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Articles 1 - 13 of 13
Full-Text Articles in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
Derelict Crab Pots In The Chesapeake Bay, Center For Coastal Resources Management, Virginia Institute Of Marine Science
Derelict Crab Pots In The Chesapeake Bay, Center For Coastal Resources Management, Virginia Institute Of Marine Science
Reports
Rivers & Coast is a periodic publication of the Center for Coastal Resources Management, Virginia Institute of Marine Science. The goal of Rivers & Coast is to keep readers well informed of current scientific understanding behind key environmental issues related to watershed rivers and coastal ecosystems of the Chesapeake Bay.
Integrated Shoreline Management Decision Tree For Untreated Shorelines, Center For Coastal Resources Management, Virginia Institute Of Marine Science
Integrated Shoreline Management Decision Tree For Untreated Shorelines, Center For Coastal Resources Management, Virginia Institute Of Marine Science
Reports
Rivers & Coast is a periodic publication of the Center for Coastal Resources Management, Virginia Institute of Marine Science. The goal of Rivers & Coast is to keep readers well informed of current scientific understanding behind key environmental issues related to watershed rivers and coastal ecosystems of the Chesapeake Bay.
Sponge Host Characteristics Shape The Community Structure Of Their Shrimp Associates, Kristen M. Hultgren, J. Emmett Duffy
Sponge Host Characteristics Shape The Community Structure Of Their Shrimp Associates, Kristen M. Hultgren, J. Emmett Duffy
VIMS Articles
Both body size and habitat architecture have pervasive effects on the form, function, and interactions of organisms, and can play especially important roles in structuring intimate associations between host organisms and their obligate associates. In this study, we examined how body size is related to host use in a diverse clade of closely related snapping shrimp species (Synalpheus) that live in the interior canals of sponges. Using data from an extensive survey of sponge-dwelling Synalpheus from Jamaica, we tested how sponge morphology (interior canal size and individual sponge volume) was related to the identity and diversity of Synalpheus …
Evaluating Ecosystem Response To Oyster Restoration And Nutrient Load Reduction With A Multispecies Bioenergetics Model, Rs Fulford, Dl Brietburg, Mark Luckenbach, Rie Newell
Evaluating Ecosystem Response To Oyster Restoration And Nutrient Load Reduction With A Multispecies Bioenergetics Model, Rs Fulford, Dl Brietburg, Mark Luckenbach, Rie Newell
VIMS Articles
Many of the world's coastal ecosystems are impacted by multiple stressors each of which may be subject to different management strategies that may have overlapping or even conflicting objectives. Consequently, management results may be indirect and difficult to predict or observe. We developed a network simulation model intended specifically to examine ecosystem-level responses to management and applied this model to a comparison of nutrient load reduction and restoration of highly reduced stocks of bivalve suspension feeders (eastern oyster, Crassostrea virginica) in an estuarine ecosystem (Chesapeake Bay, USA). Model results suggest that a 50% reduction in nutrient inputs from the watershed …
Photobiological Studies Of Ross Sea Phytoplankton, Sasha Tozzi
Photobiological Studies Of Ross Sea Phytoplankton, Sasha Tozzi
Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects
The Ross Sea polynya is characterized by high spatial and temporal variability and by an annual cycle of sea ice retreat, water column stratification, large phytoplankton blooms, and months of complete darkness. This region is also highly susceptible to increasingly changing climatic conditions that will significantly affect the hydrography, iron supply, primary production patterns and carbon cycling. This project focused on analyzing how differences in photosynthetic traits between the two major bloom-forming functional groups in the polynya, diatoms and the prymnesiophyte Phaeocystis antarctica, and investigate if these differences can explain their dominance and succession. The study was conducted as part …
Bioavailability Of Biosolids- And Consumer Product-Associated Polybrominated Diphenyl Ether (Pbde) Flame Retardants To Terrestrial Invertebrates, Michael O. Gaylor
Bioavailability Of Biosolids- And Consumer Product-Associated Polybrominated Diphenyl Ether (Pbde) Flame Retardants To Terrestrial Invertebrates, Michael O. Gaylor
Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects
The primary objectives of this research were therefore to evaluate polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE) bioavailability to ecologically distinct soil invertebrates exposed to Penta-BDE-treated consumer polyurethane foam (PUF) products and biosolid products with incurred PBDEs. In laboratory bioassays, earthworms (Eisenia fetida) bioaccumulated SigmaPBDEs (47+99+100+183) up to 11,000 mug/kg lipid after 28 days from a mixture of artificial soil and anaerobically-digested sludge biosolid (ADB). Earthworms also bioaccumulated SigmaPBDEs (47+99+100+153+154+183) up to 13,500 and 838,000 mug/kg lipid after 28 d from a mixture of artificial soil and composted sludge biosolid (CB) and Penta-BDE-spiked artificial soil (SAS), respectively. No previous lab studies on bioaccumulation …
Persistent Organic Pollutants(Pops) As Tracers Of Environmental Change And Antarctic Seabird Ecology, Heidi N. C. Geisz
Persistent Organic Pollutants(Pops) As Tracers Of Environmental Change And Antarctic Seabird Ecology, Heidi N. C. Geisz
Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects
Antarctic seabirds including Adelie penguins (Pygoscelis adeliae), south polar skuas (Catharacta maccormicki), southern giant petrels (Macronectes gigantus) are high trophic level predators that accumulate persistent organic pollutants (POPs) present in the food webs in which they forage. Little is known about the levels of POPs in some Antarctic organisms (e.g. southern giant petrels), as well as the long-term trends of POPs in the Antarctic ecosystem. Samples from all three seabird species were collected post mortem, including eggs, from the Western Antarctic Peninsula (WAP) and in the Ross Sea throughout the austral summer breeding seasons of 2004--2006. The samples were analyzed …
Assessing The Functional Status Of Created Wetlands In Eastern Virginia Via A Soil And Vegetative Developmental Trajectory, Sara Elizabeth Kreisel
Assessing The Functional Status Of Created Wetlands In Eastern Virginia Via A Soil And Vegetative Developmental Trajectory, Sara Elizabeth Kreisel
Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects
No abstract provided.
Effects Of Habitat Quality On Secondary Production In Shallow Estuarine Waters And The Consequences For The Benthic-Pelagic Food Web, David James Gillett
Effects Of Habitat Quality On Secondary Production In Shallow Estuarine Waters And The Consequences For The Benthic-Pelagic Food Web, David James Gillett
Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects
Anthropogenic degradation of coastal and estuarine habitats is an ongoing problem facing scientists, natural resource mangers, and the general public. Decreases in habitat quality produce relatively predictable changes in the structure and composition of macrobenthic communities and it has traditionally been assumed that the ecosystem functions of the community change as well. In Chesapeake Bay, the most pervasive cause for the degradation of benthic habitats is the excessive inputs of nutrients that lead to eutrophication and the accumulation of organic matter in the system. Working within this framework, a study was conducted investigating changes in macrobenthic (i.e., secondary) production along …
Shallow Water Dredging, Center For Coastal Resources Management, Virginia Institute Of Marine Science
Shallow Water Dredging, Center For Coastal Resources Management, Virginia Institute Of Marine Science
Reports
Rivers & Coast is a periodic publication of the Center for Coastal Resources Management, Virginia Institute of Marine Science. The goal of Rivers & Coast is to keep readers well informed of current scientific understanding behind key environmental issues related to watershed rivers and coastal ecosystems of the Chesapeake Bay
Copepod Carcasses, Mortality And Population Dynamics In The Tributaries Of The Lower Chesapeake Bay, David Thomas. Elliott
Copepod Carcasses, Mortality And Population Dynamics In The Tributaries Of The Lower Chesapeake Bay, David Thomas. Elliott
Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects
Several studies have documented the occurrence of substantial numbers of zooplankton carcasses in marine field samples. However, the potential effect of carcasses on conclusions resting on zooplankton abundance estimates, and the reasons for carcass occurrence have been largely disregarded. Many field studies do not account for the presence of carcasses in their sampling methodology. Zooplankton carcasses in situ are significant for several reasons. as concentrated particles of organic matter in the water column, zooplankton carcasses can be important vehicles for organic matter transport and hotspots of microbial abundance and activity. If dead animals are treated alive, carcasses could bias the …
Habitat Complexity And Habitat Function Of Native (Crassostrea Virginica) And Non-Native (C. Ariakensis) Oysters In The Chesapeake Bay Region, Heather D. Harwell
Habitat Complexity And Habitat Function Of Native (Crassostrea Virginica) And Non-Native (C. Ariakensis) Oysters In The Chesapeake Bay Region, Heather D. Harwell
Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects
Complex oyster reefs created by the Eastern oyster, Crassostrea virginica, though once prominent features of the Chesapeake Bay region, have become relatively scarce in comparison to historic descriptions. This decline, caused by a combination of overfishing, disease, habitat destruction and pollution, this decline continues despite substantial restoration efforts that have spanned decades. In response to this decline, the states of Virginia and Maryland considered the intentional introduction of the non-native Suminoe oyster, C. ariakensis. Previous studies questioned the reef-building capability of this Crassostrea species, which may affect its habitat function. Through a combination of field and mesocosm studies, I examined …
Acoustics Of Anthropogenic Habitats: The Impact Of Noise Pollution On Eastern Bluebirds, Caitlin Rebecca Kight
Acoustics Of Anthropogenic Habitats: The Impact Of Noise Pollution On Eastern Bluebirds, Caitlin Rebecca Kight
Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects
An increasing number of habitats are affected by anthropogenic noise pollution, which is often louder, has a different frequency emphasis, and may occur over a different temporal scale, than natural noise. An increasing number of studies indicate that acoustically-communicating animals in such areas can modify their vocalizations in order to make themselves heard over the noise, but many questions still remain, including: How taxonomically widespread is vocal flexibility in response to anthropogenic noise, and do all vocally flexible species employ the same mechanisms to escape acoustic masking? Are there fitness repercussions for living, communicating, and breeding in noisy habitats? and, …