Biodiversity Commons^™

Distribution And Condition Of Stony Corals In The Veracruz Reef System National Park: A Management Perspective, Mauricio López Padierna

HCNSO Student Theses and Dissertations

The Veracruz Reef System (VRS) is located in the southwestern Gulf of Mexico. It is comprised of 28 coral reefs in various stages of development and conservation. They are protected under the Parque Nacional Sistema Arrecifal Veracruzano National Park created in 1992. There are many threats to the reefs of the VRS, including the Port and city of Veracruz, which hosts half a million inhabitants and Mexico’s oldest active port. The inhabitants of Veracruz have used reef resources for thousands of years, as evidenced in archaeological sites on Sacrificios island, and constructions throughout the city, most notably in the San …

Hotspots, Extinction Risk And Conservation Priorities Of Greater Caribbean And Gulf Of Mexico Marine Bony Shorefishes, Christi Linardich

Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations

Understanding the status of species is important for allocation of resources to redress biodiversity loss. Regional organizations tasked with managing threats to the 1,360 marine bony shorefishes of the Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico would benefit from a delineation of conservation priorities. However, prior to this study, conservation status was known for only one quarter of these shorefishes. Extinction risk assessment under IUCN Red List Criteria is a widely-used, objective method to communicate species-specific conservation needs. Data were collated on each species’ distribution, population, habitats and threats and experts at three Red List workshops assigned a global level extinction risk …

Macrobenthic Communities In The Northern Gulf Of Mexico Hypoxic Zone: Testing The Pearson-Rosenberg Model, Shivakumar Shivarudrappa

Dissertations

The Pearson and Rosenberg (P-R) conceptual model of macrobenthic succession was used to assess the impact of hypoxia (dissolved oxygen [DO] ≤ 2 mg/L) on the macrobenthic community on the continental shelf of northern Gulf of Mexico for the first time. The model uses a stress-response relationship between environmental parameters and the macrobenthic community to determine the ecological condition of the benthic habitat. The ecological significance of dissolved oxygen in a benthic habitat is well understood. In addition, the annual recurrence of bottom-water hypoxia on the Louisiana/Texas shelf during summer months is well documented.

The P-R model illustrates the decreasing …