Life Sciences Commons^™

From Efish To Recfish - Progress Towards Developing An App That Engages Recreational Anglers As Community Scientists, M. Lisa Kellogg

Reports

The success of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology with eBird and its associated apps demonstrates the potential value in engaging recreational enthusiasts as community scientists through the use of a cell phone application (hereafter “app”). However, significant differences exist between the recreational angler community and the birding community making it necessary to further investigate the feasibility of engaging recreational anglers as community scientists using an app. The funds awarded through the VIMS Dean and Director’s Innovation Fund were used to: 1) assess the existing landscape of for-profit fishing apps and not-for-profit efforts to use recreational anglers as community scientists, 2) …

Assessment Of Benthic Macrofauna Community Within Intertidal Mudflats - Hurds Cove, Lynnhaven River, Virginia, M. Lisa Kellogg, Jennifer C. Dreyer

Reports

A total of 30 samples were collected from eight locations in Hurds Cove, Lynnhaven River, VA. All samples were rinsed over a 500-μm mesh sieve and all material retained on the sieve was analyzed to determine benthic macrofaunal community identity, abundance and biomass. With the exception of one sample with relatively high biomass (50.68 g AFDW m-2) attributable to a single (Rangia cuneata), biomass across all locations was low, ranging from 0.16-0.67 g AFDW m-2. At five of the eight locations, all measurable biomass was contributed by polychaete worms. At the other three locations, polychaetes accounted for 45-57% of total …

Impacts Of Sea Level Rise On Hypoxia In The Chesapeake Bay: A Model Intercomparison, Pierre St-Laurent, Marjorie A.M. Friedrichs, Ming Li, Wenfei Ni

Reports

Over recent years a number of studies have examined the effects of sea level rise (SLR) on hypoxia in Chesapeake Bay. However, variations in the methodology, the years considered, and the metrics reported made comparisons between these studies difficult. To clarify the effects of SLR on the Bay’s hypoxia, we present an intercomparison between four numerical models following a common methodology. The models share the riverine fluxes, baseline period (1991–1995), and consider the same three scenarios of SLR: an increase in sea level of 0.17m, 0.50m, and 1.00m (representative of years 2025, 2050 and 2100, respectively). SLR is the sole …

Oyster Reef Ecosystem Services: Macrofauna Utilization Of Restored Oyster Reefs - Harris Creek, Maryland, Usa, M. Lisa Kellogg, Jennifer C. Dreyer, Cate Turner, Manisha Pant, Paige G. Ross, Alan Birch, Sean Fate, Edward Smth, Kennedy Paynter

Reports

Oyster reefs provide habitat for a variety of macrofauna species. Our studies focused on the relationship between oyster tissue biomass density and reef-associated macrofauna biomass density. Studies were conducted in 2015-2017 and sites encompassed the majority of the area in which restoration activities were conducted with the Harris Creek Oyster Sanctuary in Maryland. Results presented in this report focus on: 1) interactions between oyster biomass density and season in determining macrofauna biomass, 2) responses of macrofauna to oyster biomass densities below “threshold” levels (0-14.9 g DW m-2) and between threshold and “target” levels (15-49.9 g DW m-2) defined in the …

Oyster Reef Ecosystem Services: Finfish Utilization And Trophic Linkages Harris Creek, Maryland, Usa, M. Lisa Kellogg, Paige G. Ross, Manisha Pant, Jennifer C. Dreyer, Alan Birch, Sean Fate, Edward Smith

Reports

Oyster reefs provide habitat for finfish and their prey. Our project focused on determining the impacts of oyster reef restoration on finfish in the Harris Creek Oyster Sanctuary in the Maryland portion of Chesapeake Bay. As a preliminary step, we examined the utility of using trawls in the place of gillnets to sample finfish but found that trawl samples were also highly variable and that the diets of finfish caught in trawls tended to be different than those caught in gillnets. Based on these findings and the fact that gillnets can be set within reef habitats, all remaining sampling was …

Integrated Assessment Of Oyster Reef Ecosystem Services: Quantifying Denitrification Rates And Nutrient Fluxes, Jeffrey C. Cornwell, Michael S. Owens, M. Lisa Kellogg

Reports

Measurements of nutrient exchange were made in restored oyster reefs and creek sediments in 2014 and 2015 in Harris Creek, Maryland, USA. Rates of ammonium, nitrate and di-nitrogen fluxes were much higher in reef environments than in sediments, and rates of oxygen uptake reflected high inputs of biodeposits. The rate of denitrification was related to oyster biomass and oyster numbers. The shallow nature of the restoration allows light to reach the bottom and benthic microalgal photosynthesis affects the net nutrient exchange with the bottom. After several years, oyster restoration has increased denitrification in Harris Creek, though observations in mature upper …

Integrated Assessment Of Oyster Reef Ecosystem Services: Macrofauna Utilization Of Restored Oyster Reefs, M. Lisa Kellogg, Kennedy T. Paynter, Paige G. Ross, Jennifer C. Dreyer, Cate Turner, Manisha Pant, Alan Birch, Edward Smith

Reports

Within the Harris Creek Oyster Sanctuary in the Maryland portion of Chesapeake Bay, we evaluated relationships between basic oyster reef characteristics and the abundance and biomass of macrofauna. The eight sites selected for these studies included five restored oyster reef sites and three sites suitable for restoration that had not been restored. These sites encompassed a range of oyster biomass density and were spread throughout the sanctuary area. At each site one month prior to each of four sampling periods, divers filled four wire mesh baskets (0.1m2 surface area x 15 cm depth) with material from the site and embedded …

Histopathological Analyses Of Tissue Sections Of The Eyes Of Indigenous Species Of Marine/Estuarine And Estuarine Fish, Willliam J. Hargis Jr.

Reports

The Elizabeth River is the most heavily settled and industrialized major subestuary in Virginia's Chesapeake System. Under increasing use and development since around 1610, its' waters have been exposed to all types of domestic, agricultural, military and industrial contaminants. ....Its sediments are contaminated by heavy metals, PAHs and all other introduced materials that accumulate and are stored there, with or without chemical transformation.... Collection of fish began in the Elizabeth River in the summer of 1982.

Field Validation Of Multi-Species Laboratory Test Systems For Estuarine Benthic Communities, Robert J. Diaz, Mark Luckenbach, Sandra Thornton, Morris H. Roberts Jr., Et Al

Reports

The aim of this project was to evaluate the validity of using multi-species laboratory systems to assess the response of eatuarine benthic communities to an introduced stress. Over a 5- year period experiments in Apalachicola Bay, Florida, and the York River, Virginia, sought to (1) develop criteria for microcosm tests for evaluating the capacity of microcosms to model natural communities in the presence and absence of a pollution-induced stress, and (2) assess the validity of extrapolating test results from one location to another. Procedures for constructing, maintaining and sampling microcosms were tested and refined over the study period. A large …

Baltimore Harbor And Channels Aquatic Benthos Investigations : Final Technical Report, Robert J. Diaz, Linda C. Schaffner, Robert J. Byrne, Robert A. Gammisch

Reports

This report describes work performed by the Virginia Institute of Marine Science, School of Marine Science of the College of William and Mary, Gloucester Point, VA, to document the existing preoperational conditions at four locations in the Chesapeake Bay selected as possible dredged material disposal areas for the deepening of the Baltimore Channel. The work was sponsored by the Baltimore District Corps of Engineers.

The objectives of this work were at each of the four potential disposal sites:

1 -document the surface (0-15 em) sediment conditions spatially and temporally

2 - document macrobenthic communities spatially and temporally.

3 - empty …

The Functional Ecology Of Submerged Aquatic Vegetation In The Lower Chesapeake Bay, Richard L. Wetzel, Kenneth L. Webb, Polly A. Penhale, Robert J. Orth, Donald F. Boesch, John V. Merriner

Reports

The research program, "The Functional Ecology of Submerged Aquatic Vegetation in the Lower Chesapeake Bay" (EPA/CBP Grant No. R805974), is an integrative effort composed of seven principal investigators. The research team has worked since July 1978 at one study site, the Vaucluse Shores area, to develop and institute a coherent research program on SAV ecological relationships.

The principal studies have focused on plant productivity, metabolism and nutrient cycling, the role of resident consumers in SAV community dynamics, the role of migratory species and efforts to develop a realistic, ecosystem simulation model of SAV communities.

The preliminary results of the first …

A Survey In The Lafayette River For Oysters, Clams And Shell In The Vicinity Of The Colley Avenue Bridge In The Lafayette River, Norfolk, Virginia, Dexter S. Haven, Paul C. Kendall

Reports

The purposes of this study are: 1) to survey populations of oysters, Crassostrea virginica, hard clams, Mercenaria mercenaria, soft clams, Mya arenaria, and shell in the immediate vicinity of the Colley Avenue Bridge prior to its widening; 2) to evaluate the present and the possible future opportunity of the area for shellfish culture; and, 3) to estimate the value of the existing stocks of shellfish.

Remote Sensing Of Submerged Aquatic Vegetation In The Lower Chesapeake Bay : Final Report To National Aeronautical And Space Administration Langley Research Center, Robert J. Orth, Hayden H. Gordon

Reports

Kodak's experimental water penetration film and black and white near infrared film were used to study the distribution of submerged aquatic vegetation in the lower Chesapeake Bay. The water penetration film was very useful in this study compared to the black and white N1R. Optimal results from this film were obtained with the camera aperture closed 1/2 stop from suggested settings. Detailed description of the grass beds were obtained by flying at an altitude of 5,000 feet, at low tide when wind conditions were minimal.

There was a 36% reduction in the amount of submerged aquatic vegetation in the lower …

A Preliminary Report To The Virginia Department Of Highways On Hard Clam (Mercenaria Mercenaria) Populations In The Vicinity Of The Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel (I-64) (Segment 268-135d), Dexter S. Haven, Paul Kendall, Reinaldo Morales-Alamo

Reports

1-664 will be constructed in Hampton Roads in an area where the hard clam Mercenaria mercenaria is fished commercially. Because of this c.lam's economic value and because Hampton Roads is the major producing region for this species, it is worthwhile that every precaution be taken during construction of I-664 to minimize the possibility of .damage to this resource. ·To achieve this objective, we are evaluating the possible impact of construction activities around I-64 and adjacent areas on populations of the hard clam. The aim is that if damage or potential damage. is noted around I-64, then construction techniques may be …

A Final Report To The Virginia Department Of Highways On Hard Clam (Mercenaria Mercenaria) Populations In The Vicinity Of The Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel (I-64), Dexter S. Haven, Paul Kendall

Reports

I-564 will be constructed in Hampton Roads in an area where the hard clam Mercenaria mercenaria is fished commercially. Because of this clam 1s economic value and because Hampton Roads is the major producing region for this species, it is worthwhile that every prer:: aution be taken during construction of I-664 to minimize the possibility of damage to this resource.

To achieve this objective, this study was undertaken to evaluate the pwsible impact of I-64 and of construction activities around I-64 on adjacent populations of the hard clam. The objective of the study was that if damage or potential damage …