulf; Eye; Bioluminescence; Pisces; System; Mexico (1)
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- Diazotrophy; DON release; dissolved N-15(2); unicellular diazotrophs; Saharan dust (1)
- Dinoflagellate Alexandrium-Tamarense; Tintinnid Ciliate; Prorocentrum-Lima; Favella-Taraikaensis; Larval Crabs; Phytoplankton; Toxicity; Palatability; Populations; Selectivity (1)
- Direct vs. indirect effects; epiphyte; mesograzer; seagrass; structural equation modeling; top-down vs. bottom-up processes; trophic cascade; York River (1)
- Eastern mosquitofish (1)
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- Euphausia-Superba Abundance; Breeding Adelie Penguins; South Georgia; Seasonal Variability; Continental-Shelf; Submarine-Canyon; Elephant Island; Grazing Impact; Fur Seals; Behavior (1)
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Articles 1 - 30 of 56
Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences
Does Presence Of A Mid-Ocean Ridge Enhance Biomass And Biodiversity?, Ig Priede, Oa Bergstad, Pi Miller, M Vecchione, A Gebruk, Et Al, Tt Sutton
Does Presence Of A Mid-Ocean Ridge Enhance Biomass And Biodiversity?, Ig Priede, Oa Bergstad, Pi Miller, M Vecchione, A Gebruk, Et Al, Tt Sutton
VIMS Articles
In contrast to generally sparse biological communities in open-ocean settings, seamounts and ridges are perceived as areas of elevated productivity and biodiversity capable of supporting commercial fisheries. We investigated the origin of this apparent biological enhancement over a segment of the North Mid-Atlantic Ridge (MAR) using sonar, corers, trawls, traps, and a remotely operated vehicle to survey habitat, biomass, and biodiversity. Satellite remote sensing provided information on flow patterns, thermal fronts, and primary production, while sediment traps measured export flux during 2007-2010. The MAR, 3,704,404 km 2 in area, accounts for 44.7% lower bathyal habitat (800-3500 m depth) in the …
Ecosystem Effects Of Shell Aggregations And Cycling In Coastal Waters: An Example Of Chesapeake Bay Oyster Reefs, G G. Waldbusser, E N. Powell, Roger L. Mann
Ecosystem Effects Of Shell Aggregations And Cycling In Coastal Waters: An Example Of Chesapeake Bay Oyster Reefs, G G. Waldbusser, E N. Powell, Roger L. Mann
VIMS Articles
Disease, overharvesting, and pollution have impaired the role of bivalves on coastal ecosystems, some to the point of functional extinction. An underappreciated function of many bivalves in these systems is shell formation. The ecological significance of bivalve shell has been recognized; geochemical effects are now more clearly being understood. A positive feedback exists between shell aggregations and healthy bivalve populations in temperate estuaries, thus linking population dynamics to shell budgets and alkalinity cycling. On oysterreefs a balanced shell budget requires healthy long-lived bivalves to maximize shell input permortality event thereby countering shell loss. Active and dense populations of filter-feeding bivalves …
Temporal Shifts In Top-Down Vs. Bottom-Up Control Of Epiphytic Algae In A Seagrass Ecosystem, Ma Whalen, Je Duffy, Jb Grace
Temporal Shifts In Top-Down Vs. Bottom-Up Control Of Epiphytic Algae In A Seagrass Ecosystem, Ma Whalen, Je Duffy, Jb Grace
VIMS Articles
In coastal marine food webs, small invertebrate herbivores (mesograzers) have long been hypothesized to occupy an important position facilitating dominance of habitat-forming macrophytes by grazing competitively superior epiphytic algae. Because of the difficulty of manipulating mesograzers in the field, however, their impacts on community organization have rarely been rigorously documented. Understanding mesograzer impacts has taken on increased urgency in seagrass systems due to declines in seagrasses globally, caused in part by widespread eutrophication favoring seagrass overgrowth by faster-growing algae. Using cage-free field experiments in two seasons (fall and summer), we present experimental confirmation that mesograzer reduction and nutrients can promote …
Multiple Predator Species Alter Prey Behavior, Population Growth, And A Trophic Cascade In A Model Estuarine Food Web, Pl Reynolds, Jf Bruno
Multiple Predator Species Alter Prey Behavior, Population Growth, And A Trophic Cascade In A Model Estuarine Food Web, Pl Reynolds, Jf Bruno
VIMS Articles
Predators can influence prey population dynamics by affecting prey behaviors with strong fitness consequences, with cascading effects on lower trophic levels. Here, we demonstrate that multiple predator species can nonconsumptively influence prey population growth and the strength of a trophic cascade in a model marine community. We exposed the herbivorous amphipod Ampithoe longimana to olfactory and visual cues from three common predators (pinfish, mud crabs, brown shrimp) singly and together in a multiple-predator assemblage to quantify the nonconsumptive effects (NCEs) of predator identity and the presence of multiple predators on prey population and community-level metrics. The presence of predator cues, …
Decline And Local Extinction Of Caribbean Eusocial Shrimp, J. Emmett Duffy, Kenneth S. Macdonald, Kristin M. Hultgren, Tin Chi Solomon Chak, Dustin Rubenstein
Decline And Local Extinction Of Caribbean Eusocial Shrimp, J. Emmett Duffy, Kenneth S. Macdonald, Kristin M. Hultgren, Tin Chi Solomon Chak, Dustin Rubenstein
VIMS Articles
The tropical shrimp genus Synalpheus includes the only eusocial marine animals. In much of the Caribbean, eusocial species have dominated the diverse fauna of sponge-dwelling shrimp in coral rubble for at least the past two decades. Here we document a recent, dramatic decline and apparent local extinction of eusocial shrimp species on the Belize Barrier Reef. Our collections from shallow reefs in central Belize in 2012 failed to locate three of the four eusocial species formerly abundant in the area, and showed steep declines in colony size and increases in frequency of queenless colonies prior to their disappearance. Concordant with …
Fish Species Distribution In Seagrass Habitats Of Chesapeake Bay Are Structured By Abiotic And Biotic Factors, Jason J. Schaffler, Jacques Van Montfrans, Cynthia M. Jones, R J. Orth
Fish Species Distribution In Seagrass Habitats Of Chesapeake Bay Are Structured By Abiotic And Biotic Factors, Jason J. Schaffler, Jacques Van Montfrans, Cynthia M. Jones, R J. Orth
VIMS Articles
Seagrass habitats have long been known to serve as nursery habitats for juvenile fish by providing refuges from predation and areas of high forage abundance. However, comparatively less is known about other factors structuring fish communities that make extensive use of seagrass as nursery habitat. We examined both physical and biological factors that may structure the juvenile seagrass-associated fish communities across a synoptic-scale multiyear study in lower Chesapeake Bay. Across 3years of sampling, we collected 21,153 fish from 31 species. Silver Perch Bairdiella chrysoura made up over 86% of all individuals collected. Nine additional species made up at least 1% …
Compensatory Growth Of The Sandbar Shark In The Western North Atlantic Including The Gulf Of Mexico, J. G. Romine, John A. Musick, R. A. Johnson
Compensatory Growth Of The Sandbar Shark In The Western North Atlantic Including The Gulf Of Mexico, J. G. Romine, John A. Musick, R. A. Johnson
VIMS Articles
The number of Sandbar Sharks Carcharhinus plumbeus in the western North Atlantic Ocean has experienced a drastic decline since the early 1980s, reaching a minimum during the early 1990s. Catch rates in the early 1990s were a mere 25% of those during the 1980s. According to several fishery-independent surveys, the low point in Sandbar Shark abundance followed a period of high exploitation. Growth models fit to age-length data collected from 1980 to 1983 and from 2001 to 2004 were compared to investigate potential changes in parameter estimates that might reveal compensatory responses in the Sandbar Shark population. Statistical differences were …
Photochemical And Microbial Alteration Of Dissolved Organic Matter In Temperate Headwater Streams Associated With Different Land Use, Yuehan Lu, James E. Bauer, Elizabeth A. Canuel, Youhei Yamashita, Randy Chambers, Rudolf Jaffe
Photochemical And Microbial Alteration Of Dissolved Organic Matter In Temperate Headwater Streams Associated With Different Land Use, Yuehan Lu, James E. Bauer, Elizabeth A. Canuel, Youhei Yamashita, Randy Chambers, Rudolf Jaffe
VIMS Articles
Photochemical and microbial transformations of DOM were evaluated in headwater streams draining forested and human-modified lands (pasture, cropland, and urban development) by laboratory incubations. Changes in DOC concentrations, DOC isotopic signatures, and DOM fluorescence properties were measured to assess the amounts, sources, ages, and properties of reactive and refractory DOM under the influence of photochemistry and/or bacteria. DOC in streams draining forest-dominated watersheds was more photoreactive than in streams draining mostly human-modified watersheds, possibly due to greater contributions of terrestrial plant-derived DOC and lower amounts of prior light exposure in forested streams. Overall, the percentage of photoreactive DOC in stream …
Revision Of The Genus Centrophorus (Squaliformes: Centrophoridae): Part 1-Redescription Of Centrophorus Granulosus (Bloch & Schneider), A Senior Synonym Of C-Acus Garman And C-Niaukang Teng, Wt White, Da Ebert, Gjp Naylor, Hc Ho, P Clerkin, A Verissimo, Cf Cotton
Revision Of The Genus Centrophorus (Squaliformes: Centrophoridae): Part 1-Redescription Of Centrophorus Granulosus (Bloch & Schneider), A Senior Synonym Of C-Acus Garman And C-Niaukang Teng, Wt White, Da Ebert, Gjp Naylor, Hc Ho, P Clerkin, A Verissimo, Cf Cotton
VIMS Articles
The genus Centrophorus is one of the most taxonomically complex and confusing elasmobranch groups. A revision of this group is currently underway and this first paper sets an important foundation in this process by redescribing the type species of the genus-Centrophorus granulosus. This taxon name has been previously applied to two different morphotypes: a large species > 1.5 m TL and a smaller species similar to 1 m TL. Centrophorus acus and C. niaukang are the most commonly used names applied to the larger morphotype. The original description of C. granulosus was based on a large specimen of similar to 1.5 …
Using Timescales To Interpret Dissolved Oxygen Distributions In The Bottom Waters Of Chesapeake Bay, Jian Shen, B Hong, Ay Kuo
Using Timescales To Interpret Dissolved Oxygen Distributions In The Bottom Waters Of Chesapeake Bay, Jian Shen, B Hong, Ay Kuo
VIMS Articles
A simplified conceptual model based on timescales of gravitational circulation, vertical exchange, and total oxygen consumption rate of the biochemical processes is presented to provide insight into the relationships between estuarine dynamics and bottom water dissolved oxygen (DO). Two dimensionless parameters are introduced to diagnose the relationship between the vertical exchange process and the biochemical DO consumption and the influence of gravitational circulation on replenishment of bottom DO. The relative magnitudes of these timescales provide a linkage between the physical and biochemical processes. The hypoxic and anoxic conditions in deep waters of Chesapeake Bay are successfully interpreted with these three …
Haplosporidium Littoralis Sp Nov.: A Crustacean Pathogen Within The Haplosporida (Cercozoa, Ascetosporea), Gd Stentiford, Ks Bateman, Na Stokes, Ryan Carnegie
Haplosporidium Littoralis Sp Nov.: A Crustacean Pathogen Within The Haplosporida (Cercozoa, Ascetosporea), Gd Stentiford, Ks Bateman, Na Stokes, Ryan Carnegie
VIMS Articles
Previously, we described the pathology and ultrastructure of an apparently asporous haplosporidian-like parasite infecting the common shore crab Carcinus maenas from the European shoreline. In the current study, extraction of genomic DNA from the haemolymph, gill or hepatopancreas of infected C. maenas was carried out and the small subunit ribosomal DNA (SSU rDNA) of the pathogen was amplified by PCR before cloning and sequencing. All 4 crabs yielded an identical 1736 bp parasite sequence. BLAST analysis against the NCBI GenBank database identified the sequence as most similar to the protistan pathogen group comprising the order Haplosporida within the class Ascetosporea …
Penguin Biogeography Along The West Antarctic Peninsula Testing The Canyon Hypothesis With Palmer Lter Observations, O Schofield, H Ducklow, K Bernard, S Doney, D Patterson-Fraser, Et Al.
Penguin Biogeography Along The West Antarctic Peninsula Testing The Canyon Hypothesis With Palmer Lter Observations, O Schofield, H Ducklow, K Bernard, S Doney, D Patterson-Fraser, Et Al.
VIMS Articles
No abstract provided.
Contribution Of Sea Ice In The Southern Ocean To The Cycling Of Volatile Halogenated Organic Compounds, A Granfors, A Karlsson, E Mattsson, Walker O. Smith Jr., K Abrahamsson
Contribution Of Sea Ice In The Southern Ocean To The Cycling Of Volatile Halogenated Organic Compounds, A Granfors, A Karlsson, E Mattsson, Walker O. Smith Jr., K Abrahamsson
VIMS Articles
The contribution of sea ice to the flux of biogenic volatile halogenated organic compounds to the atmosphere in the Southern Ocean is currently not known. To approach this question, we measured halocarbons in sea ice, sea ice brine, and surface water of the Amundsen and Ross Seas. Concentrations in sea ice of these compounds, normalized to seawater salinity, ranged from 0.2 to 810 pmol L-1. Salinity-normalized chlorophyll a concentrations in the ice ranged from 3.5 to 190 mu gL(-1). Our results suggest biological production of halocarbons in sea ice, with maxima of halogenated organics and chlorophyll a commonly found in …
Krill Biomass And Aggregation Structure In Relation To Tidal Cycle In A Penguin Foraging Region Off The Western Antarctic Peninsula, Ks Bernard, Deborah K. Steinberg
Krill Biomass And Aggregation Structure In Relation To Tidal Cycle In A Penguin Foraging Region Off The Western Antarctic Peninsula, Ks Bernard, Deborah K. Steinberg
VIMS Articles
Antarctic krill are a key component of the diet of Adlie penguins inhabiting the Western Antarctic Peninsula (WAP), yet our understanding of the variability of krill distribution patterns within nearshore penguin feeding grounds is limited. A recent study of the foraging patterns of penguins breeding in the northern WAP suggests that tidal phase plays a role in foraging distance. We used acoustics to examine biomass and aggregation structure of krill in the penguin foraging grounds off Palmer Station during diurnal and semi-diurnal tides. Nearshore, integrated krill biomass during diurnal tides was significantly higher than during semi-diurnal tides. Krill aggregations were …
Effects Of Microalgal Exudates And Intact Cells On Subtropical Marine Zooplankton, Nj Silva, Kw Tang, Rm Lopes
Effects Of Microalgal Exudates And Intact Cells On Subtropical Marine Zooplankton, Nj Silva, Kw Tang, Rm Lopes
VIMS Articles
Harmful algal blooms (HABs) affect coastal waters worldwide and very often lead to the disruption of seafood harvesting and commercial activities, because of potential hazards to human health associated with the consumption of contaminated mussels, crustaceans and fish. HAB events are frequently caused by outbreaks of toxin-producing dinoflagellates, which are subject to top-down control by zooplankton. The aim of this study was to analyze the effects of dinoflagellate exudates and intact cells on the survivorship and mobility of zooplankton taxa from a subtropical location (Ubatuba, Brazil). Lethal effects were observed in five out of six taxa investigated, three of which …
Envisioning A Marine Biodiversity Observation Network, Je Duffy, La Amaral-Zettler, Dg Fautin, G Paulay, Ta Rynearson, Et Al.
Envisioning A Marine Biodiversity Observation Network, Je Duffy, La Amaral-Zettler, Dg Fautin, G Paulay, Ta Rynearson, Et Al.
VIMS Articles
Humans depend on diverse ocean ecosystems for food, jobs, and sustained well-being, yet many stressors threaten marine life. Extensive research has demonstrated that maintaining biodiversity promotes ocean health and service provision; therefore, monitoring the status and trends of marine biodiversity is important for effective ecosystem management. However, there is no systematic sustained program for evaluating ocean biodiversity. Coordinating existing monitoring and building a proactive marine biodiversity observation network will support efficient, economical resource management and conservation and should be a high priority. A synthesis of expert opinions suggests that, to be most effective, a marine biodiversity observation network should integrate …
Improved Method For Quantifying The Air-Sea Flux Of Volatile And Semi-Volatile Organic Carbon, Ej Hauser, Rm Dickhut, R Falconer, As Wozniak
Improved Method For Quantifying The Air-Sea Flux Of Volatile And Semi-Volatile Organic Carbon, Ej Hauser, Rm Dickhut, R Falconer, As Wozniak
VIMS Articles
A method for quantifying the diffusive air-sea exchange of gaseous organic carbon (OC) was developed. OC compounds were separated into two operational pools-those that were kinetically air limited in diffusion across the air-sea interface and those that were water limited-during simultaneous air/water sampling. The method separates OC compounds into low Henry's law constant (low-H) semivolatile OC (SOC) and high Henry's law constant (high-H) volatile OC (VOC) pools that can be categorized by relating diffusion kinetic parameters to Henry's Law constant. Air limited (low-H; H << similar to 0.1 L atm mol(-1)) compounds were collected in pure water traps and were quantified as dissolved OC, whereas water limited (high-H; H >> similar to 0.1 L atm mol-1) compounds were collected on solid sorbent tubes downstream from the …
Physiological Effects Of Diet Mixing On Consumer Fitness: A Meta-Analysis, Js Lefcheck, Ma Whalen, Tm Davenport, Jp Stone, Je Duffy
Physiological Effects Of Diet Mixing On Consumer Fitness: A Meta-Analysis, Js Lefcheck, Ma Whalen, Tm Davenport, Jp Stone, Je Duffy
VIMS Articles
The degree of dietary generalism among consumers has important consequences for population, community, and ecosystem processes, yet the effects on consumer fitness of mixing food types have not been examined comprehensively. We conducted a meta-analysis of 161 peer-reviewed studies reporting 493 experimental manipulations of prey diversity to test whether diet mixing enhances consumer fitness based on the intrinsic nutritional quality of foods and consumer physiology. Averaged across studies, mixed diets conferred significantly higher fitness than the average of single-species diets, but not the best single prey species. More than half of individual experiments, however, showed maximal growth and reproduction on …
Effects Of Seasonal Hypoxia On Macrobenthic Production And Function In The Rappahannock River, Virginia, Usa, Sk Sturdivant, Rochelle D. Seitz, R. J. Diaz
Effects Of Seasonal Hypoxia On Macrobenthic Production And Function In The Rappahannock River, Virginia, Usa, Sk Sturdivant, Rochelle D. Seitz, R. J. Diaz
VIMS Articles
Since colonial times, anthropogenic effects have eroded Chesapeake Bay’s health, resulting in an increase in the extent and severity of hypoxia (≤ 2 mg O2 l-1), adversely affecting community structure and secondary production of macrobenthos in the Bay and its tributaries. The influence of hypoxia on macrobenthic communities is well documented, but less well known is the regulatory effect of hypoxia on macrobenthic production. Changes in macrobenthic production were assessed in the lower Rappahannock River, a sub-estuary of Chesapeake Bay, in an area known to experience seasonal hypoxia. During the spring, summer, fall, and following spring of …
Internal Versus External Drivers Of Periodic Hypoxia In A Coastal Plain Tributary Estuary: The York River, Virginia, Sj Lake, Mark Brush, Iris C. Anderson, Hi Kator
Internal Versus External Drivers Of Periodic Hypoxia In A Coastal Plain Tributary Estuary: The York River, Virginia, Sj Lake, Mark Brush, Iris C. Anderson, Hi Kator
VIMS Articles
The formation of periodic hypoxia within tributary estuaries, and its relationship to the spring-neap tidal cycle, has been well documented in several systems along the US east coast. However, the importance and scale of other physical and biological processes, which ultimately control the frequency and spatial extent of hypoxia, are less well understood. This study synthesized in situ measurements, metabolic incubations, and high-resolution water quality monitoring into a spatially explicit, temporally integrated mass balance to examine the significance of multiple organic matter sources and oxygen sinks in relation to hypoxia in the York River estuary (YRE), Virginia, USA. Results highlight …
Biodiversity In A Changing Climate: A Synthesis Of Current And Projected Trends In The Us, Md Staudinger, Sl Carter, Ms Cross, Ns Dubois, Je Duffy, Et Al.
Biodiversity In A Changing Climate: A Synthesis Of Current And Projected Trends In The Us, Md Staudinger, Sl Carter, Ms Cross, Ns Dubois, Je Duffy, Et Al.
VIMS Articles
This paper provides a synthesis of the recent literature describing how global biodiversity is being affected by climate change and is projected to respond in the future. Current studies reinforce earlier findings of major climate-change-related impacts on biological systems and document new, more subtle after-effects. For example, many species are shifting their distributions and phenologies at faster rates than were recorded just a few years ago; however, responses are not uniform across species. Shifts have been idiosyncratic and in some cases counterintuitive, promoting new community compositions and altering biotic interactions. Although genetic diversity enhances species' potential to respond to variable …
Conservation In The First Internal Transcribed Spacer (Its1) Region Of Hematodinium Perezi (Genotype Iii) From Callinectes Sapidus, Kmp Lohan, Hamish J. Small, Jeffrey D. Shields, Ar Place, Kimberly S. Reece
Conservation In The First Internal Transcribed Spacer (Its1) Region Of Hematodinium Perezi (Genotype Iii) From Callinectes Sapidus, Kmp Lohan, Hamish J. Small, Jeffrey D. Shields, Ar Place, Kimberly S. Reece
VIMS Articles
Hematodinium spp. infections have been reported from blue crabs Callinectes sapidus in high-salinity waters of the USA from New Jersey to Texas. Recently, H. perezi (genotype III) has been proposed as the parasite species and genotype infecting blue crabs from Virginia; however, it is unknown whether this same genotype is present in blue crabs from other locations. To address this question, we collected 317 blue crabs from Massachusetts, Virginia, Georgia, Florida, Louisiana, and Texas to test for the presence of H. perezi (III) using a specific PCR assay targeting the first internal transcribed spacer (ITS1) region of the ribosomal RNA …
Migratory And Within-Estuary Behaviors Of Adult Summer Flounder (Paralichthys Dentatus) In A Lagoon System Of The Southern Mid-Atlantic Bight, Karen M. Capossela, Mary C. Fabrizio, Richard Brill
Migratory And Within-Estuary Behaviors Of Adult Summer Flounder (Paralichthys Dentatus) In A Lagoon System Of The Southern Mid-Atlantic Bight, Karen M. Capossela, Mary C. Fabrizio, Richard Brill
VIMS Articles
We monitored the movements of 45 adult Summer Flounder (Paralichthys dentatus) between June 2007 and July 2008 through the use of passive acoustic telemetry to elucidate migratory and within-estuary behaviors in a lagoon system of the southern mid-Atlantic Bight. Between 8 June and 10 October 2007, fish resided primarily in the deeper (>3 m) regions of the system and exhibited low levels of large-scale (100s of meters) activity. Mean residence time within this estuarine lagoon system was conservatively estimated to be 130 days (range: 18-223 days), which is 1.5 times longer than the residence time previously reported for Summer …
Seed Burial In Eelgrass Zostera Marina: The Role Of Infauna, Nj Blackburn, R J. Orth
Seed Burial In Eelgrass Zostera Marina: The Role Of Infauna, Nj Blackburn, R J. Orth
VIMS Articles
Seed burial is a vital process that influences small- and large-scale plant population patterns and is frequently mediated by soil-dwelling invertebrates. Despite its importance in terrestrial systems, very little is known about seed burial in seagrasses. The goal of this work was to determine the role that benthic infauna play in the burial of Zostera marina seeds. Mesocosm experiments studying seed burial depth, seed burial rate, and particle burial and redistribution using beads, were conducted in defaunated sediment cores populated with single specimens of infauna with different modes of feeding and thus bioturbation effects: Amphitrite ornata (downward conveyor deposit feeder), …
Oyster-Mediated Benthic-Pelagic Coupling Modifies Nitrogen Pools And Processes, Ar Smyth, Nr Geraldi, Mf Piehler
Oyster-Mediated Benthic-Pelagic Coupling Modifies Nitrogen Pools And Processes, Ar Smyth, Nr Geraldi, Mf Piehler
VIMS Articles
Removal of nitrogen through enhanced denitrification has been identified as an ecosystem service provided by oysters. In this study, we assessed the effects of an individual oyster (Crassostrea virginica) on nitrogen dynamics. Fluxes of N-2, O-2, nitrate/nitrite (NOx) and ammonium (NH4+) were measured from continuous-flow microcosms that contained a live oyster, sediment, or a live oyster + sediment. Net N-2 fluxes were indicative of nitrogen fixation in the sediment treatment and denitrification in the oyster and oyster + sediment treatments. Organic matter de position and ammonium production associated with oyster biodeposits and excretion likely decreased N limitation, and …
Projected Hg Dietary Exposure Of 3 Bird Species Nesting On A Contaminated Floodplain (South River, Virginia, Usa), Jc Wang, Mc Newman
Projected Hg Dietary Exposure Of 3 Bird Species Nesting On A Contaminated Floodplain (South River, Virginia, Usa), Jc Wang, Mc Newman
VIMS Articles
Dietary Hg exposure was modeled for Carolina wren (Thryothorus ludovicianus), Eastern song sparrow (Melospiza melodia), and Eastern screech owl (Otus asio) nesting on the contaminated South River floodplain (Virginia, USA). Parameterization of Monte-Carlo models required formal expert elicitation to define bird body weight and feeding ecology characteristics because specific information was either unavailable in the published literature or too difficult to collect reliably by field survey. Mercury concentrations and weights for candidate food items were obtained directly by field survey. Simulations predicted the probability that an adult bird during breeding season would ingest specific amounts of Hg during daily foraging …
Modeling The Effect Of Hypoxia On Macrobenthos Production In The Lower Rappahannock River, Chesapeake Bay, Usa, Samuel Kersey Sturdivant, Mark Brush, Robert J. Diaz
Modeling The Effect Of Hypoxia On Macrobenthos Production In The Lower Rappahannock River, Chesapeake Bay, Usa, Samuel Kersey Sturdivant, Mark Brush, Robert J. Diaz
VIMS Articles
Hypoxia in Chesapeake Bay has substantially increased in recent decades, with detrimental effects on macrobenthic production; the production of these fauna link energy transfer from primary consumers to epibenthic and demersal predators. As such, the development of accurate predictive models that determine the impact of hypoxia on macrobenthic production is important. A continuous-time, biomass-based model was developed for the lower Rappahannock River, a Bay tributary prone to seasonal hypoxia. Phytoplankton, zooplankton, and macrobenthic state variables were modeled, with a focus on quantitatively constraining the effect of hypoxia on macrobenthic biomass. This was accomplished through regression with Z': a sigmoidal function …
Indication Of Density-Dependent Changes In Growth And Maturity Of The Barndoor Skate On Georges Bank, Karson Coutre, Todd Gedamke, David Rudders, William B. Driggers Iii, David M. Koester, James A. Sulikowski
Indication Of Density-Dependent Changes In Growth And Maturity Of The Barndoor Skate On Georges Bank, Karson Coutre, Todd Gedamke, David Rudders, William B. Driggers Iii, David M. Koester, James A. Sulikowski
VIMS Articles
Drastic increases or decreases in biomass often result in density-dependent changes in life history characteristics within a fish population. Acknowledging this phenomenon and in light of the recent biomass increase in Barndoor Skate Dipturus laevis, the current study re-evaluated the growth rate and sexual maturity of 244 specimens collected from 2009-2011within closed areas I and II on Georges Bank, USA. Ages were estimated using vertebral band counts from skate that ranged from 21 to 129cm TL. The von Bertalanffy growth function was applied to pooled age-at-length data. Parameter estimates from the current study of L = 155cm TL and k …
Tidal Wind Mapping From Observations Of A Meteor Radar Chain In December 2011, You Yu, Weixing Wan, Baiqi Ning, Libo Liu, Zhengui Wang, Lianhuan Hu, Zhipeng Ren
Tidal Wind Mapping From Observations Of A Meteor Radar Chain In December 2011, You Yu, Weixing Wan, Baiqi Ning, Libo Liu, Zhengui Wang, Lianhuan Hu, Zhipeng Ren
VIMS Articles
This article proposes a technique to map the tidal winds in the mesosphere and lower thermosphere (MLT) region from the observations of a four-station meteor radar chain located at middle- and low-latitudes along the 120 degrees E meridian in the Northern Hemisphere. A 1month dataset of the horizontal winds in the altitude range of 80-100km is observed during December 2011. We first decompose the tidal winds into mean, diurnal, semidiurnal, and terdiurnal components for each station. It is found that the diurnal/semidiurnal components dominate at the low-latitude/midlatitude stations. Their amplitudes increase at lower altitudes and then decrease at higher altitudes …
Visual Acuity In Pelagic Fishes And Mollusks, Yl Gagnon, Tt Sutton, S Johnsen
Visual Acuity In Pelagic Fishes And Mollusks, Yl Gagnon, Tt Sutton, S Johnsen
VIMS Articles
In the sea, visual scenes change dramatically with depth. At shallow and moderate depths (<1000 >m), there is enough light for animals to see the surfaces and shapes of prey, predators, and conspecifics. This changes below 1000 m, where no downwelling daylight remains and the only source of light is bioluminescence. These different visual scenes require different visual adaptations and eye morphologies. In this study we investigate how the optical characteristics of animal lenses correlate with depth and ecology. We measured the radius, focal length, and optical quality of the lenses of pelagic fishes, cephalopods, and a gastropod using a …