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Spatial And Temporal Changes In Subtidal Benthic Crustaceans Along A Coastal River-Estuarine Gradient In Mississippi, Mark S. Peterson Jan 1997

Spatial And Temporal Changes In Subtidal Benthic Crustaceans Along A Coastal River-Estuarine Gradient In Mississippi, Mark S. Peterson

Gulf and Caribbean Research

Benthic crustaceans were collected monthly between 24 August 1985 and 20 September 1986 from tidal freshwater (TFW), oligohaline (OH) and mesohaline (MH) sites in Old Fort Bayou, a black-water tidal river of the Biloxi Bay estuary, Mississippi. Salinity varied seasonally and spatially and was primarily related to variations in rainfall during this study. Reduced rainfall after October 1985 resulted in the upstream movement of saline water and a concommitant shift in benthic crustaceans upstream with this change in the physical-chemical environment. This shift is supported by a significant positive concordance of ranks between salinity and relative abundance of Gammarus sp. …


Benthic-Pelagic Coupling In Northern Gulf Of Mexico Estuaries: Do Benthos Feed Directly On Phytoplankton?, Gary R. Gaston, Carol M. Cleveland, Steven S. Brown, Chet F. Rakocinski Jan 1997

Benthic-Pelagic Coupling In Northern Gulf Of Mexico Estuaries: Do Benthos Feed Directly On Phytoplankton?, Gary R. Gaston, Carol M. Cleveland, Steven S. Brown, Chet F. Rakocinski

Gulf and Caribbean Research

Few of the dominant benthic taxa of the northern Gulf of Mexico feed directly on phytoplankton. Rather, most of them feed on near-bottom seston and detritus. This is in contrast to models for Chesapeake Bay and San Francisco Bay. We found that detritivores represented over 80% of the macrobenthic organisms and over 90% of the biomass in Gulf of Mexico estuaries. The paucity of benthos that consumed phytoplankton led us to hypothesize that macrobenthos in Gulf of Mexico estuaries had less effect on plankton communities than was documented in U.S. east coast and west coast estuaries, where benthic communities consumed …


Observations On Mass Mortalities Of The Sooty Eel, Bascanichthys Bascanium, And The Speckled Worm Eel, Myrophis Punctatus, Associated With A Fish Kill In The Mississippi Sound, James S. Franks, Ross P. Dodds Jan 1997

Observations On Mass Mortalities Of The Sooty Eel, Bascanichthys Bascanium, And The Speckled Worm Eel, Myrophis Punctatus, Associated With A Fish Kill In The Mississippi Sound, James S. Franks, Ross P. Dodds

Gulf and Caribbean Research

Mass mortalities of the sooty eel, Bascanichthys bascanium, and the speckled worm eel, Myrophis punctatus, were observed in association with a fish kill which occurred the morning of 18 June 1994 on the south shore of Deer Island, a nearshore barrier island located off Biloxi, Mississippi. B. bascanium and M. punctatus, as well as other fishes, were found dead and dying near the shore in reddish-brown water and along a lengthy stretch of fringing sandy beach. Both species of eels are infrequently reported from Mississippi waters but were the most abundant fishes recorded from the kill. A …


Zooplankton Variability And Copepod Species Assemblages From A Tropical Coastal Lagoon, J.N. Alvarez-Cadena, L. Segura-Puertas Jan 1997

Zooplankton Variability And Copepod Species Assemblages From A Tropical Coastal Lagoon, J.N. Alvarez-Cadena, L. Segura-Puertas

Gulf and Caribbean Research

Results of monthly zooplankton sampling, carried out from December 1990 to November 1991, are compared from three localities in the Mexican Caribbean. Two stations, Bojórquez, and Cuenca Norte, represent partially enclosed areas of the Nichupté Lagoon System in the northeastern region of the Yucatán Peninsula; a third station was located in adjacent neritic waters. At the neritic station, temperature was lower, salinity was higher, and variations in the two parameters smaller as compared to the two lagoon stations. Zooplankton abundance ranged from 3585.5 org./m3 at the neritic station to 18,742.7 org./m3 at Cuenca Norte. Considering all animals collected, …


Northern Record For The Zooxanthellate Scleractinian Coral Siderastrea Siderea (Ellis And Solander) From The Gulf Of Mexico, William W. Schroeder, Thomas S. Hopkins Jan 1997

Northern Record For The Zooxanthellate Scleractinian Coral Siderastrea Siderea (Ellis And Solander) From The Gulf Of Mexico, William W. Schroeder, Thomas S. Hopkins

Gulf and Caribbean Research

We report a northward range extension of the zooxanthellate scleractinian coral Siderastrea siderea (Ellis and Solander) in the Gulf of Mexico. Several small, living colonies of S. siderea have been obtained in dredge samples from a site located at 29º 55.5' N, 087º 28.4' W in the northeastern Gulf of Mexico. Prior to these collections the northernmost occurrence of S. siderea in the Gulf of Mexico was reported as 27º 54.5' N, 093º 35.8' W, on the East Flower Garden Bank, in the western Gulf of Mexico. In the eastern Gulf of Mexico, S. siderea is not reported occurring on …


Butyltins In Crassostrea Virginica From Nine Reefs In Mississippi Sound, Thomas F. Lytle, Julia S. Lytle Jan 1997

Butyltins In Crassostrea Virginica From Nine Reefs In Mississippi Sound, Thomas F. Lytle, Julia S. Lytle

Gulf and Caribbean Research

Tributyltin (TBT), a very effective anti-foulant, has been banned from most marine paint uses since 1988 because of its reputed toxicity to nontarget organisms. Crassostrea virginica were collected from nine reefs in the Mississippi Sound in 1993 and analyzed for concentrations of butyltins: TBT, dibutyltin (DBT) and monobutyltin (MBT). TBT concentrations ranged from <2 to >20 ng(Sn)/g wet wt. Highest concentrations of butyltins were found at eastern Sound reefs near intense shipping and ship building activities with lowest concentrations found in the western Sound.


Size And Weight Relationships For The Golden Crab, Chaceon Fenneri, And The Red Crab, Chaceon Quinquedens, From The Eastern Gulf Of Mexico, Christine Trigg, Harriet Perry Jan 1997

Size And Weight Relationships For The Golden Crab, Chaceon Fenneri, And The Red Crab, Chaceon Quinquedens, From The Eastern Gulf Of Mexico, Christine Trigg, Harriet Perry

Gulf and Caribbean Research

Carapace length, carapace width, and weight relationships are discussed for the golden crab, Chaceon fenneri, and the red crab, Chaceon quinquedens, from the eastern Gulf of Mexico. Males of both species were significantly larger than females in comparisons of means of all measured parameters. Relationships between carapace length and carapace width, carapace length and weight, and carapace width and weight were similar between Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico populations for both species.


A Study Of Factors Influencing The Hatch Rate Of Penaeus Vannamei Eggs. Iii. Presence Of The Female After Spawning, John T. Ogle, Kathleen A. Beaugez Jan 1997

A Study Of Factors Influencing The Hatch Rate Of Penaeus Vannamei Eggs. Iii. Presence Of The Female After Spawning, John T. Ogle, Kathleen A. Beaugez

Gulf and Caribbean Research

A comparison was made of the hatch rate (percent hatch) of Penaeus vannamei eggs. The study was comprised of 100 spawns from mated Penaeus vannamei females. In,one treatment, 50 female shrimp were removed from the isolation spawning tanks after spawning occurred but prior to hatching of eggs, producing 49.7% mean hatch rate. In the other treatment, 50 female shrimp were left in the tanks until after the eggs had hatched, producing an average hatch rate of 35.0%. A significant difference in the hatch rates of eggs was observed between spawns with and without presence of the female at time of …


Early Growth In Weight Of Kemp's Ridley Sea Turtles (Lepidochelys Kempii) In Captivity, Charles W. Caillouet Jr., Clark T. Fontaine, Theodore D. Williams, Sharon A. Manzella-Tirpak Jan 1997

Early Growth In Weight Of Kemp's Ridley Sea Turtles (Lepidochelys Kempii) In Captivity, Charles W. Caillouet Jr., Clark T. Fontaine, Theodore D. Williams, Sharon A. Manzella-Tirpak

Gulf and Caribbean Research

Growth in individual weight (w, kg) of Kemp’s ridley sea turtles (Lepidochelys kempii) in captivity was described for 15 year-classes (1978-1992) of turtles between ages (t) 0.17 to 1.22 yr, using In linear regression: Inw = lnc + dt1/2, where Inc is the intercept and d is the slope (growth rate index). There was significant (P < 0.001) heterogeneity in d among year-classes, with slowest growth (d = 3.798) exhibited by the 1983 year-class and fastest growth (d = 6.929) by the 1985 year-class, but there was no significant trend in d (P = 0.307) over year-classes. The variance of residuals from regression, s2reg, ranged from 0.2032 for the 1978 year-class to 0.0075 for the 1992 year-class, and showed a significant (P = 0.0001) logarithmic decrease over the year-classes. This decline in variation among individuals was probably due to a a …


Distribution And Abundance Of Chaetognatha On The Yucatan Shelf During May, 1986., Silvia Mille-Pagaza, Rocio Reyes-Martinez, M. Elena Sanchez-Salazar Jan 1997

Distribution And Abundance Of Chaetognatha On The Yucatan Shelf During May, 1986., Silvia Mille-Pagaza, Rocio Reyes-Martinez, M. Elena Sanchez-Salazar

Gulf and Caribbean Research

An analysis of chaetognath species distribution and abundance from the Yucatan Shelf during May 1986 is presented. Zooplankton samples and associated hydrographic data were collected at 21 stations off the northern and northwestern coasts of the peninsula. Density data were classified and analyzed by calculating the Euclidian distance. In addition, the Importance Value of the species was obtained. Highest abundance (1000 to 5000 orgs./100m3) occurred in the northern and northwestern zones off the peninsula, while species richness was higher at oceanic stations farther offshore. The most abundant and frequent species were Sagitta enflata and S. bipunctata. The …


Identification, Distribution, And Aspects Of The Biology Of Ten Anthuridean Isopod Species From The Shallow Continental Shelf Of The U.S. Gulf And East Coast, Brian Kensley Jan 1997

Identification, Distribution, And Aspects Of The Biology Of Ten Anthuridean Isopod Species From The Shallow Continental Shelf Of The U.S. Gulf And East Coast, Brian Kensley

Gulf and Caribbean Research

With the aim of easing identification of continental shelf isopods, ten species of anthurideans, viz. Amakusanthura magnifica, Amakusanthura signata, Cyathura barbancki, Ptilanthura colpos, Ptilanthura tenuis, Hyssura bacescui, Kupellonura formosa, Neohyssura irpex, Xenanthura brevitelson, and Accalathura crenulata, are given brief diagnoses. A map showing the distribution of records, line figures illustrating diagnostic features, and a key to families, genera, and species are also provided.


Stomatopod Crustaceans From The Carolinas And Georgia, Southeastern United States, Raymond B. Manning, Richard W. Heard Jan 1997

Stomatopod Crustaceans From The Carolinas And Georgia, Southeastern United States, Raymond B. Manning, Richard W. Heard

Gulf and Caribbean Research

Literature and specimen records are updated for stomatopod crustaceans known from the coasts of the Carolinas and Georgia. Gibbesia, new genus, is recognized for Squilla neglecta, and a new species, Neogonodactylus wennerae, is named for an offshore species of Neogonodactylus previously identified with the Caribbean shore species N. bredini. Fifteen species of stomatopods representing 12 genera are now known from the area: Bigelowina biminiensis (Bigelow), Cloridopsis dubia (Milne Edwards), Coronis scolopendra Latreille, Gibbesia neglecta (Gibbes), Heterosquilloides armata (Smith), Meiosquilla quadridens (Bigelow), Lysiosquilla scabricauda (Lamarck), Lysiosquillina glabriuscula (Lamarck), Nannosquilla carolinensis Manning, N. whitingi Camp & Manning, Neogonodactylus …


An Index To Assess The Sensitivity Of Gulf Of Mexico Species To Changes In Estuarine Salinity Regimes, John D. Christensen, Mark E. Monaco, Tony A. Lowery Jan 1997

An Index To Assess The Sensitivity Of Gulf Of Mexico Species To Changes In Estuarine Salinity Regimes, John D. Christensen, Mark E. Monaco, Tony A. Lowery

Gulf and Caribbean Research

An index of biological sensitivity to changes in freshwater inflow was developed for 44 species in 22 Gulf of Mexico estuaries for adult and juvenile life stages of fishes and macroinvertebrates. The BioSalinity Index (BSI) provides an innovative approach to quantify estuary-specific sensitivity of organisms to changes in estuarine salinity regimes based upon our knowledge of species salinity habitat preferences, the availability of this preferred habitat, and the relative abundance and distribution of species in time and space. We found that a significant difference exists between adult and juvenile life stage sensitivity, with juveniles exhibiting a lower sensitivity to salinity …


Observations Of Sea Turtles And Other Marine Life At The Explosive Removal Of Offshore Oil And Gas Structures In The Gulf Of Mexico, Gregg R. Gitschlag, Bryan A. Herczeg, Theresa R. Barcak Jan 1997

Observations Of Sea Turtles And Other Marine Life At The Explosive Removal Of Offshore Oil And Gas Structures In The Gulf Of Mexico, Gregg R. Gitschlag, Bryan A. Herczeg, Theresa R. Barcak

Gulf and Caribbean Research

Observers monitored the explosive removal of oil and gas structures in the Gulf of Mexico to protect sea turtles and marine mammals from adverse impacts. More than 7,000 monitoring hours at 131 structure removals were conducted during 1993. Sixteen individual sea turtles were observed including 6 loggerheads, 1 Kemp's ridley, 1 green, and 8 unidentified sea turtles. Aerial surveys were approximately ten times more effective in observing sea turtles than day or night surface surveys.


Distributional And Ecological Notes On The Halfbeaks Of Eastern Gulf Of Mexico, With A Provisional Key For Their Identification, S. Contreras-Balderas, M.L. Lozano-Vilano, M.E. Garcia Ramirez Jan 1997

Distributional And Ecological Notes On The Halfbeaks Of Eastern Gulf Of Mexico, With A Provisional Key For Their Identification, S. Contreras-Balderas, M.L. Lozano-Vilano, M.E. Garcia Ramirez

Gulf and Caribbean Research

Several fishes of the halfbeak genus Hyporhamphus occurring in the Mexican Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean Sea have been misidentified or confused in the literature. Most of it has centered around the taxonomic status of H. unifasciatus (including its synonym H. roberti), which is shown to comprise a complex of three species, H. unifasciatus, the recently described H. meeki, from the western Atlantic region, and an undescribed species from the eastern Pacific Ocean. Another eastern Mexico halfbeak is the freshwater form H. mexicanus. Using Banford and Collette (1993), we examined specimens from collections at UANL, UNAM, …