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Theses/Dissertations

University of Massachusetts Amherst

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Thermal Ecophysiology Of Juvenile Anadromous River Herring, Lian W. Guo Feb 2022

Thermal Ecophysiology Of Juvenile Anadromous River Herring, Lian W. Guo

Doctoral Dissertations

Temperature controls the rate of all biochemical processes, and thus can significantly influence the physiology and ecology of all living organisms on earth. Understanding how temperature influences fitness can therefore provide insight into mechanisms affecting population size, dynamics, and geographic distributions, especially in the context of climate change. Early life stages of fishes experience significant selective pressure to grow large and accumulate energy reserves in order to avoid predation and starvation. Increasing temperatures will increase routine metabolic rates, which may result in less energy being available for growth and energy storage. In this thesis, I examine the effects of temperature, …


In-Vitro Propagation And Fish Assessments To Inform Restoration Of Dwarf Wedgemussel (Alasmidonta Heterodon), Jennifer Ryan Dec 2020

In-Vitro Propagation And Fish Assessments To Inform Restoration Of Dwarf Wedgemussel (Alasmidonta Heterodon), Jennifer Ryan

Masters Theses

The dwarf wedgemussel (Alasmidonta heterodon) is a federally endangered freshwater mussel that once ranged from New Brunswick to North Carolina, but now only exists in isolated populations throughout its diminished range. Laboratory propagation in conjunction with augmentation or reintroduction is considered a critical component of dwarf wedgemussel restoration. My thesis aimed to I) develop in-vitro propagation techniques including methods to minimize microbial contamination for two Alasmidonta species and II) compile and assess critical fish assemblage information at existing dwarf wedgemussel presence and absence locations to inform future restoration activities. For the first objective (Chapter 2) I assessed three …


New England’S Underutilized Seafood Species: Defining And Exploring Marketplace Potential In A Changing Climate, Amanda Davis Dec 2020

New England’S Underutilized Seafood Species: Defining And Exploring Marketplace Potential In A Changing Climate, Amanda Davis

Masters Theses

New England’s seafood industry has been searching for opportunities to diversify their landings and build resilience as it faces socio-economic challenges from a changing climate. Developing markets for underutilized species is one way the New England community could help their seafood industry build resilience. This thesis identified New England’s underutilized fish species and explored their marketplace potential by examining their availability in a changing climate, current availability to consumers, and consumers’ responses. In Chapter I, I account how New England’s seafood preferences have changed over time. In Chapter II, I identify New England’s seven underutilized seafood species: 1) Acadian redfish …


Improving Growth And Survival Of Cultured Yellow Lampmussel (Lampsilis Cariosa) For Restoring Populations, Virginia Martell Feb 2020

Improving Growth And Survival Of Cultured Yellow Lampmussel (Lampsilis Cariosa) For Restoring Populations, Virginia Martell

Masters Theses

In North America 72% of freshwater mussel species are endangered, threatened, or of special concern due to factors such as habitat loss and degradation, biological invasion, and land use change. Propagation of freshwater mussels has been considered a necessary conservation strategy for population restoration where threats have been mitigated but small population sizes limit population viability. Yellow lampmussel is a species of freshwater mussel that is endangered, threatened, or imperiled throughout its range; therefore, I evaluated laboratory techniques (probiotic supplements and secondary rearing designs) to improve culture of yellow lampmussel for population restoration. Several aquaculture facilities commonly use probiotics; thus, …


Temporal And Spatial Management Tools For Marine Ecosystems: Case Studies From Northern Brazil And Northeastern United States, Beatriz Dos Santos Dias Oct 2019

Temporal And Spatial Management Tools For Marine Ecosystems: Case Studies From Northern Brazil And Northeastern United States, Beatriz Dos Santos Dias

Doctoral Dissertations

Anthropogenic interventions and actions upon the marine habitat pose threats to a range of species of economic and conservation concern. The dynamic nature of marine ecosystems offers a difficult challenge to incorporate spatial and temporal distributions of different species, and the interactions among species and human activities into a formal management framework. Each country has its own priorities when it comes to management of the marine resources (e.g. conservation, food security, sustainable fisheries, and optimization of revenue). Therefore, a key hurdle is to create tools adequate for use within an Ecosystem Approach to Management (EAM) and Ecosystem-based Management (EBM) framework, …


Regional Recruitment Dynamics And Seasonal Ecology Of Juvenile Bluefish (Pomatomus Saltatrix), David G. Stormer Nov 2016

Regional Recruitment Dynamics And Seasonal Ecology Of Juvenile Bluefish (Pomatomus Saltatrix), David G. Stormer

Doctoral Dissertations

Recruitment in fishes, defined as the survival of a cohort through the first year of life, can be highly variable and affected by small changes in biological and physical factors. Much of the historical focus into the sources of recruitment variability has concentrated on the larval stage, but recent attention has shifted to the relatively longer juvenile period. Spawning behavior that results in the production of multiple cohorts over time and space within a year-class may dampen recruitment variability by decreasing natural mortality risk. The bluefish (Pomatomus saltatrix) is a migratory marine species that produces multiple cohorts of …


Ecological Consequences Of Lost Anadromous Forage Fish In Freshwater Ecosystems, Steven R. Mattocks Nov 2016

Ecological Consequences Of Lost Anadromous Forage Fish In Freshwater Ecosystems, Steven R. Mattocks

Masters Theses

Beginning in the early 1600s, dam construction in New England obstructed anadromous fish access to spawning grounds during migration. As a result, anadromous forage fish populations have declined, which has impacted freshwater, marine, and terrestrial ecosystems. To determine the impacts of dams on anadromous forage fish and freshwater ecosystems, I used historical and current data to estimate population changes in alewives (Alosa pseudoharengus) from 1600-1900. A significant reduction in spawning habitat occurred in New England as a result of 1,642 dams constructed between 1600 and 1900, resulting in 14.8% and 16.6% lake and stream habitat remaining by 1900, …


River Herring Conservation In Freshwater: Investigating Fish Reproductive Success And The Educational Value Of Citizen Monitoring Programs, Meghna Marjadi Nov 2016

River Herring Conservation In Freshwater: Investigating Fish Reproductive Success And The Educational Value Of Citizen Monitoring Programs, Meghna Marjadi

Masters Theses

Over the last century anadromous alewife (Alosa psuedoharengus) and blueback herring (Alosa aestivalis), collectively called river herring, suffered drastic declines throughout their range from Newfoundland (Canada) to North Carolina (USA). A 2011 petition to include river herring in the Endangered Species Act (ESA) was rejected, partly due to inadequate information towards identifying coast-wide population status. Additionally, knowledge gaps were identified with basic ecology of the river herring life cycle in freshwater, including species reproductive strategies. In Chapter 2, I investigated how body size, spawning arrival time, and sex influence river herring reproductive success. I collaborated with …


Population Genetic Analysis Of Atlantic Horseshoe Crabs (Limulus Polyphemus) In Coastal Massachusetts., Katherine T. Johnson Mar 2016

Population Genetic Analysis Of Atlantic Horseshoe Crabs (Limulus Polyphemus) In Coastal Massachusetts., Katherine T. Johnson

Masters Theses

Atlantic horseshoe crabs (Limulus polyphemus) have endured decades of intense harvest pressure. Genetics studies have shown evidence of distinct sub-groups spanning the coast, although few fine-scale studies have been done to delineate these groups on a local level. Massachusetts lies directly between two of these sub-groups. With documented differences in prosomal widths of horseshoe crabs from either side of Cape Cod, it is possible that Cape Cod is a barrier to gene flow and that there are two distinct genetic groups within Massachusetts. Regulations currently consider all horseshoe crabs to be of one stock. I examined 6 microsatellite …


Ecology And Conservation Of The Montane Forest Avian Community In Northeastern North America, William V. Deluca Feb 2013

Ecology And Conservation Of The Montane Forest Avian Community In Northeastern North America, William V. Deluca

Open Access Dissertations

Montane forests provide habitat for unique assemblages of flora and fauna that contribute significantly to a region’s biodiversity. Previous work indicates that montane forest ecosystems are exceedingly vulnerable to a host of anthropogenic stressors including climate change, atmospheric deposition, and recreation, to name a few. Montane forests and other high elevation ecosystems are considered to be among the first and most severely impacted by climate change. It is therefore, imperative to evaluate anthropogenic impacts on montane ecosystems and maintain reliable monitoring methods that are capable of tracking potential shifts in the distribution of species dependent on these systems. I surveyed …


Distributions Of Large Mammal Assemblages In Thailand With A Focus On Dhole (Cuon Alpinus) Conservation, Kate Elizabeth Jenks May 2012

Distributions Of Large Mammal Assemblages In Thailand With A Focus On Dhole (Cuon Alpinus) Conservation, Kate Elizabeth Jenks

Open Access Dissertations

Biodiversity monitoring and predictions of species occurrence are essential to develop outcome-oriented conservation management plans for endangered species and assess their success over time. To assess distribution and patterns of habitat use of large mammal assemblages in Thailand, with a focus on the endangered dhole (Cuon alpinus), I first implemented a long-term camera-trapping project carried out with park rangers from October 2003 through October 2007 in Khao Yai National Park. This project was extremely successful and may serve as a regional model for wildlife conservation. I found significantly lower relative abundance indices for carnivore species, and collectively for all mammals …


Avian Ecology And Conservation In Tropical Agricultural Landscapes With Emphasis On Vermivora Chrysoptera, Richard Brooks Chandler Feb 2011

Avian Ecology And Conservation In Tropical Agricultural Landscapes With Emphasis On Vermivora Chrysoptera, Richard Brooks Chandler

Open Access Dissertations

The world's biodiversity is concentrated in tropical ecosystems, yet tropical forests are being converted for agriculture at a rapid rate. I evaluated the potential of an alternative coffee production system known as Integrated Open Canopy (IOC) to contribute to avian conservation. This study was conducted from 2005-2010 in the Cordillera de Tilarán, Costa Rica. My results indicate that species richness of forest-dependent birds was higher in IOC farms than in shade coffee farms, and was comparable to secondary forest sites. There was no difference in species richness of Neotropical-Nearctic migrants between IOC and shade coffee farms. Overall similarity was higher …


Growth Of Atlantic Salmon (Salmo Salar) In Freshwater, Douglas Bradlee Sigourney Sep 2010

Growth Of Atlantic Salmon (Salmo Salar) In Freshwater, Douglas Bradlee Sigourney

Open Access Dissertations

Growth plays a key role in regulating ecological and population dynamics. Life history characteristics such as age at maturity, fecundity and age and size at migration are tightly linked to growth rate. In addition, size can often determine survival and individual breeding success. To fully understand the process of growth it is important to understand the mechanisms that drive growth rates. In Atlantic salmon, growth is critical in determining life history pathways. Models to estimate growth could be useful in the broader context of predicting population dynamics. In this dissertation I investigate the growth process in juvenile Atlantic salmon (Salmo …


Identifying Critical Fish Habitat And Long-Term Trends In Fish Abundances In The Hudson River Estuary, Megan Patricia O'Connor May 2010

Identifying Critical Fish Habitat And Long-Term Trends In Fish Abundances In The Hudson River Estuary, Megan Patricia O'Connor

Open Access Dissertations

The Hudson River estuary (HRE) is a well monitored aquatic resource and much secondary data exist for this system. We developed two objectives based on accessible HRE aquatic data. The first objective was to determine if changes in HRE fish community over the time period (1974 to 2005) years are correlated to local and regional climate. We addressed this objective by employing a multivariate statistical approach. We confirmed that the HRE fish community structure has changed over the time period (1974 to 2005). These changes are correlated with local hydrology (freshwater flow and water temperature) and regional climate (Atlantic Multidecadal …


Evaluation Of Disturbance Factors And Their Effect On Breeding Common Loons At Lake Umbagog National Wildlife Refuge, New Hampshire And Maine, Kyle P. Mccarthy Feb 2010

Evaluation Of Disturbance Factors And Their Effect On Breeding Common Loons At Lake Umbagog National Wildlife Refuge, New Hampshire And Maine, Kyle P. Mccarthy

Open Access Dissertations

Virtually any person exposed to American movies or television has likely heard the call of a common loon (Gavia immer). Its use as a sound prop has become ubiquitous in any scene related to the outdoors or the wilderness, even if the area filmed is in no way related to true loon habitat. The reason behind this is that the common loon and its haunting cries have come to symbolize the great outdoors. The sound of their call is meant to make the audience feel like the scene they are watching is in a remote area, far from the trappings …