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Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences
Density-Dependent Predation, Habitat Variation, And The Persistence Of Marine Bivalve Prey, Rochelle D. Seitz, Rom Lipcius, Ah Hines, Db Eggleston
Density-Dependent Predation, Habitat Variation, And The Persistence Of Marine Bivalve Prey, Rochelle D. Seitz, Rom Lipcius, Ah Hines, Db Eggleston
VIMS Articles
The persistence of prey encountering intense predation varies by species, prey density, and habitat type; however, the collective impact of these factors has rarely been tested experimentally in natural marine systems. Using the thin-shelled clams Mya arenaria and Macoma balthica as prey, and the main epibenthic predator of whole adult clams, the blue crab Callinectes sapidus, we conducted a series of experiments in Chesapeake Bay tributaries that (1) links field abundance and distribution of bivalve prey species with habitat-specific mortality patterns; (2) represents the first comprehensive field test of species-specific, habitat-specific, and density-dependent mortality for subtidal, soft-bottom, deep-burrowing prey; and …
Habitat Fragmentation In A Seagrass Landscape: Patch Size And Complexity Control Blue Crab Survival, Ka Hovel, Rom Lipcius
Habitat Fragmentation In A Seagrass Landscape: Patch Size And Complexity Control Blue Crab Survival, Ka Hovel, Rom Lipcius
VIMS Articles
Habitat fragmentation is increasingly common on land and in the sea, leading to small, isolated habitat patches in which ecological processes may differ substantially from those in larger, continuous habitats. Seagrass is a productive but fragmented subtidal habitat that serves as a refuge from predation for many animals because its structural complexity limits the detection and capture of resident prey. The singular influence of seagrass habitat fragmentation (e.g., patch size) on faunal survival is largely unknown and has been difficult to quantify because seagrass habitat complexity (e.g., shoot density) and patch size are often confounded and vary seasonally. In early …
Reproduction And Food Habits Of The Lined Seahorse, Hippocampus Erectus (Teleostei: Syngnathidae) Of Chesapeake Bay, Virginia., R. L. Teixeira, John A. Musick
Reproduction And Food Habits Of The Lined Seahorse, Hippocampus Erectus (Teleostei: Syngnathidae) Of Chesapeake Bay, Virginia., R. L. Teixeira, John A. Musick
VIMS Articles
The reproductive and feeding biology of the lined seahorse, Hippocampus erectus, was studied inChesapeake Bay. Seahorses are monogamous, and males incubate the eggs received from femalesin a closed brood pouch (= marsupium). Females do not play any parental care after mating. Totalsex ratio and the operational sex ratio was strongly skewed toward females. Males and females hadsimilar number of eggs/embryos and hydrated oocytes, respectively. The number of eggs/embryosfound in the male brood pouch varied from 97 to 1,552 (fish from 80 to 126 mm TL), whereas thenumber of hydrated oocytes in female varied from 90 to 1,313 (fish from 60 …
The Effects Of A Regulatory Gear Restriction On The Recruiting Year Class In The Sea Scallop, Placopecten Magellanicus (Gmelin, 1791), Fishery, Jc Brust, Wd Dupaul, Je Kirkley
The Effects Of A Regulatory Gear Restriction On The Recruiting Year Class In The Sea Scallop, Placopecten Magellanicus (Gmelin, 1791), Fishery, Jc Brust, Wd Dupaul, Je Kirkley
VIMS Articles
In 1994, Amendment 4 to the sea scallop (Placopecten magellanicus) fishery management plan was adopted, which restricted fishing effort by controlling vessel days at sea. crew size, and gear size. Dredge ring size was increased from 76.2 mm (3.0") to 82.6 mm (3.25") in March 1994, and again to 88.9 mm (3.5") in January 1996 to increase the age of entry of scallops into the fishery. Between June 1994 and April 1995, four trips were taken on commercial scallop vessels in the western mid-Atlantic to determine harvest efficiency of 88.9-mm dredge rings relative to 82.6-mm dredge rings used in the …
Swimming Mechanics And Behavior Of The Shallow-Water Brief Squid Lolliguncula Brevis, Ian K. Bartol, Mark R. Patterson, Roger L. Mann
Swimming Mechanics And Behavior Of The Shallow-Water Brief Squid Lolliguncula Brevis, Ian K. Bartol, Mark R. Patterson, Roger L. Mann
VIMS Articles
Although squid are among the most versatile swimmers and rely on a unique locomotor system, little is known about the swimming mechanics and behavior of most squid, especially those that swim at low speeds in inshore waters. Shallow-water brief squid Lolliguncula brevis, ranging in size from 1.8 to 8.9 cm in dorsal mantle length (DML), were placed in flumes and videotaped, and the data were analyzed using motion-analysis equipment. Flow visualization and force measurement experiments were also performed in water tunnels. Mean critical swimming speeds (Ucrit) ranged from 15.3 to 22.8 cm s–1 …