Life Sciences Commons^™

Ecological And Educational Impacts Of A Living Shoreline On St. Simons Island, Georgia, Usa, C. Tate Holbrook, Cameron Atkinson, Jordan Fountain, Stephanie Knox, Jan Mackinnon

Georgia Journal of Science

Living shorelines encompass a range of nature-based alternatives to traditional coastal armoring structures. In addition to shoreline stabilization and protection, living shorelines are intended to meet conservation goals such as restoring habitat, delivering ecosystem services, and promoting ecological resilience to climate change. While early results have been promising, further monitoring is needed to better understand and evaluate the performance of living shorelines across a range of designs and environmental contexts, thereby informing coastal management. Nature-based shoreline protection is relatively new in Georgia, USA, where in 2015 the state’s fourth living shoreline was constructed of oyster shell and native plants on …

Mitigation Of Negative Effects Of Ocean Change On Oysters By Eelgrass And Its Implications For Aquaculture In Midcoast Maine, Fiona G. Ralph

Honors Projects

Species interactions are important to organisms and to the ecosystems they inhabit. These interactions, sometimes facilitations, can result in increased resiliency for both species. When facilitation occurs, organisms co-assist with physiological and environmental stressors. As anthropogenic impacts become more stressful for modern organisms, these interactions could offer a solution for many species. Ocean acidification has been shown to be detrimental to many calcifying organisms including oysters. More acidic conditions can slow the process of shell calcification, which can slow growth rates. This effect could directly impact the robust oyster farming business in Midcoast Maine. Because of its possible importance to …

Final Report Floating Upwelling System Harvest Road Oceans, Robert Michael, Scott Bennett

Fisheries occasional publications

A Floating Upwelling System or FLUPSY is a mechanical system for the culture of seed stock during the nursery stage of commercial bivalve production.

Vignette 04: Olympia Oysters, Jodie Toft, Betsy Peabody

Institute Publications

Olympia oysters (Ostrea lurida) are our only native oyster species here in the Salish Sea. Olympia oysters once covered an estimated 13-26% of the intertidal area in Puget Sound, mostly near the heads of inlets. A combination of overharvest, pollution, and habitat loss reduced the current population to less than 4% of historic numbers, though sparse numbers of Olympia oysters can still be found throughout most of their historic distribution. Looking to the future, as our region’s marine waters experience effects of climate change and ocean acidification (OA), native species such as the Olympia oyster may prove to …

Natural Variation And Evolutionary Responses To Climate Change Stressors In Marine Invertebrates, Joanna Sarah Griffiths

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Our rapidly changing climate is putting many species at risk of extinction and there is an urgent need to understand how species will respond to these changes. In this dissertation, I evaluate how three species of marine invertebrates (corals, oysters, and copepods) respond to stressful conditions in their current environments and how plasticity and evolutionary adaptation could alter their response to future climate change stressors. I first employed a space for time study to elucidate population differences in the response of cold-water corals, Balanophyllia elegans, to future ocean acidification. I found evidence that upwelling history (natural low pH exposure) influences …

Assessment Of Quantity And Quality Of Microplastics In The Sediments, Waters, Oysters, And Selected Fish Species In Key Sites Along The Bombong Estuary And The Coastal Waters Of Ticalan In San Juan, Batangas, Emilyn Q. Espiritu, Sophia Angeli Sn Dayrit, Annabel Soledad O. Coronel, Natasha Sophia C. Paz, Pilar Isabel L. Ronquillo, Virgil Christian G. Castillo, Erwin P. Enriquez

Chemistry Faculty Publications

Microplastics (or MPs; < 5 mm in size) pollution is largely unstudied in the Philippines. From an environmental sustainability standpoint, it is important to understand the characteristics, abundance, and environmental fate of plastic debris of various sizes, and these include microplastics that are not more easily and readily detected. In this study, we assessed the extent of microplastics contamination in the sediments, waters, oysters, and selected fishes found in the rivers and coastal areas of Ticalan, Batangas, which were identified from water quality parameters as Class C and CS, respectively. The microplastics were extracted from these samples by chemical digestion of the matrix, series of filtration, and separation by flotation through a density gradient to finally isolate the microplastics which were not dissolved by chemical digestion. The isolated samples were imaged by optical microscopy and characterized based on their descriptive attributes. The results showed the presence of microplastics in all the samples tested, which were found mostly in the form of filaments, fragments, films, and pellets – with most showing weathered, degraded, or angular and irregular surfaces. Identification was done through spectral matching of the Fourier transform infrared spectra of isolated fragments with that of known plastics, although identification in some cases is made uncertain by possibility of degradation of the plastics in the environment. The majority of the isolates showed signature absorption bands of the C-H stretching vibrations of polyethylene-based plastics.

Sublethal Effects Of Crude Oil And Chemical Dispersant On The Eastern Oyster (Crassostrea Virginica) At Multiple Life History Stages, Sara Marie Garcia

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Oil spills in the marine environment can threaten vulnerable ecosystems that support ecologically and economically significant organisms, such as the eastern oyster (Crassostrea virginica), in coastal habitats. The use of chemical dispersant (Corexit 9500) was applied as a cleanup effort in response to the Deepwater Horizon blowout to minimize crude oil slicks, but also resulted in increased concentrations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in the water column. The effects of increased soluble fractions of crude oil and dispersant components may be harmful to marine organisms. This study aimed to investigate possible sublethal impacts to the eastern oyster at multiple life history …

Investigating The Quantity And Types Of Microplastics In The Organic Tissue Of Oysters And Crabs In The Indian River Lagoon, Heidi Waite

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Microplastics are widespread and abundant. Few studies have examined the diversity and abundance of microplastics in wild organisms. This study determined the microplastic quantity and types in the organic tissues of the eastern oyster Crassostrea virginica and Atlantic mud crab Panopeus herbstii from the Indian River Lagoon (IRL). This study also investigated whether location affected the microplastic abundance and variety. Organisms were collected from three sites across Mosquito Lagoon in the northern IRL. Oysters were frozen after collection. Crabs were placed in containers for 5 days before freezing. The soft organic tissue was chemically digested using hydrogen peroxide, filtered, …

Quantifying Finfish And Blue Crab Use Of Created Oyster Reefs In The Lower Chesapeake Bay, Bruce W. Pfirrmann, Rochelle D. Seitz

Presentations

Structurally complex reefs created by the eastern oyster Crassostrea virginica provide a host of ecosystem services yet have experienced significant declines, prompting extensive restoration efforts. We investigate the use of created oyster reefs in the lower Bay by mobile finfish and blue crabs with field surveys and diet analysis. The results of this study provide insight into how restoration activities influence estuarine community dynamics and the provision of ecosystem services.

The Relationship Between Reproduction And Mortality In Triploid Crassostrea Virginica: A Matter Of Economic Importance, Joseph L. Matt, Standish K. Allen

Presentations

The goal of this project is to maximize survival for commercially produced triploid Crassostrea virginica oysters in Virginia. Over the last few years, commercial oyster growers in Virginia have reported significant mortality events of triploid oysters during the spring and summer months. The summer of 2014 was the worst yet, as growers across the state reported summer mortality, most severe on the Eastern shore and in some cases as high as 85% of the crop (Karen Hudson, personal communication). Surviving oysters from some of these mortality events were sent to the Virginia Institute of Marine Science and several of the …

Genetic Variation In Potentially Virulent Vibrio Parahaemolyticus From The Northern Gulf Of Mexico, Nicholas Felix Noriea Iii

Dissertations

Vibrio parahaemolyticus (V_p) is a gram-negative bacterium found naturally in marine and estuarine environments. V_p is found in oysters including those which are later consumed by the public. Sub-populations of potentially virulent Vp contain specific virulence factors and are relevant human pathogens capable of causing gastroenteritis, wound infection, and death. The tdh and trh genes, both encoding hemolysins, have been correlated with the majority of clinical V_p isolates but have not been shown to be the definitive virulence factors.

A total of 146 V_p isolates from the northern Gulf of Mexico were collected and probed …

Effects Of Resident Species On Recruitment Into A Community: Larval Settlement Versus Post-Settlement Mortality In The Oyster Crassostrea Virginica, Roman Zajac, Richard W. Osman, Robert B. Whitlatch

Biology and Environmental Science Faculty Publications

Laboratory and field experiments revealed that a variety of species of common, sessile invertebrates, including barnacles, ascidians, and bryozoans, affected the settlement and post-settlement abundance of the oyster Crassostrea virginica (Gmelin). While the nature of the effects varied, most species both reduced oyster settlement by covering and removing substrate available for attachment, and increased settlement on adjacent surfaces. The solitary ascidians Ciona intestinalis (L.) and Styela clava (Herdman), were found to be predators of oyster larvae. Post-settlement survivorship and growth were also strongly affected by the presence of sessile species. In most cases the effects were negative and correlated with …

Perkinsus Marinus = Dermocystidium Marinum ("Dermo") In Virginia, 1950-1980 : A Record Of Fluid Thioglycollate Tests For Dermo In Oysters From Public And Private Oyster Beds, And From Trays Of Disease-Free Oysters Transplanted To Areas Where Msx And Dermo Are Endemic, Jay D. Andrews

Reports

No abstract provided.