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

Life Sciences Commons

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

Articles 1 - 19 of 19

Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences

Modeling Nutrient And Plankton Processes In The California Coastal Transition Zone: 3. Lagrangian Drifters, J. R. Moisan, Eileen E. Hofmann Oct 1996

Modeling Nutrient And Plankton Processes In The California Coastal Transition Zone: 3. Lagrangian Drifters, J. R. Moisan, Eileen E. Hofmann

CCPO Publications

Two types of numerical Lagrangian drifter experiments were conducted, using a set of increasingly complex and sophisticated models, to investigate the processes associated with the plankton distributions in the California coastal transition zone (CTZ). The first experiment used a one-dimensional (1-D; vertical) time-dependent physical-bio-optical model, which contained a nine-component food web. Vertical velocities, along the track of simulated Lagrangian drifters, derived from a three-dimensional (3-D), primitive equation circulation model developed to simulate the flow observed within the CTZ; were used to parameterize the upwelling and downwelling processes. The second experiment used 880 simulated Lagrangian drifters from a 3-D primitive equation …


Recruitment Of Blue Crab, Callinectes Sapidus, Postlarvae To The Back-Barrier Lagoons Of Virginia's Eastern Shore, Robert D. Brumbaugh Apr 1996

Recruitment Of Blue Crab, Callinectes Sapidus, Postlarvae To The Back-Barrier Lagoons Of Virginia's Eastern Shore, Robert D. Brumbaugh

OES Theses and Dissertations

Most research on the early life history of the blue crab, Callinectes sapidus, has been conducted in large partially stratified estuaries such as the Chesapeake Bay. In contrast, little is known about the recruitment dynamics or habitat requirements of blue crab postlarvae (megalopae) in shallow well-mixed lagoonal systems that make up a considerable part of the species' range. In Virginia's coastal lagoons, planktonic blue crab megalopae are most abundant at night on flooding tides, and are not abundant during the daytime or on ebbing tides. This appears to enhance retention within the lagoons, despite the short residence time of water …


Seasonal And Mesoscale Variability In The Distribution Of Antarctic Krill, Euphausia Superba, West Of The Antarctic Peninsula, Cathy Meyer Lascara Apr 1996

Seasonal And Mesoscale Variability In The Distribution Of Antarctic Krill, Euphausia Superba, West Of The Antarctic Peninsula, Cathy Meyer Lascara

OES Theses and Dissertations

Observations collected between November 1991 and September 1993 during four multidisciplinary cruises were analyzed to provide a description of seasonal and mesoscale variability in the distribution and abundance of Antarctic krill, Euphausia superba, within continental shelf waters west of the Antarctic Peninsula and to investigate possible relationships between variability in krill distributions and variability in selected environmental parameters. Acoustic measurements of krill were made each season at designated locations to estimate the abundance of krill, in terms of vertically-integrated krill biomass and the number of aggregations, characterize the depth distribution of krill, and provide a quantitative description of the size, …


The Effects Of Environmental Variability On The Population Structure Of The Eastern Oyster (Crassostrea Virginica): A Modeling Study, Margaret Mcmanus Dekshenieks Apr 1996

The Effects Of Environmental Variability On The Population Structure Of The Eastern Oyster (Crassostrea Virginica): A Modeling Study, Margaret Mcmanus Dekshenieks

OES Theses and Dissertations

Three models were coupled to investigate the effects of changes in environmental conditions on the population structure of the Eastern oyster, Crassostrea virginica. The first model, a time-dependent model of the oyster population as described in Powell et al. (1992) and Hofmann et al. (1992, 1995), tracks the distribution, development, spawning, and mortality of sessile oyster populations. The post-settlement model incorporates mortality through parasitism, predation, food depletion and extremes in environmental conditions. The post-settlement model supplies the initial abundance of larvae spawned into the water column, and in turn is the recipient of cohorts of spawn which survive through metamorphosis. …


Modeling The Vertical Distribution Of Oyster Larvae In Response To Environmental Conditions, Margaret M. Dekshenieks, Eileen E. Hofmann, John M. Klinck, Eric N. Powell Jan 1996

Modeling The Vertical Distribution Of Oyster Larvae In Response To Environmental Conditions, Margaret M. Dekshenieks, Eileen E. Hofmann, John M. Klinck, Eric N. Powell

CCPO Publications

A size-structured, time and vertically-dependent model was used to investigate the effects of water column structure on the distribution of larvae of the oyster Crassostrea virginica. Formulations used to model larval growth and behavior are based upon laboratory studies. Simulated vertical larval distributions obtained for conditions representative of a well-mixed, partially stratified and strongly stratified water column illustrate the effect that salinity and temperature gradients have on moderating larval swimming and hence on larvae vertical location. For well-mixed conditions, smaller larvae are dispersed throughout most of the water column. For strongly stratified conditions, the smaller-sized larvae cluster within the …


Effects Of Periodic Environmental Hypoxia On Predator Utilization Of Macrobenthic Infauna, Janet A. Nestlerode Jan 1996

Effects Of Periodic Environmental Hypoxia On Predator Utilization Of Macrobenthic Infauna, Janet A. Nestlerode

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

Hypoxia and anoxia have significant deleterious ecological effects on living resources throughout many estuarine and marine ecosystems worldwide. Brief periods of low oxygen facilitate transfer of benthic production to higher trophic levels as many benthic infaunal species have shallower sediment depth distributions during hypoxic events. A baited time-lapse camera equipped with a water quality datalogger was used to document in situ exploitation of oxygen-stressed benthic invertebrate prey organisms by mobile fish and crustacean predators during alternating normoxia-hypoxia cycles in the York River. Based on photographic and diver observations, this hypoxiainduced benthic-pelagic transfer of production is more likely to occur when …


Perkinsus Marinus Extracellular Proteases: Modulation Of Production By Environmental Factors And Effects On The Host Defense Parameters Of The Eastern Oyster Crassostrea Virginica, Kathleen A. Garreis Jan 1996

Perkinsus Marinus Extracellular Proteases: Modulation Of Production By Environmental Factors And Effects On The Host Defense Parameters Of The Eastern Oyster Crassostrea Virginica, Kathleen A. Garreis

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

No abstract provided.


Growth Dynamics Of A York River Estuary Heterotrophic Dinoflagellate Grazing Katodinium Rotundatum, Angela Denise Smith Jan 1996

Growth Dynamics Of A York River Estuary Heterotrophic Dinoflagellate Grazing Katodinium Rotundatum, Angela Denise Smith

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

No abstract provided.


Effect Of Light/Dark Transition On Carbon Translocation In Eelgrass Zostera Marina Seedlings, Richard C. Zimmerman, Randall S. Alberte Jan 1996

Effect Of Light/Dark Transition On Carbon Translocation In Eelgrass Zostera Marina Seedlings, Richard C. Zimmerman, Randall S. Alberte

OES Faculty Publications

Carbon translocation in the marine macrophyte Zostera marina L. (eelgrass) was investigated to elucidate the impact of light/dark transitions on sucrose partitioning between roots and shoots. After exposure of leaves to C-14-bicarbonate, the level of C-14-labelled photoassimilates increased monotonically in both leaves and fully aerobic roots of plants maintained in the light. Accumulation of C-14 in roots and leaves ceased abruptly when plants were transferred to darkness that induced root anaerobiosis even though C-14 levels remained high in the dark-exposed leaves. Thus, translocation of C-14 photoassimilates from shoots to roots was inhibited when roots became anoxic. Anoxia induced by light …


Contributions To The Life History Of Juvenile Blueback Herring (Alosa Aestivalis): Phototactic Behavior And Population Dynamics, Douglas A. Dixon Jan 1996

Contributions To The Life History Of Juvenile Blueback Herring (Alosa Aestivalis): Phototactic Behavior And Population Dynamics, Douglas A. Dixon

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

This research investigated the relationship between juvenile abundance indexes (JAIs) for anadromous blueback herring (Alosa aestivalis) and abiotic factors (river flow and temperature) during the spawning and nursery period in the tidal freshwater areas of James, Pamunkey, Mattaponi, and Rappahannock Rivers in Virginia. Accomplishing this objective required the evaluation of the JAI methodology, specifically the effect of phototactic behavior on diel changes in the surface availability to the pushnet sampling gear, and obtaining population dynamics information (hatch dates, growth, natural mortality) during early life history from otolith microstructure of samples collected in 1991 and 1992. Mean catch-per-unit effort (CPUE) at …


Demersal Predator Exposure To Toxic Organic Contaminants: Direct Effects Of Macrofauna In Trophic Transfer, Patrick Winfield Lay Jan 1996

Demersal Predator Exposure To Toxic Organic Contaminants: Direct Effects Of Macrofauna In Trophic Transfer, Patrick Winfield Lay

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

The bioaccumulation and metabolism of organic contaminants (PAH, PCB) by three estuarine polychaetes, Nereis succinea (Frey and Leuckart 1847), Paraprionospio pinnata (Ehlers 1901) and Polydora ligni (Webster 1879), and by the fish predator, spot (Leiostomus xanthurus Lacepede 1802), were examined in laboratory experiments. Variations in trophic transfer of these contaminants resulting from differences in prey and contaminant type were also investigated. Toxicokinetic modeling reveals that metabolism of organic contaminants by invertebrate species result in variations in uptake, metabolism and elimination rate constants. Incorporation of prey metabolism potential in kinetic models increases the latter's predictability of biota-sediment accumulation factors (BSAFs), or …


Age, Growth, And Reproductive Biology Of Blackcheek Tonguefish, Symphurus Plagiusa (Cynoglossidae: Pleuronectiformes), In Chesapeake Bay, Virginia, Mark Richard Terwilliger Jan 1996

Age, Growth, And Reproductive Biology Of Blackcheek Tonguefish, Symphurus Plagiusa (Cynoglossidae: Pleuronectiformes), In Chesapeake Bay, Virginia, Mark Richard Terwilliger

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

No abstract provided.


Habitat Complexity As A Determinant Of Juvenile Blue Crab Survival, Jessica L. Schulman Jan 1996

Habitat Complexity As A Determinant Of Juvenile Blue Crab Survival, Jessica L. Schulman

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

No abstract provided.


The Development Of Affinity Maturation In Rainbow Trout Oncorhynchus Mykiss, Ing Wei Khor Jan 1996

The Development Of Affinity Maturation In Rainbow Trout Oncorhynchus Mykiss, Ing Wei Khor

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

No abstract provided.


Lipid Class Composition Of Oysters, Crassostrea Virginica, Exposed To Sediment-Associated Pahs, Tong Li Jan 1996

Lipid Class Composition Of Oysters, Crassostrea Virginica, Exposed To Sediment-Associated Pahs, Tong Li

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

No abstract provided.


Autoecology Of Paraprionospio Pinnata (Polychaeta: Spionide) Along An Estuarine Gradient, Elizabeth K. Hinchey Jan 1996

Autoecology Of Paraprionospio Pinnata (Polychaeta: Spionide) Along An Estuarine Gradient, Elizabeth K. Hinchey

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

No abstract provided.


The Influence Of Location, Seagrass Species And Water Depth On The Settlement And Distribution Of Early Stage Blue Crabs, Renee A. Pardieck Jan 1996

The Influence Of Location, Seagrass Species And Water Depth On The Settlement And Distribution Of Early Stage Blue Crabs, Renee A. Pardieck

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

No abstract provided.


The Role Of Epibenthic Predators In Structuring Marine Soft-Bottom Communities Along An Estuarine Gradient, Rochelle D. Seitz Jan 1996

The Role Of Epibenthic Predators In Structuring Marine Soft-Bottom Communities Along An Estuarine Gradient, Rochelle D. Seitz

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

A unifying theory of community regulation in soft-bottom systems remains elusive, despite extensive field studies on factors controlling community structure. Here, I have (1) reviewed models of community regulation, (2) examined the role of predation in controlling benthic diversity along a salinity gradient, (3) examined effects of predation upon an abundant bivalve, Macoma balthica, and (4) revised a model of community regulation in an estuarine soft-bottom system. The Menge and Sutherland (MS) "consumer stress model" posits that consumers feed ineffectively in harsh environments, and the importance of physical disturbance, competition and predation varies with recruitment, environmental conditions, and trophic position. …


Field And Laboratory Evidence Of Pheromone Mediated Mating Behavior In The Blue Crab, Callinectes Sapidus, Donald S. Gibbs Jan 1996

Field And Laboratory Evidence Of Pheromone Mediated Mating Behavior In The Blue Crab, Callinectes Sapidus, Donald S. Gibbs

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

No abstract provided.