Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Life Sciences Commons

Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

VIMS Articles

2011

Discipline
Keyword

Articles 31 - 46 of 46

Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences

Genetic Diversity In U.S. Hatchery Stocks Of Crassostrea Ariakensis (Fujita, 1913) And Comparison With Natural Populations In Asia, Jie Xiao, Jan F. Cordes, Ja Moss, Kimberly S. Reece Jan 2011

Genetic Diversity In U.S. Hatchery Stocks Of Crassostrea Ariakensis (Fujita, 1913) And Comparison With Natural Populations In Asia, Jie Xiao, Jan F. Cordes, Ja Moss, Kimberly S. Reece

VIMS Articles

Although several different U.S. hatchery stocks of the Asian Suminoe oyster Crassosirea ariakensis were used in laboratory and field trials assessing performance, and in comparative studies with the native oyster Crassostrea virginica, the genetic composition of these hatchery stocks has not yet been examined comprehensively. Using eight microsatellite markers we investigated the genetic variability among five hatchery stocks and compared the genetic makeup of these stocks with 8 wild populations from Asia. Results showed significant genetic differentiation among the 5 hatchery stocks that was 6-fold larger than that observed among wild populations. A significant reduction in genetic diversity was observed …


Observations On The Early Life History And Growth Rates Of Juvenile Channel Whelks Busycotypus Canaliculatus (Linnaeus, 1758), Juliana Harding Jan 2011

Observations On The Early Life History And Growth Rates Of Juvenile Channel Whelks Busycotypus Canaliculatus (Linnaeus, 1758), Juliana Harding

VIMS Articles

Channel whelks (Busycotypus canaliculatus) were cultured from hatch through 171 days to describe the early life history and growth rates of juveniles. Whelks began to hatch at water temperatures of 15-18 degrees C. Channel whelks grew quickly from average shell lengths (SL) at hatch of 3.8 mm (SE = 0.1) to an average of 48.4 mm SL (SE = 1.3, n = 42 individuals) at 171 days post-hatch. The largest individual reached 53.2 mm SL, a gain of similar to 49.4 mm SL in 171 days, with a growth rate of 0.29 mm/day. Juvenile whelks readily consumed oyster (Crassostrea virginica) …


Cownose Ray (Rhinoptera Bonasus) Predation Relative To Bivalve Ontogeny, Robert A. Fisher, Garrett C. Call, Rochelle Grubbs Jan 2011

Cownose Ray (Rhinoptera Bonasus) Predation Relative To Bivalve Ontogeny, Robert A. Fisher, Garrett C. Call, Rochelle Grubbs

VIMS Articles

The purpose of this study was to determine the ability of the cownose ray, Rhinoptera bonasus (Mitchill, 1815), to manipulate oysters and clams, to test for relative prey preference, and to investigate whether susceptibility to cownose ray predation changes with bivalve ontogeny. We investigated patterns of predation for captive adult and young-of-year cownose rays on 4 species of bivalves, including Crassostrea virginica (Gmelin, 1791), Crassostrea ariakensis (Fujita, 1913), Mercenaria mercenaria (Linnaeus, 1758), and Mya arenaria Linnaeus, 1758. In oyster (C. virginica) trials, predation probabilities by adult rays were highest at shell heights of 30-70 mm and shell depths of 8-22 …


Global Conservation Priorities For Marine Turtles, Bryan P. Wallace, John A. Musick Jan 2011

Global Conservation Priorities For Marine Turtles, Bryan P. Wallace, John A. Musick

VIMS Articles

Where conservation resources are limited and conservation targets are diverse, robust yet flexible priority-setting frameworks are vital. Priority-setting is especially important for geographically widespread species with distinct populations subject to multiple threats that operate on different spatial and temporal scales. Marine turtles are widely distributed and exhibit intra-specific variations in population sizes and trends, as well as reproduction and morphology. However, current global extinction risk assessment frameworks do not assess conservation status of spatially and biologically distinct marine turtle Regional Management Units (RMUs), and thus do not capture variations in population trends, impacts of threats, or necessary conservation actions across …


Performance Of Pop-Up Satellite Archival Tags, M. K. Musyl, M. L. Domeier, N. Nasby-Lucas, Richard Brill Jan 2011

Performance Of Pop-Up Satellite Archival Tags, M. K. Musyl, M. L. Domeier, N. Nasby-Lucas, Richard Brill

VIMS Articles

Pop-up satellite archival tags (PSATs) are used to chronicle or 'archive' the habitat preferences, horizontal and vertical movements, fishery interaction, and post-release mortality rates of a variety of pelagic animals. Though PSATs are valuable research tools, lower-than-expected reporting rates, early detachment, and incomplete data return remain problematic. These issues were quantified by analysis of reporting rates, retention times (i.e. the time period PSATs remained attached), and the quantity of depth, temperature, and geolocation data returned from 731 PSAT deployments on 19 species in the authors' database and 1433 PSAT deployments on 24 species taken from 53 published articles. The reporting …


Escaping Paradise: Larval Export From Hawaii In An Indo-Pacific Reef Fish, The Yellow Tang Zebrasoma Flavescens, Jeff A. Eble, Robert J. Toonen, Laurie Sorenson, Larry V. Basch Jan 2011

Escaping Paradise: Larval Export From Hawaii In An Indo-Pacific Reef Fish, The Yellow Tang Zebrasoma Flavescens, Jeff A. Eble, Robert J. Toonen, Laurie Sorenson, Larry V. Basch

VIMS Articles

The depauperate marine ecosystems of the Hawaiian Archipelago share a high proportion of species with the southern and western Pacific, indicating historical and/or ongoing connections across the large oceanic expanse separating Hawaii from its nearest neighbors. The rate and direction of these interactions are, however, unknown. While previous biogeographic studies have consistently described Hawaii as a diversity sink, prevailing currents likely offer opportunities for larval export. To assess interactions between the remote reefs of the Hawaiian Archipelago and the species-rich communities of the Central and West Pacific, we surveyed 14 nuclear microsatellite loci (nDNA, n = 857) and a 614 …


Declining Impact Of An Introduced Pathogen: Haplosporidium Nelsoni In The Oyster Crassostrea Virginica In Chesapeake Bay, Ryan B. Carnegie, Eugene M. Burreson Jan 2011

Declining Impact Of An Introduced Pathogen: Haplosporidium Nelsoni In The Oyster Crassostrea Virginica In Chesapeake Bay, Ryan B. Carnegie, Eugene M. Burreson

VIMS Articles

Disease caused by the parasite Haplosporidium nelsoni has devastated Crassostrea virginica in Chesapeake Bay, exacerbating effects of overharvesting and adversely impacting the ecology of the bay. H. nelsoni is thought to persist as an impediment to oyster restoration because strong reproductive contributions from oysters in low-salinity refugia from parasitism have prevented development of disease resistance. On the contrary, long-term data indicate that while infection pressure on naive sentinels has grown, H. nelsoni levels in wild oysters have fallen, with prevalence typically below 20% and advanced infections uncommon. A transplant experiment comparing naive sentinels with oysters from disease-enzootic populations indicated that …


Antarctic Sea Ice Carbon Dioxide System And Controls, Virginia Institute Of Marine Science, Agneta Fransson, Melissa Chierici, Patricia L. Yager, Walker O. Smith Jr. Jan 2011

Antarctic Sea Ice Carbon Dioxide System And Controls, Virginia Institute Of Marine Science, Agneta Fransson, Melissa Chierici, Patricia L. Yager, Walker O. Smith Jr.

VIMS Articles

In austral summer, from December 2008 to January 2009, we investigated the sea-ice carbon dioxide (CO(2)) system and CO(2) controls in the Amundsen and Ross Seas, Antarctica. We sampled seawater, brine and sea ice for the measurements of total alkalinity (A(T)), total inorganic carbon (DIC), pH, inorganic nutrients, particulate organic carbon (POC) and nitrogen (PON), chlorophyll a, pigments, salinity and temperature. Large variability in all measured parameters was observed in time and space due to the complex sea-ice dynamics. We discuss the controls of the sea-ice CO(2) system, such as brine rejection, biological processes, calcium carbonate (CaCO(3)) precipitation/dissolution and CO(2) …


Characterization Of Photochromogenic Mycobacterium Spp. From Chesapeake Bay Striped Bass Morone Saxatilis, Dt Gauthier, Am Helenthal, Mw Rhodes, Wolfgang K. Vogelbein, Hi Kator Jan 2011

Characterization Of Photochromogenic Mycobacterium Spp. From Chesapeake Bay Striped Bass Morone Saxatilis, Dt Gauthier, Am Helenthal, Mw Rhodes, Wolfgang K. Vogelbein, Hi Kator

VIMS Articles

A large diversity of Mycobacterium spp. has been isolated from striped bass Morone saxatilis in Chesapeake Bay, USA. The new species M. shottsii and M. pseudoshottsii are the dominant isolates, while the classical fish pathogen M. marinum is found much less frequently. M. fortuitum and M. chelonae, other Mycobacterium spp. known to commonly infect fishes, have not yet been aseptically isolated from striped bass within Chesapeake Bay. While M. pseudoshottsii and M. shottsii have been phenotypically and genotypically characterized, other less common mycobacterial isolates have not. In the present study, we describe 17 photochromogenic isolates from Chesapeake Bay striped bass …


Diet Selectivity Of Juvenile Blue Crabs (Callinectes Sapidus) In Chesapeake Bay, Rochelle D. Seitz, Ke Knick, M Westphal Jan 2011

Diet Selectivity Of Juvenile Blue Crabs (Callinectes Sapidus) In Chesapeake Bay, Rochelle D. Seitz, Ke Knick, M Westphal

VIMS Articles

Shallow coves in Chesapeake Bay have abundant food and serve as nursery grounds for juvenile blue crabs. In this study, we examined the relationships between the diet of very small (4-40 mm CW) juvenile blue crabs and the benthic infauna in shallow, unvegetated nursery coves. We compared infauna in benthic samples with gut contents of juvenile blue crabs from six shallow coves in each of two sub-estuaries (Rappahannock and York Rivers) in Chesapeake Bay, Virginia, USA. Benthic communities differed depending on river and location, with abundant clams in upriver regions and abundant polychaetes in downriver regions. Juvenile crabs, like adults, …


Review Of Panulirus Argus Virus 1-A Decade After Its Discovery, Dc Behringer, Mj Butler, Jeffrey D. Shields, Ja Moss Jan 2011

Review Of Panulirus Argus Virus 1-A Decade After Its Discovery, Dc Behringer, Mj Butler, Jeffrey D. Shields, Ja Moss

VIMS Articles

In 2000, a pathogenic virus was discovered in juvenile Caribbean spiny lobsters Panulirus argus from the Florida Keys, USA. Panulirus argus virus 1 (PaV1) is the first naturally occurring pathogenic virus reported from lobsters, and it profoundly affects their ecology and physiology. PaV1 is widespread in the Caribbean with infections reported in Florida (USA), St. Croix, St. Kitts, Yucatan (Mexico), Belize, and Cuba. It is most prevalent and nearly always lethal in the smallest juvenile lobsters, but this declines with increasing lobster size; adults harbor the virus, but do not present the characteristic signs of the disease. No other PaV1 …


Lack Of Transmission Of Hematodinium Sp In The Blue Crab Callinectes Sapidus Through Cannibalism, Cw Li, Kn Wheeler, Jeffrey D. Shields Jan 2011

Lack Of Transmission Of Hematodinium Sp In The Blue Crab Callinectes Sapidus Through Cannibalism, Cw Li, Kn Wheeler, Jeffrey D. Shields

VIMS Articles

Hematodinium spp. are parasitic dinoflagellates of marine crustaceans. Outbreaks of Hematodinium sp. have impacted commercial landings of the blue crab Callinectes sapidus in the coastal bays of Virginia and Maryland (USA), with seasonal peaks in prevalence reaching 85%. The life cycle and transmission routes of the parasite in blue crabs are poorly understood. Cannibalism and waterborne transmission may be routes of transmission, although little conclusive evidence has been reported for these modes. We examined cannibalism as a route by a series of experiments wherein we repeatedly fed adult and juvenile crabs the tissues of crabs infected with Hematodinium. In each …


Fossil And Contemporary Aerosol Particulate Organic Carbon In The Eastern United States: Implications For Deposition And Inputs To Watersheds, As Wozniak, Je Bauer, Rm Dickhut Jan 2011

Fossil And Contemporary Aerosol Particulate Organic Carbon In The Eastern United States: Implications For Deposition And Inputs To Watersheds, As Wozniak, Je Bauer, Rm Dickhut

VIMS Articles

Atmospheric particulate matter samples were collected from mid-Atlantic and northeastern U. S. (Virginia and New York, respectively) sites to assess the fossil versus contemporary sources contributing to aerosol organic carbon (OC) and the implications for its deposition to watersheds. Mean particulate matter total OC (TOC) deposition rates (wet + dry deposition) were calculated to be 1.6 and 2.4 mg C m(-2) d(-1) for the Virginia and New York sites, respectively. Wet deposition of particulate TOC was determined to be the dominant depositional mode, accounting for >65% (Virginia) and >80% (New York) of total aerosol TOC deposition. Isotopic mass balances suggest …


Population Structure Of A Deep-Water Squaloid Shark, The Portuguese Dogfish (Centroscymnus Coelolepis), A Verissimo, Jan Mcdowell, John Graves Jan 2011

Population Structure Of A Deep-Water Squaloid Shark, The Portuguese Dogfish (Centroscymnus Coelolepis), A Verissimo, Jan Mcdowell, John Graves

VIMS Articles

The genetic population structure of the deep-water squaloid Centroscymnus coelolepis (the Portuguese dogfish) in the eastern Atlantic was investigated using eight polymorphic nuclear microsatellite markers and a 496-bp fragment of the mitochondrial DNA control region (mtDNA CR). Samples (20-50 individuals per location) were collected off Ireland, Portugal, Madeira, Mauritania, South Africa, and the Azores (Mid-Atlantic Ridge). High levels of genetic diversity were found at the nuclear microsatellite loci (mean A = 17.3; overall H(o) = 0.77), although there was low diversity at the mtDNA CR (h = 0.65, pi = 0 0.0018). Genetic diversity for the Portuguese dogfish was homogeneously …


The Role Of Nitrogen On The Growth And Colony Development Of Phaeocystis Globosa (Prymnesiophyceae), Xd Wang, Y Wang, Walker O. Smith Jr. Jan 2011

The Role Of Nitrogen On The Growth And Colony Development Of Phaeocystis Globosa (Prymnesiophyceae), Xd Wang, Y Wang, Walker O. Smith Jr.

VIMS Articles

The effects of nitrate, ammonium and urea on the growth and colony formation of three strains of Phaeocystis globosa were investigated. Although ammonium and urea supported growth, nitrate was the favoured nitrogen source for the growth of solitary cells for all three strains. Phaeocystis globosa CCMP 1528 and 629 formed colonies in all cultures where nitrate was the sole nitrogen source, but only a few colonies were observed in ammonium and urea treatments. Ammonium and urea were far less effective in supporting growth, biomass generation and colony formation in all three strains. Once colonies developed, colonial cells accounted for at …


Catchability Of Pelagic Trawls For Sampling Deep-Living Nekton In The Mid-North Atlantic, M Heino, Fm Porteiro, Tt Sutton, T Falkenhaug, Or Godo Jan 2011

Catchability Of Pelagic Trawls For Sampling Deep-Living Nekton In The Mid-North Atlantic, M Heino, Fm Porteiro, Tt Sutton, T Falkenhaug, Or Godo

VIMS Articles

Material collected in summer 2004 from the Mid-Atlantic Ridge between Iceland and the Azores with three pelagic trawls was used to estimate relative catchabilities of common fish, cephalopod, decapod, and jellyfish species. Catchability is defined as the ratio of numbers caught between two trawls, standardized for towed distance. Taxon-specific catchability coefficients were estimated for two large pelagic trawls with graded meshes, using a smaller pelagic trawl with a uniform mesh size as the reference trawl. Two of the trawls were equipped with multiple opening-closing codends that allowed sampling of different depth layers. Generalized linear and mixed models suggest that most …