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Theses/Dissertations

2021

Terrestrial and Aquatic Ecology

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Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences

Coyote Management In San Francisco, Matthew Greer Dec 2021

Coyote Management In San Francisco, Matthew Greer

Master's Projects and Capstones

As cities in North America grow, coyotes have become progressively more important species in urban ecosystems. Moreover, as coyotes increasingly use these urban spaces, human-coyote conflicts have become more common, creating a need for new management strategies. This paper will explore how the city of San Francisco could create a new coyote management plan for its highly visible coyote population. San Francisco has had a persistent coyote population since the early 2000s (Todd, 2018). Currently, the coyote population is close to 100 individuals and is still growing (J. Young, Presidio Trust, pers. comm.). To explore this topic a literature review …

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Joint Management Of Upland & Aquatic Habitat For The California Red-Legged Frog & California Tiger Salamander, Kyle E. Verblaauw Dec 2021

Joint Management Of Upland & Aquatic Habitat For The California Red-Legged Frog & California Tiger Salamander, Kyle E. Verblaauw

Master's Projects and Capstones

As federally and state protected amphibians, the California tiger salamander (Ambystoma californiense) and the California red-legged frog (Rana draytonii) are recipients of ample management focus. Both species face a variety of threats, including habitat loss and alteration, introduction of non-native species, spread of disease, and effects of climate change. While management plans for the California tiger salamander and California red-legged frog exist, they frequently do not consider both species in tandem and often contain multiple shortcomings. This document aims to address the shortfalls of current management by providing practical recommendations for jointly managing the upland and …

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An Assessment Of The Diverse Freshwater Turtle Fauna Of Mississippi, Lucas Haralson Dec 2021

An Assessment Of The Diverse Freshwater Turtle Fauna Of Mississippi, Lucas Haralson

Master's Theses

Nestled within the Southeastern United States Turtle Priority Area, Mississippi boasts impressive freshwater turtle diversity and is home to 8.6% of extant turtle species. Despite this impressive richness, few studies have assessed freshwater turtle assemblages in this hotspot of aquatic diversity. This research aimed to elucidate the distributions and abundances of freshwater turtle species through a statewide investigation of all major river drainages of the state. Using baited hoop nets (90 cm and 120 cm diameter), turtles were collected, identified to species and sex, and measured, before being released. Turtle assemblages were assessed in both lotic and lentic environments from …

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Spatiotemporal Variation Of An Eastern Tropical Pacific Pelagic Community Assessed With Free-Drifting Bruvs, Tyler Stephen Plum Dec 2021

Spatiotemporal Variation Of An Eastern Tropical Pacific Pelagic Community Assessed With Free-Drifting Bruvs, Tyler Stephen Plum

All HCAS Student Capstones, Theses, and Dissertations

Information about pelagic community diversity and ecology generally lags far behind that of coastal communities, and largely derives from fisheries data that do not reflect small and non-target species. We describe spatiotemporal vertebrate species diversity and variability over a 3,486 km2 area of highly productive pelagic marine ecosystem in Pacific Panama using drifting baited remote underwater video stations (BRUVS), a non-invasive fishery-independent sampling technique. We observed 26 taxa from 17 families, including 1 mammal, 3 reptile, 5 elasmobranch, and 17 teleost species. Community assemblages differed on and off the continental shelf and between wet (April – December) and dry …

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Microbial Community Dynamics Of A Microcystis Bloom, Helena Pound Dec 2021

Microbial Community Dynamics Of A Microcystis Bloom, Helena Pound

Doctoral Dissertations

Harmful algal bloom events are notoriously associated with massive economic and environmental consequences, causing wildlife and human health risks. As these blooms increase in occurrence, duration, and severity around the world, it is essential to understand conditions leading to bloom formation and why they persist. Abiotic factors such as nutrients are commonly considered in bloom dynamics, but biotic interactions with co-occurring microbial species and viruses must also be taken into account. Harmful algal blooms dominated by the cyanobacterial genus Microcystis occur in bodies of water around the world and provide an ideal system in which to study top-down controls on …

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Shell Calcification And Growth Of The Aquatic Snail Planorbella Trivolvis Under Low Calcium Conditions Typical Of Decalcified Northern Lakes, Shawn A. Witte Dec 2021

Shell Calcification And Growth Of The Aquatic Snail Planorbella Trivolvis Under Low Calcium Conditions Typical Of Decalcified Northern Lakes, Shawn A. Witte

Biology Theses

The water calcium concentration of northern softwater lakes has declined to critically low levels due to numerous anthropogenic stressors, and the availability of calcium is expected to decline further. To assess the impact that critically low water calcium has on aquatic snail shell calcification and growth, juvenile Planorbella trivolvis were raised for 60 days in one of four treatments, each containing a different amount of dissolved calcium (0.64, 1.3, 2.5, and 5.1 mg/L). There was no difference in tissue weight or shell size among treatments, suggesting low water calcium concentrations do not impact adult body mass or size. However, snails …

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Developmental And Behavioral Responses Of Early Life Stages Of Fathead Minnows (Pimephales Promelas) To Urban Effluents Treated With Advanced-Oxidation Processes, Amy Cavanaugh Dec 2021

Developmental And Behavioral Responses Of Early Life Stages Of Fathead Minnows (Pimephales Promelas) To Urban Effluents Treated With Advanced-Oxidation Processes, Amy Cavanaugh

Biology Theses

Wastewater Treatment Plants (WWTP) are the main vector for pharmaceutical and personal care products (PPCPs) to enter waterways. Many PPCPs are lipophilic, allowing them to bioaccumulate and biomagnify within aquatic organisms. PPCPs have been known to alter fish behavior and physiological processes, such as nesting defense and sex ratios, and produce an increase in deformities. Advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) are novel ways for treating WWTPs effluents that use hydroxyl radicals to indiscriminately breakdown PPCPs. In this study, fathead minnows (Pimephales promelas) were used to examine the biological effects of AOP-treated municipal effluent as they developed from eggs to …

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The Effects Of Commercial Harvest On The Density And Demography Of Aquatic Turtles In Arkansas, Andrhea Darleen Massey Dec 2021

The Effects Of Commercial Harvest On The Density And Demography Of Aquatic Turtles In Arkansas, Andrhea Darleen Massey

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The United States is home to the second highest concentration of turtle species in the world, after Asia. As of 2018, there are 57 turtle species recognized within the US, 40% of which are listed as threatened or endangered, with the primary threats to population persistence identified as over-consumption and/or habitat loss. Within the US, the Mississippi Alluvial Valley (MAV) region represents the second highest turtle species richness, after the Mobile River Basin. The MAV region of Arkansas is one of the least regulated in terms of commercial aquatic turtle harvest and has undergone large-scale habitat conversion from bottomland hardwood …

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Natural Regeneration Dynamics And Survival Influenced By Abiotic And Biotic Factors In A Bottomland Hardwood Forest, Lydia J. Voth Rurup Dec 2021

Natural Regeneration Dynamics And Survival Influenced By Abiotic And Biotic Factors In A Bottomland Hardwood Forest, Lydia J. Voth Rurup

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Riparian ecosystems are vital to the landscape, providing critical services including water filtration and purification, flood and erosion control, carbon sequestration, biodiversity support, and aesthetic value. Bottomland hardwood forests, however, are threatened by invasive species, land loss/conversion, inconsistent or absence of harvesting disturbances, and altered hydrological patterns, leading to reduced success of desired, native species. This research assessed regeneration dynamics and one-year survival in a seasonally-flooded bottomland hardwood forest at Boggy Slough Conservation Area in East Texas to identify abiotic and biotic factors important for successful establishment of native regeneration. Areas sampled included two that were previously treated with herbicide …

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Body Mass And Body Condition Variation Of Mallards (Anas Platyrhynchos) Within And Among Winters Within The Lower Mississippi Alluvial Valley, John Thompson Veon Dec 2021

Body Mass And Body Condition Variation Of Mallards (Anas Platyrhynchos) Within And Among Winters Within The Lower Mississippi Alluvial Valley, John Thompson Veon

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Most North American waterfowl overwinter in southern North America before migrating back to breeding grounds in the northern US and Canada. These species face the challenge of needing to maintain or increase their body mass during an environmentally difficult winter period. Successful body mass maintenance during the winter period has major ramifications not only for their winter survival but for their fitness across the entire year. Recent research in Europe and the western United States suggests that the body mass of mallards (Anas platyrhynchos) has increased from the late 1960s to early 2000s. However, the factors responsible for increases in …

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Efficacy Of Sediment Contaminant Remediation Of The Benthos In A Segment Of The Southern Branch Of The Elizabeth River, Colton Martin Dec 2021

Efficacy Of Sediment Contaminant Remediation Of The Benthos In A Segment Of The Southern Branch Of The Elizabeth River, Colton Martin

Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations

The bottom sediment of the Southern Branch of the Elizabeth River, a tributary of Chesapeake Bay, was historically contaminated with hydrocarbons from industrial sources especially wood treatment facilities. The Elizabeth River Project selected a section of the bottom off Money Point in the Southern Branch for a sediment contaminant remediation effort. Prior to initiation of remediation efforts, a survey occurred in summer 2010 to characterize the ecological condition of the benthic communities off Money Point compared to benthic communities of a benthic region across the channel and northwest of Money Point near Blows Creek. That study characterized the benthos of …

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Habitat Assessment Of Ozark Glades Using Selected Epigeal Predatory Arthropods, Austin Key Jones Dec 2021

Habitat Assessment Of Ozark Glades Using Selected Epigeal Predatory Arthropods, Austin Key Jones

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Epigeal predatory arthropods were collected with pitfall-style traps in nine sandstone glades of varying ecological stages, and management histories, in the Ozarks of Northern Arkansas over three years. These sites were categorized into three Site Types; Intact, high quality glades; Degraded, forest-encroached glades, and Restored glades which had received woody vegetation removal and burning. Collections of ground spiders (Gnaphosidae), predatory ground beetles (Carabidae), and the sole species of scorpion present in the Ozarks, Centruroides vittatus, were reported on as well as the applicability of arthropod collection methods for glade habitat assessment. Habitat characteristics were recorded for each site and analyzed …

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Effects Of Freshwater Input On Nutrient Loading, Toxic Cyanobacteria Bloom Development And Cyanotoxin Production In Lake Pontchartrain Estuary, Louisiana, Callie L. Snow Nov 2021

Effects Of Freshwater Input On Nutrient Loading, Toxic Cyanobacteria Bloom Development And Cyanotoxin Production In Lake Pontchartrain Estuary, Louisiana, Callie L. Snow

LSU Master's Theses

Estuaries in the northern Gulf of Mexico (GoM) are undergoing profound alterations due to changes in climate and implementation of coastal restoration activities and these may lead to the increasing frequency of harmful algal blooms (HABs). The introduction of large volumes of nutrient-rich, fresh Mississippi River water into nutrient-poor Lake Pontchartrain Estuary is known to substantially change the chemistry and ecology of the estuary, and warm temperatures paired with the persistent nutrient loading into the estuary supports the proliferation of potentially toxic cyanobacteria blooms (CyanoHABs). Throughout 2019, a long-term opening of the Bonnet Carré Spillway (BCS), initially from February to …

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Diversity And Drivers Of Oribatid Mites (Acari: Oribatida) In Boreal Peatlands, Carlos Rafael De Araujo Barreto Nov 2021

Diversity And Drivers Of Oribatid Mites (Acari: Oribatida) In Boreal Peatlands, Carlos Rafael De Araujo Barreto

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Boreal peatlands are important ecosystems for carbon cycling, storing 1/3 of the world’s terrestrial carbon in only ~3% of the globe, making them a key component of potential mitigation strategies in response to global climate warming. Experiments have shown that warming can affect plant and microbial communities in ways that potentially shift peatlands from carbon sinks to sources. Soil food webs, including the microarthropod community, are key in carbon cycling but are relatively understudied both in peatlands and under experimental warming. My research capitalized on a large-scale experimental field manipulation of warming in two contrasting peatland sites in Northern Ontario, …

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Hydrologic Controls On Phosphorus Speciation And Mobilization In A Subalpine Watershed (East River, Colorado), Lucia Isobel Arthen-Long Oct 2021

Hydrologic Controls On Phosphorus Speciation And Mobilization In A Subalpine Watershed (East River, Colorado), Lucia Isobel Arthen-Long

Masters Theses

The cycling of phosphorus (P) through floodplain environments is critical to ecosystem productivity and has significant implications on both water quality and soil fertility. P export from soils in response to saturation has been well documented, but the relative vulnerability of specific P pools to mobilization remains poorly constrained, as do the mechanisms mediating its release. The prediction of P availability in and export from mountainous floodplain soils is of great importance as global climate change is projected to significantly alter precipitation regimes in alpine systems. This study combined a thorough characterization of P distribution across a hillslope to floodplain …

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Monitoring Mammals At Multiple Scales: Case Studies From Carnivore Communities, Kadambari Devarajan Oct 2021

Monitoring Mammals At Multiple Scales: Case Studies From Carnivore Communities, Kadambari Devarajan

Doctoral Dissertations

Carnivores are distributed widely and threatened by habitat loss, poaching, climate change, and disease. They are considered integral to ecosystem function through their direct and indirect interactions with species at different trophic levels. Given the importance of carnivores, it is of high conservation priority to understand the processes driving carnivore assemblages in different systems. It is thus essential to determine the abiotic and biotic drivers of carnivore community composition at different spatial scales and address the following questions: (i) What factors influence carnivore community composition and diversity? (ii) How do the factors influencing carnivore communities vary across spatial and temporal …

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Blue Carbon In South Florida's Mangroves: The Role Of Large Roots And Necromass, Zoë I. Shribman Sep 2021

Blue Carbon In South Florida's Mangroves: The Role Of Large Roots And Necromass, Zoë I. Shribman

LSU Master's Theses

Blue carbon sequestration and storage in mangroves largely result from belowground biomass allocation in response to flooded anaerobic soil conditions and nutrient availability. Biomass allocation to belowground roots is a major driver of mangrove soil formation and organic matter accumulation leading to blue carbon storage potential. Belowground biomass sampling in mangroves is labor intensive, limiting data availability on biomass stocks, particularly for large roots (>20 mm diameter) and necromass (dead roots). The mangrove nutrient model (NUMAN) uses mostly literature values to parameterize a soil cohort approach to simulate depth distribution of root mass and organic carbon concentration. We evaluated …

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Connecting Communities To Coastal Resilience: Enhancing Sustainability Through Public Participation In Salt Marsh Management And Restoration In Suffolk County, Ny, Jennifer L. Mcgivern Sep 2021

Connecting Communities To Coastal Resilience: Enhancing Sustainability Through Public Participation In Salt Marsh Management And Restoration In Suffolk County, Ny, Jennifer L. Mcgivern

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Coastal resiliency is becoming significantly more critical to the livelihood of coastal communities as the frequency and intensity of storm events increases and is exacerbated by rising sea levels due to climate change. In October 2012 Superstorm Sandy impacted the New York-New Jersey area costing over $70 billion in storm damages and 147 lives lost, as storm surges surpassed record highs for the region. Protruding more than 100 miles into the Atlantic Ocean with over 1,000 miles of shoreline, Long Island is particularly vulnerable to the increasingly ferocious and numerous storms as well as the rising sea levels that climate …

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Vertebrate Scavenger Diversity And Ecosystem Services Along An Elevational Gradient In Central Nepal, Aishwarya Bhattacharjee Sep 2021

Vertebrate Scavenger Diversity And Ecosystem Services Along An Elevational Gradient In Central Nepal, Aishwarya Bhattacharjee

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

A growing number of studies recognize the ecological significance of vertebrate scavengers, and several species belonging to this diverse, functional guild are of high conservation importance around the globe. Studies on taxonomic and functional components of biodiversity often use elevation gradients to comprehensively examine patterns and drivers across multiple spatial scales. Yet, there are relatively few elevational studies on large vertebrates or multi-taxa guilds, and the related variation of their ecosystem services. In particular, scavenger research has largely focused on local-scale studies or regional/global comparisons of local-scale investigations. Moreover, these studies primarily consider taxonomic community characteristics and the patterns of …

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Energetic Impacts Of Passage Delays In Migrating Adult Atlantic Salmon, Sarah R. Rubenstein Aug 2021

Energetic Impacts Of Passage Delays In Migrating Adult Atlantic Salmon, Sarah R. Rubenstein

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

For any migratory organism, habitat connectivity is critical for population stability. Structures that impede movement between necessary habitats can be damaging to population persistence. In riverine systems, dams act as migratory barriers, altering ecosystems and delaying, injuring, or otherwise impairing migratory fish movement into essential habitat. Critically endangered Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) populations in Maine have been on the decline since the 1800s. Because most Atlantic salmon rivers are now highly dammed systems, hydropower dams have been cited as causal to the decline in returning adult populations. Previous studies have demonstrated that Atlantic salmon experience substantial delays below dams while …

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Acting Out Of Lyme: Characterizing The Human Dimensions Of Lyme Disease Interventions, Katherine C. Perry Aug 2021

Acting Out Of Lyme: Characterizing The Human Dimensions Of Lyme Disease Interventions, Katherine C. Perry

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Lyme disease (LD), a tick-borne disease caused by the bacterium spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi, is the most commonly occurring tick-borne illness in the United States with the majority of cases concentrated in the Northeast. In Maine, as well as the rest of North America, LD is transmitted to humans via infected black-legged ticks (Ixodes scapularis). As the life cycle of the black-legged tick is tightly coupled with forest ecosystems, prevalence of the disease is common in endemic forest landscapes, and individuals spending time in these areas face an increased risk of exposure to LD as well as other tick-borne diseases. While …

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Environmental Dna Monitoring Of Non-Native Mudpuppy (Necturus Maculosus) And Transient Rainbow Smelt (Osmerus Mordax), Vaughn Holmes Aug 2021

Environmental Dna Monitoring Of Non-Native Mudpuppy (Necturus Maculosus) And Transient Rainbow Smelt (Osmerus Mordax), Vaughn Holmes

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Whether considering an expanding non-native species or a priority native species with a dwindling local population, the monitoring of low-abundance, sporadically distributed, or otherwise elusive populations, can prove difficult. In separate studies, we tested the viability of environmental DNA (eDNA) for monitoring a species in both of the above circumstances, the common mudpuppy (Necturus maculosus), a spreading non-native species, and rainbow smelt (Osmerus mordax), a declining species of concern. Mudpuppy are fully aquatic salamanders that were introduced to the Belgrade region of central Maine in 1939 and again in 1940. Though they had been present for nearly 80 years when …

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Vertical Habitat Gradients: Comparing Phytoplankton Dynamics In Lakes With Low To Moderate Dissolved Organic Carbon Concentration, Matthew J. Farragher Aug 2021

Vertical Habitat Gradients: Comparing Phytoplankton Dynamics In Lakes With Low To Moderate Dissolved Organic Carbon Concentration, Matthew J. Farragher

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Concentrations of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) increased across lakes of Maine for several decades before stabilizing or decreasing in recent years. To investigate the seasonal effects of DOC on phytoplankton habitat structure, I assessed vertical gradients of temperature, oxygen, light, and chlorophyll in four lakes in Acadia National Park from under ice through fall turnover in 2020. Lake DOC concentrations ranged from low (~2 mg L-1) to moderate (~4 mg L-1). Low-DOC lakes were clearer, with greater mean Secchi depths (9-15 m) than moderate-DOC lakes (5-6 m). Moderate-DOC lakes experienced hypolimnetic anoxia in the summer and had more variable concentrations …

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Assessing The Short-Term Effects Of Translocation On Freshwater Mussels: Is Habitat Or Water Quality More Important?, Joshua D. Arnold Aug 2021

Assessing The Short-Term Effects Of Translocation On Freshwater Mussels: Is Habitat Or Water Quality More Important?, Joshua D. Arnold

Masters Theses

Freshwater mussels (Order: Unionida) are very important to the function of aquatic ecosystems and are typically indicators of good water quality. They provide a valuable link between the water column and the benthic substrate in which they live and are a valuable food resource for many species of animals. However, most species native to North America are currently threatened with extinction, to the point that more than 70% of native freshwater mussels are listed as either threatened or endangered at the state or federal level. The cause of this decline can be attributed to historical over exploitation, habitat alteration, and …

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Using Predator Vocalizations To Deter Raccoon Predation On Nests Of Diamondback Terrapins (Malaclemys Terrapin), Colleen Elizabeth Naeger Aug 2021

Using Predator Vocalizations To Deter Raccoon Predation On Nests Of Diamondback Terrapins (Malaclemys Terrapin), Colleen Elizabeth Naeger

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

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Community Structure And Dynamics Of Benthic Macroinvertebrates In A Recreated Headwater Stream System On A Valley Fill In A Retrofitted Watershed Located In The Appalachian Coalfields Of Southeastern Kentucky (U.S.A.), Steven W. Bailey Aug 2021

Community Structure And Dynamics Of Benthic Macroinvertebrates In A Recreated Headwater Stream System On A Valley Fill In A Retrofitted Watershed Located In The Appalachian Coalfields Of Southeastern Kentucky (U.S.A.), Steven W. Bailey

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The extraction of coal from steep-gradient surface mining sites such as in the Appalachian Coalfields of the U.S. produces excess debris that is often placed in adjacent valleys resulting in the creation of valley fills. Not only are headwater streams buried in the process, but watershed functions are either destroyed outright, or become fragmented and disconnected from adjacent ecosystems resulting in adverse effects to downstream biological communities. In this dissertation, the dynamics of stream macroinvertebrate community structure, composition, diversity, and biotic integrity are assessed at a “proof of concept” stream system recreated on a retrofitted valley fill. For comparison, two …

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Host Community Diversity Interacts With Soil Biota And Water Availability To Predict Foliar Pathogen Damage And Diversity On Tallgrass Prairie Plants., Aspen J. Workman Aug 2021

Host Community Diversity Interacts With Soil Biota And Water Availability To Predict Foliar Pathogen Damage And Diversity On Tallgrass Prairie Plants., Aspen J. Workman

College of Arts & Sciences Senior Honors Theses

The provisioning of ecosystem services in tallgrass prairies is mediated by interactions between the plants, their associated above- and belowground microbiota, and the abiotic environment, but global change alters these interactions through a variety of pathways. This study investigates the interactions between belowground microbiota, foliar pathogens, and their host plants in order to better understand how ecosystem functioning may change in a tallgrass prairie system under an altered watering regime. The project focuses on North American tallgrass prairie ecosystems and asks whether host plant diversity and abundance, soil biota, and water availability interactively affect plant susceptibility to damage by a …

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Using Bioenergetics To Model The Effects Of Climate Change On Bluntnose Minnows Pimephales Notatus In A Western Kentucky Stream, Christian Slone, Christian Slone Jul 2021

Using Bioenergetics To Model The Effects Of Climate Change On Bluntnose Minnows Pimephales Notatus In A Western Kentucky Stream, Christian Slone, Christian Slone

Student Scholarship & Creative Works

Bioenergetics considers a variety of factors like consumption, excretion, and metabolism to quantify the energy use of an organism. A common use of bioenergetics modeling is to help solve fish stock problems. This project looks to develop a bioenergetics model for Bluntnose Minnows Pimephales notatus to help predict effects of climate change on the biodiversity of western Kentucky streams. We used R and NetLogo to create an agent-based bioenergetics model to simulate the size distribution of Bluntnose Minnows under various temperature regimes. Bluntnose Minnow metabolism increases, and consumption decreases with an increase in water temperature. Fish growth seems to be …

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Effects Of Wetland Management And Associated Abiotic Factors On Rare Plant Communities Of Spring-Fed Arid Wetlands, Antonio Cantu De Leija Jul 2021

Effects Of Wetland Management And Associated Abiotic Factors On Rare Plant Communities Of Spring-Fed Arid Wetlands, Antonio Cantu De Leija

LSU Master's Theses

Spring-fed arid wetlands support high biological productivity and are hotspots for endemism and distribution of rare plants, making them areas of high conservation value. These systems are driven by complex interactions among groundwater discharge and the geomorphic and climatic features of the setting, which provide gradients of edaphic conditions, particularly soil moisture and salinity that influence the presence and abundance of rare plant communities. However, spring-fed arid wetlands are at particular risk of increases in salinity and drier hydrological regimes due to anthropogenic activities. Such alterations to abiotic conditions may jeopardize the distribution and abundance of rare plants by exceeding …

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Effects Of Salinity On Eastern Oysters: Locating Lower-Salinity Tolerant Populations And Defining Resource Zones Suitable To Restoration, Fisheries, And Aquaculture., Lauren Swam Jul 2021

Effects Of Salinity On Eastern Oysters: Locating Lower-Salinity Tolerant Populations And Defining Resource Zones Suitable To Restoration, Fisheries, And Aquaculture., Lauren Swam

LSU Master's Theses

Eastern oysters (Crassostrea virginica) provide valuable ecosystem services and support a productive commercial industry in the northern Gulf of Mexico. Declining abundance from water quality changes and other factors drives development of management and restoration strategies focused on a comprehensive, metapopulation approach. Identifying oyster resource zones based on water quality combined with selective breeding of oysters adapted to specific conditions provides strategies to support aquaculture development and ensure resilient oyster populations and high production. Using 2015-2019 satellite-derived continuous salinity and temperature data for coastal Louisiana, this work created maps defining oyster resource zones supportive of (1) broodstock sanctuary …

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