Life Sciences Commons^™

Nroc Coordination And Program Delivery, Amanda Stone, Frank Mitchell

PREP Reports & Publications

The primary goal of the Natural Resources Outreach Coalition (NROC) program is to provide education and outreach to communities in the NH Coastal Watersheds that are dealing with the effects of growth, and looking for ways to conserve open spaces and natural resources. Program objectives to meet this goal include: 1. NROC and client communities determine natural resource concerns of the communities. 2. NROC and client communities gather community information about these concerns 3. NROC develops and client communities host community presentations about natural resource-based planning. 4. Communities receive follow up technical and educational assistance as requested. In 2006, NROC …

Shoreland Buffer Module For Granit Data Mapper, Fay A. Rubin, David G. Justice

PREP Reports & Publications

The Complex Systems Research Center at the University of New Hampshire enhanced the GRANIT Data Mapper (http://mapper.granit.unh.edu) by incorporating data describing shoreline buffers in New Hampshire. The project supports an ongoing, comprehensive New Hampshire Estuaries Project (NHEP) outreach initiative that seeks to educate municipal decision-makers about the importance of stream buffers in preserving water quality in coastal New Hampshire. It complements these existing outreach efforts by allowing coastal managers, local land use boards, and the general public to readily visualize the spatial extent of current and/or proposed shoreline regulations in their community. The primary data source for the analysis was …

Shellfish Tissue Monitoring In New Hampshire Estuaries 2005, Phil Trowbridge

PREP Reports & Publications

Conducted by a committee of Canadian and US government and university scientists, Gulfwatch examines the effects of decades of development and industrialization on the water quality of the Gulf as it relates to human health as well as its impact on other marine organisms. Gulfwatch scientists collect blue mussels at over 60 US and Canadian sites Gulf-wide, and analyze the organisms’ tissue for potentially harmful levels and concentrations of toxins including heavy metals, chlorinated pesticides, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). New Hampshire increased the number of Gulfwatch sampling locations from two sites per year in 1997 to …

Juvenile Soft-Shell Clam, Mya Arenaria L.Research In The Hampton-Seabrook Estuary, Brian F. Beal

PREP Reports & Publications

A series of field experiments was conducted at two intertidal sites in the Hampton Seabrook Estuary from November 2004-2006 to assess the efficacy of enhancing intertidal areas with cultured clam (Mya arenaria L.) seed (mean shell length [SL] = 7-10 mm). Measurement variables in each experiment included survival and growth of both cultured and wild seed clams. The first of three trials (November 2004 - May 2005) examined the interactive effects of size of planting area (4 m2, 8 m2, 12 m2, and 18 m2) and predator deterrent netting (none, 4.2 mm, and 6.4 mm aperture [flexible, plastic netting]) at …

Town Of Strafford Nroc Projects, Carolyn Page, Al Pratt, Jeff Schloss, Harmony Anderson

PREP Reports & Publications

The three Strafford committees formed through the work with the Natural Resources Outreach Coalition in 2004 and supported by the grant award from the New Hampshire Estuaries Project have succeeded in furthering land protection, water quality protection, and managing growth here in Strafford. The original NROC meetings brought many new volunteer citizens into the process, but even their enthusiasm and willingness to work could not have earned these results without the financial support of the NHEP grant award. Hours of letter writing and personal contact with landowners by the volunteers of the Land Protection Group have raised awareness of the …

Cains Brook And Mill Creek Watershed Management Plan, Town Of Seabrook, Waterfront Engineers, Inc.

PREP Reports & Publications

Cains Brook is a freshwater stream that flows in an easterly direction from its origin—a spring fed pond about one mile west of I-95 on the Salisbury, Massachusetts/Seabrook, New Hampshire border. At its lower reaches the brook is joined by Shepard Brook where it becomes Mill Creek, a tidal creek that discharges into the Hampton-Seabrook estuary. Along its course there are several ponds on either side of US Route 1—Secords, Cains and Mary’s Ponds to the west of Route 1 and Cains Mill Pond and Noyes Pond to the east. This stream system is approximately 3.8 miles long. The Cains …

Land Conservation Plan For New Hampshire’S Coastal Watersheds – Implementation & Outreach, Mark Zankel

PREP Reports & Publications

The Nature Conservancy was awarded funding to complete activities to promote the Land Conservation Plan for New Hampshire’s Coastal Watersheds in the fall of 2006. The Nature Conservancy and its partners, Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests, Rockingham Planning Commission, and Strafford Regional Planning Commission, conducted the following tasks to increase understanding and use of the plan by communities, land trusts and others interested in land protection.

Determination Of Hydro-Morphological Effects Of The Rappahannock Shoal Channel On The District Of Columbia Nutrient Allocation Under The Chesapeake Bay Agreement, Harry V. Wang

Reports

No abstract provided.

Identifying Economic Indicators For Ecosystem-Based Management:, Scott Norris

Publications

In America and across the world, the use of ecosystem-based management is

increasing. One of the primary challenges faced in using this method of management is the integration of economic data and environmental information. This report explores the use of a new tool for integrating economic data, ecosystem-based economic indicators, in a case study of Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve, an estuarine environment located in Monterey County, CA. Research and literature reviews were used to detail the economic activities of the area, in order to identify possible indicators,criteria for evaluating the indicators, and potential sources of indicator data. After …

Linking Bioturbation And Sensory Biology: Chemoreception Mechanisms In Deposit-Feeding Polychaetes, Sara M. Lindsay, Paul Rawson

University of Maine Office of Research Administration: Grant Reports

Soft-sediment benthic habitats are ubiquitous in the marine environment and typically feature macrofaunal assemblages that include large numbers of deposit-feeding invertebrates such as polychaetes, bivalves, gastropods, crustaceans, holothurians, and hemichordates. Via their feeding, modulated in part by chemoreception, these organisms have profound effects on the ecology, biology, geology, and chemistry of their habitats. Very little is known, however, concerning the physiology and molecular biology of chemoreception in deposit feeders.

This research is a comprehensive investigation of the sensory mechanisms coordinating chemoreception in deposit feeding spionid polychaetes. It directly addresses this lack of information and will therefore have a significant impact …

On The Use Of Modis Evi To Assess Gross Primary Productivity Of North American Ecosystems, Daniel A. Sims, Abdullah Rahman, Vicente D. Cordova, Bassil Z. El-Masri, Dennis D. Baldocchi, Lawrence B. Flanagan, Allen H. Goldstein, David Y. Hollinger, Laurent Misson, Russell K. Monson, Walter C. Oechel, Hans P. Schmid, Steven C. Wofsy, Liukang Xu

School of Earth, Environmental, and Marine Sciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

[1] Carbon flux models based on light use efficiency (LUE), such as the MOD17 algorithm, have proved difficult to parameterize because of uncertainties in the LUE term, which is usually estimated from meteorological variables available only at large spatial scales. In search of simpler models based entirely on remote‐sensing data, we examined direct relationships between the enhanced vegetation index (EVI) and gross primary productivity (GPP) measured at nine eddy covariance flux tower sites across North America. When data from the winter period of inactive photosynthesis were excluded, the overall relationship between EVI and tower GPP was better than that between …

Responses To Salinity Of Color Polymorphs In Two Populations Of The Sea Star, Pisaster Achraceus, Viren Johann Perumal

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Pisaster ochraceus was analyzed to determine if varying salinities, animal color, or location affect the physiology of these sea stars. The three responses analyzed were aerobic respiration, ammonia excretion, and self-righting. The tested variables included two different color morphs (orange and purple) of P. ochraceus, two different locations (open coast and inland straits) in Washington State, and three salinities (22, 30, and 40 psu).

Wet mass-specific oxygen consumption rates were not significantly affected by color, location, or salinity, and Dry mass-specific oxygen consumption rates showed no significant differences for main effects, but a three-way interaction was identified. Similarly, ammonia …

2005 Coastal Illicit Connection Identification And Elimination Grant Project, Jeffrey Marcoux

PREP Reports & Publications

The New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services (DES) received funds in 2005 from the New Hampshire Estuaries Project (NHEP) to administer grants to coastal municipalities to eliminate illicit discharges into their storm drainage systems. This final report describes the projects that were funded under this grant. Projects in Rye and Somersworth involved eliminating sewage discharges into storm drainage systems from houses. A project in Portsmouth involved developing a standard operating procedure manual and recommendations for future training for illicit discharge detection and elimination (IDDE). The removal of illicit discharges in Rye and Somersworth helped improve water quality in the coastal …

A Review Of Polylekithum Arnold, 1934 And Its Familial Affinities Using Morphological And Molecular Data, With Description Of Polylekithum Catahoulensis Sp Nov., Stephen S. Curran, Vasyl V. Tkach, Robin M. Overstreet

Faculty Publications

The type material of Polylekithum ictaluri, P. halli, and Maculifer chandleri was examined from the United States National Parasite Museum, and we determined that the material was conspecific, making P. halli and M. chandleri junior subjective synonyms of P. ictaluri. Polylekithum catahoulensis sp. nov. was described from material collected from catfishes at the Catahoula Wildlife Refuge, LaSalle Parish, Louisiana, USA, and compared with P. ictaluri collected from catfishes in Reelfoot Lake, Obion County, Tennessee, USA, and the Pearl River, Hancock County, Mississippi, USA. Polylekithum catahoulensis had smaller eggs (77–88 μm long by 51–63 μm wide vs. 94–108 μm by …

Marine Pelagic Ecosystems: The West Antarctic Peninsula, Hugh Ducklow, Karen Baker, Douglas G. Martinson, Langdon B. Quetin, Robin M. Ross, Raymond C. Smith, Sharon E. Stammerjohn, Maria Vernet, William R. Fraser

VIMS Articles

The marine ecosystem of the West Antarctic Peninsula (WAP) extends from the Bellingshausen Sea to the northern tip of the peninsula and from the mostly glaciated coast across the continental shelf to the shelf break in the west. The glacially sculpted coastline along the peninsula is highly convoluted and characterized by deep embayments that are often interconnected by channels that facilitate transport of heat and nutrients into the shelf domain. The ecosystem is divided into three subregions, the continental slope, shelf and coastal regions, each with unique ocean dynamics, water mass and biological distributions. The WAP shelf lies within the …

Evaluation Of Striped Bass Stocks In Virginia: Monitoring And Tagging Studies, 2004-2008, 1 September 2005 - 31 August 2006, Philip W. Sadler, John M. Hoenig, Robert E. Harris

Reports

This report presents the results of striped bass (Morone saxatilis) tagging and monitoring activities in Virginia during the period 1 September 2005 through 31 August 2006. It includes an assessment of the biological characteristics of striped bass taken from the 2006 spring spawning run, estimates of annual survival and fishing mortality based on annual spring tagging, and the preliminary results of the fall 2005 study that documents the prevalence of mycobacterial infections of striped bass in Chesapeake Bay. The information contained in this report is required by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission and is used to implement a coordinated …

Coral-Based Climate Variability In The Western Pacific Warm Pool Since 1867, Terrence M. Quinn, Frederick W. Taylor, Thomas J. Crowley

Marine Science Faculty Publications

We have generated monthly resolved, stable isotope (δ¹⁸O and δ¹³C) and Sr/Ca time series from a massive Porites coral from Rabaul (4°S, 152°E): a site located in the warmest sector of the Western Pacific Warm Pool (WPWP). The coral δ¹⁸O and Sr/Ca time series are well correlated to each other and positive excursions in both records coincide with times of ENSO warm phase events. These time series contain abundant interannual variability that exhibits the well‐recognized pattern of low amplitude ENSO variation between ∼1920–1960 and high amplitude ENSO variation between 1880–1920 and 1960–1997. The …

Red Tides In The Gulf Of Mexico: Where, When, And Why?, J. J. Walsh, J. K. Jolliff, B. P. Darrow, J. M. Lenes, S.P. Milroy, A. Remsen, D.A. Dieterle, K.L. Carder, F.R. Chen, F.R. Chen, G.A. Vargo, R.H. Weisberg, K.A. Fanning, F.E. Muller-Karger, E. Shinn, K.A. Steidinger, C.A. Heil, C.R. Tomas, J.S. Prospero, T.N. Lee, G.J. Kirkpatrick, T.E. Whitledge, D.A. Stockwell, T.A. Villareal, A.E. Jochens, P.S. Bontempi

Faculty Publications

Independent data from the Gulf of Mexico are used to develop and test the hypothesis that the same sequence of physical and ecological events each year allows the toxic dinoflagellate Karenia brevis to become dominant. A phosphorus-rich nutrient supply initiates phytoplankton succession, once deposition events of Saharan iron-rich dust allow Trichodesmium blooms to utilize ubiquitous dissolved nitrogen gas within otherwise nitrogen-poor sea water. They and the co-occurring K. brevis are positioned within the bottom Ekman layers, as a consequence of their similar diel vertical migration patterns on the middle shelf. Upon onshore upwelling of these near-bottom seed populations to CDOM-rich …

Validity, Identification, And Distribution Of The Roundscale Spearfish, Tetrapturus Georgii (Teleostei: Istiophoridae): Morphological And Molecular Evidence, Mahmood S. Shivji, Jennifer E. Magnussen, Lawrence R. Beerkircher, George Hinteregger, Dennis W. Lee, Joseph E. Serafy, Eric D. Prince

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles

The roundscale spearfish, Tetrapturus georgii Lowe, 1840, is known only from four specimens from the Mediterranean and eastern North Atlantic. Additional specimens have not been identified since 1961, making the validity and distribution of this species unclear. Analysis of 16 billfish specimens from the western North Atlantic on the basis of scale morphology, anus position, and mitochondrial DNA confirms the validity of this species and extends its distribution. Mid-lateral scales are soft, notably rounded anteriorly, and bear 2–3 points distinct from those of the sympatric longbill spearfish (Tetrapturus pfluegeri Robins and de Sylva, 1963) and white marlin (Tetrapturus …

Red Tides In The Gulf Of Mexico: Where, When, And Why?, John J. Walsh, J. K. Jolliff, B. P. Darrow, J. M. Lenes, S. P. Milroy, A. Remsen, D. A. Dieterle, Kendall L. Carder, F. R. Chen, Gabriel A. Vargo, Robert H. Weisberg, Kent A. Fanning, Eugene Shinn, K. A. Steidinger, Cynthia A. Heil, C. R. Tomas, J. S. Prospero, T. N. Lee, G. J. Kirkpatrick, T. E. Whitledge, D. A. Stockwell, T. A. Villareal, A. E. Jochens, P. S. Bontempi, Frank E. Muller-Karger

Marine Science Faculty Publications

Independent data from the Gulf of Mexico are used to develop and test the hypothesis that the same sequence of physical and ecological events each year allows the toxic dinoflagellate Karenia brevis to become dominant. A phosphorus‐rich nutrient supply initiates phytoplankton succession, once deposition events of Saharan iron‐rich dust allow Trichodesmium blooms to utilize ubiquitous dissolved nitrogen gas within otherwise nitrogen‐poor sea water. They and the co‐occurring K. brevis are positioned within the bottom Ekman layers, as a consequence of their similar diel vertical migration patterns on the middle shelf. Upon onshore upwelling of these near‐bottom seed populations to CDOM‐rich …

Genetic Analysis Of White Marlin (Tetrapturus Albidus) Stock Structure, John Graves, Jan Mcdowell

VIMS Articles

The genetic basis of stock structure of white marlin (Tetrapturus albidus Poey, 1860) was inferred from analyses of five tetranucleotide repeat microsatellite loci (n = 214) and the mitochondrial (mt)DNA control region (n = 99) of white marlin from four geographic regions in the Atlantic Ocean. Considerable genetic variation was present in all collections for all molecular markers. Analysis of replicate collections taken in different years from three regions revealed no significant differences in the distribution of allele frequencies among years within regions. The value of global F-statistics for both multilocus microsatellite data and mtDNA control region sequences approached significance …

Microbial Abundance, Composition And Enzymatic Activity During Decomposition Of Copepod Carcasses, Kw Tang, Kml Hutalle, Et Al

VIMS Articles

Literature suggests that zooplankton carcasses are prevalent at times in both freshwater and marine environments, and could be important substrate sources for water column microbes (Dubovskaya et al. 2003, Hydrobiologia 504:223-227; Tang et al. 2006b, Estuar Coast Shelf Sci 68:499-508). We conducted laboratory experiments to investigate the decomposition of copepod carcasses by ambient microbes from Lake Dagow, Germany. Bacteria rapidly colonized and decomposed the carcasses, mainly from the inside. The ambient bacterial abundance increased 2-fold or more at the peak of decomposition, but decreased afterward, presumably due to protozoan grazing. Initial increase in ambient bacteria was faster at 20 degrees …

Guidelines And Standard Operating Procedures For Idde And Pollution Prevention/Good Housekeeping, Kristie Rabasca, Christine Rinehart

PREP Reports & Publications

In April 2003, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) issued a National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) General Permit for Stormwater Discharges from Small Municipal Separate Storm Sewer Systems (MS4s). A total of 45 New Hampshire communities (six fully regulated and 39 partially regulated) became subject to Stormwater Phase II regulations based on their designation as Urbanized Areas according to the 2000 US Census.

Town Of Newfields Wetland Evaluation Report, West Environmental Inc.

PREP Reports & Publications

West Environmental, Inc. (WEI) has prepared this report to document the evaluation of 45 wetlands within the Town of Newfields, New Hampshire. These wetlands were previously identified in the Newfields Wetland Mapping Report (February 2006), also prepared by WEI. The field work for this evaluation was conducted from May to October 2006 and included the verification of potential prime wetland boundaries.

The purpose of this wetland evaluation was to gain a better understanding of the wetland resources within the Town of Newfields and to identify wetlands that qualify for Prime Wetland Designation. Each wetland was analyzed to determine its relative …

Effects Of Long-Term Hypoxia On Enzymes Of Carbohydrate Metabolism In The Gulf Killifish, Fundulus Grandis, Mery L. Mártinez, Christie Landry, Ryan Boehm, Steve Manning, Bernard B. Rees

Faculty Publications

The goal of the current study was to generate a comprehensive, multi-tissue perspective of the effects of chronic hypoxic exposure on carbohydrate metabolism in the Gulf killifish Fundulus grandis. Fish were held at approximately 1.3 mg l(-1) dissolved oxygen (similar to 3.6 kPa) for 4 weeks, after which maximal activities were measured for all glycolytic enzymes in four tissues (white skeletal muscle, liver, heart and brain), as well as for enzymes of glycogen metabolism (in muscle and liver) and gluconeogenesis (in liver). The specific activities of enzymes of glycolysis and glycogen metabolism were strongly suppressed by hypoxia in white skeletal …

The Lobster Bulletin, Fall 2006, Lobster Institute, University Of Maine

Lobster Bulletin

The Lobster Bulletin newsletter includes research updates, and information on lobsters and the lobster industry. The Lobster Institute at the University of Maine is dedicated to protecting and conserving the lobster resource, and enhancing lobstering as an industry and a way of life.

Headlines in the Fall 2006 issue include:

• Lobster Institute C.O.R.E. Campaign Receives $100,000 Riverdale Challenge
• Maine Aquatic Animal Health Laboratory to be Outfitted with State-of-the Art Equipment
• A Region-Wide Organization
• Research Report: Equipping the Maine Aquatic Animal Health Laboratory
• Research Report: Immunology Response of Lobster Hemolymph
• Research Report: The New England Lobster Research Initiative Announces 2006 Grant …

A Decade Of Changes For Virginia Freshwater Aquaculture (1993-2003), Scott H. Newton

Virginia Journal of Science

Aquaculture surveys were designed and initiated along with the writing of the State Aquaculture Plan during 1993 to 1995. The first Virginia Aquaculture Survey, conducted for the production year 1993, established the status of both freshwater and marine commercial industries. Subsequent surveys were conducted to trace industry developments relevant to production aspects and economic impacts. Survey data from Virginia Agricultural Statistics Service Reports for 1993, 1995, 1997, and 2003 summarize a decade of Virginia freshwater aquaculture information. Significant changes in sales among the principal aquaculture species occurred over the 10-year period. The 1993 freshwater aquaculture value of $2.8 million increased …

Fall 2006, Nsu Oceanographic Center

Currents

No abstract provided.

Detection Of Panulirus Argus Virus 1 (Pav1) In The Caribbean Spiny Lobster Using Fluorescence In Situ Hybridization (Fish), Caiwen Li, Jeffrey D. Shields, Hamish J. Small, Kimberly S. Reece, Carmony L. Hartwig, Roland A. Cooper, Robert E. Ratzlaff

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Panulirus argus Virus 1 (PaV1) is the first virus known to be pathogenic to a wild lobster. It infects the Caribbean spiny lobster P. argus from the Florida Keys, and has a predilection for juveniles. The monitoring of the virus in wild populations and study of its behavior in the laboratory require the development of reliable diagnostic tools. A sensitive and specific fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) assay was developed for detection of PaV1. The lower detection limit using a 110 bp DNA probe in a dot-blot hybridization for PaV1 DNA was 10 pg of cloned template PaV1 DNA and …

Phylogeny Of Recent Billfishes (Xiphioidei), Bb Collette, Jan Mcdowell, John Graves

VIMS Articles

Billfishes are genetically and morphologically distinct enough from scombroids to merit placement in a separate suborder, Xiphioidei. Two extant families are usually recognized: Xiphiidae (swordfish, Xiphias) and Istiophoridae, currently containing three genera, Istiophorus (sailfishes), Makaira (marlins), and Tetrapturus (spearfishes, white, and striped marlins). Phylogenetic analyses of molecular data from mitochondrial and nuclear gene sequences (mitochondrial control region, ND2, 12S, and nuclear MN 32 regions) show a different picture of relationships. Makaira is not monophyletic: blue marlin cluster with sailfish and placement of black marlin is unstable. Accepting the molecular phylogeny gives two possible classifications: (1) two genera: blue marlin + …