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Terrestrial and Aquatic Ecology Commons™
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- Gulf of Maine (4)
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Articles 1 - 15 of 15
Full-Text Articles in Terrestrial and Aquatic Ecology
Microplastic Accumulation In The Digestive Tract Of Young-Of-Year Atlantic Sharpnose Sharks (Rhizoprionodon Terraenovae) In The Grand Strand, Sc, Andrew Curtis Sitlinger
Microplastic Accumulation In The Digestive Tract Of Young-Of-Year Atlantic Sharpnose Sharks (Rhizoprionodon Terraenovae) In The Grand Strand, Sc, Andrew Curtis Sitlinger
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
This study focused on the presence and accumulation of microplastic fibers in the digestive tract and livers of young-of-year Atlantic Sharpnose Sharks (Rhizopriondon terraenovae) from two sampling locations along the Grand Strand of South Carolina. R. terraenovae is a small, mesopredatory elasmobranch found abundantly along northwestern Atlantic Ocean coastlines. Thirty specimens of R. terraenovae were collected from May through August of 2020. Microplastics were found in all specimens. A total of 672 plastic particles were identified over the course of the study, with an average of 22.4 ± 10.5 (SD) plastics per specimen. The majority of the plastics were classified …
Paleoenvironmental Reconstruction Of Quaternary Saltville, Virginia, Using Ostracode Autecology, Austin Gause
Paleoenvironmental Reconstruction Of Quaternary Saltville, Virginia, Using Ostracode Autecology, Austin Gause
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
The Saltville valley in southwestern Virginia is home to Quaternary localities containing paleontological and archaeological remains. Historically the valley has been mined for salt and the small lakes, ponds and springs along the valley floor have a brackish signature. A preliminary report on the site’s ostracode fauna suggested that the site’s water was not always saline. This study analyzed modern and Quaternary ostracodes to understand the valley’s hydrologic and chemical evolution. Sediments contained primarily freshwater species, including the environmentally sensitive Candona crogmaniana. The presence of Pelocypris tuberculatum and a new Fabaeformiscandona species throughout a vertical section spanning the latest Pleistocene …
Detrital Protein Contributes To Oyster Nutrition And Growth In The Damariscotta Estuary, Maine, Usa, Cheyenne M. Adams
Detrital Protein Contributes To Oyster Nutrition And Growth In The Damariscotta Estuary, Maine, Usa, Cheyenne M. Adams
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Oyster aquaculture is an expanding industry that relies on identifying and utilizing natural estuarine conditions for the economically viable production of a filter-feeding crop. The eastern oyster, Crassostrea virginica, is the principal species currently cultured in Maine. In addition to preferentially consumed phytoplankton, various detrital complexes (non-algal and/or non-living organic matter) may provide some nutrition to C. virginica between times of phytoplankton abundance. Here I investigated the importance of detrital proteins in supporting the growth of oysters cultured in the upper Damariscotta Estuary. Oyster aquaculture in this area is highly successful and previous reports indicate that labile detrital protein …
Interannual Variability In American Lobster Settlement: Correlations With Sea Surface Temperature, Wind Stress And River Discharge, Mahima Jaini
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Recruitment to benthic marine populations is fundamentally a biophysical problem. The American Lobster Settlement Index is an annual diver-based survey of the young-of-year American lobsters (Homarus americanus) found in inshore nurseries in New England, USA and Atlantic Canada at the end of the postlarval settlement season. The considerable interannual variability in the settlement index suggests that environmental factors play an important role in regulating planktonic larval supply and transport. In this study, I focused on the longest settlement time series from three oceanographically contrasting regions: Midcoast Maine, coastal Rhode Island and the lower Bay of Fundy. Sampling in these regions …
Analysis Of Optical Spikes Reveals Dynamics Of Aggregates In The Twilight Zone, Nathan Briggs
Analysis Of Optical Spikes Reveals Dynamics Of Aggregates In The Twilight Zone, Nathan Briggs
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
The "biological pump," whereby phytoplankton grow in the surface ocean, aggregate, and sink, is a critical process contributing to global atmospheric CO2 drawdown and provides the vast majority of food for deep ocean and benthic ecosystems. The strength of this pump hinges on the amount of material that stick together to form larger aggregates, the sinking rates of these aggregates, and the rate at which they are consumed as they sink. However, marine aggregates, also called "marine snow," are often fragile and notoriously difficult to sample, their sinking rates are highly variable and difficult to quantify, and their concentrations can …
Salinity And Stratification In The Gulf Of Maine: 2001-2008, Heather E. Deese-Riordan
Salinity And Stratification In The Gulf Of Maine: 2001-2008, Heather E. Deese-Riordan
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
The salinity and vertical density structure (stratification) of the Gulf of Maine strongly influence the physical and biological character of the region including: circulation and transport, vertical mixing, and primary productivity. Variability in salinity and stratification also provides insights into the character and timing of the oceanic waters entering the region, a key to predicting regional climate change. This thesis addresses outstanding questions related to variability in salinity and the relative role of salinity and temperature in creating stratification. Hourly observations from Ocean Observing System buoys throughout the Gulf provide the primary data source for this investigation. Analysis of estimated …
Determining Environmental Drivers Of Fish Community Structure Along The Coast Of Maine, Adrian Jordaan
Determining Environmental Drivers Of Fish Community Structure Along The Coast Of Maine, Adrian Jordaan
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
The work presented here was conceived to determine whether structure in marine communities could be related to multiple scaled environmental parameters, as seen in lake and stream systems. Four datasets collected from 2001 to 2005 were used. The datasets ranged from local scale tidepool and estuarine surveys, to more regional intertidal/subtidal surveys and conclude using a coast-wide trawl survey. Initially, a bootstrap program for running principal component analysis (PCA) was developed and tested for utility with additional information from Pearson correlation coefficients. The bootstrap-PC A program was capable of determining confidence limits for correlations amongst species. The results from analysis …
An Investigation Of The Cumulative Impacts Of Shrimp Trawling On Mud Bottom Fishing Grounds In The Gulf Of Maine: Effects On Habitat And Macrofaunal Community Structure, Anne W. Simpson
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Despite the widespread occurrence of trawl fisheries on mud-bottoms, there is limited knowledge concerning the effects of trawling induced disturbance on these habitats and their resident macrofaunal communities. I investigated the cumulative impacts of seasonal commercial shrimp trawling on infaunal habitat and macrofaunal community structure on two mud-bottom fishing grounds in the Gulf of Maine from June 2000 - December 2001. One fishing ground located near the Outer Pumpkin Ledges (Pumpkin) experienced trawling activity during the 2000-2001 fishing season. In contrast, the other fishing ground near Monhegan Island was not trawled during the same period because shrimp abundances were low. …
Resilience Of Green Sea Urchin (Strongylocentrotus Droebachiensis) Populations Following Fishing Mortality: Marine Protected Areas, Alternate Stable States, And Larval Ecology, John Vavrinec Iii
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
The green sea urchin Strongylocentrotus droebachiensis has been aggressively fished in Maine since 1986 resulting in severe population declines throughout portions of the state. This research used Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) to evaluate the potential for recovery in depleted sea urchin populations. It was necessary to not only look at the direct impacts of the MPAs, but also at larval transport / supply and community interactions to gain a better understanding of the system. We found that MPAs in the Gulf of ~a!ne were of varied utility to restoring depleted sea urchin populations depending on location and community structure. MPAs …
Modeling The Role Of No-Take Marine Reserves In Fisheries Management, Deidre F. Gilbert
Modeling The Role Of No-Take Marine Reserves In Fisheries Management, Deidre F. Gilbert
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
In recent years there has been increasing interest in the potential of no-take marine reserves to benefit fisheries management. Scientific reviews have shown that reserves often lead to substantial increases in the density, biomass, size and diversity of marine fishes inside their boundaries. However, little empirical work has been done to determine the effect of reserves on the fisheries outside their boundaries, such as potential changes in yield, size of fleet, or variability in catch. In order to explore the interaction between the biological growth and dispersion processes of the harvested stock and the changing economic incentives of harvesters created …
Satellite-Measured Chlorophyll Variability Within The Upwelling Zone Near Heceta Bank, Oregon, Jennifer Bosch
Satellite-Measured Chlorophyll Variability Within The Upwelling Zone Near Heceta Bank, Oregon, Jennifer Bosch
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Heceta Bank, a unique shallow bank on the southern Oregon shelf, is located within the California Current upwelling system. Four years (1998-2001) of 1-km resolution SeaWiFS ocean color satellite data of the Oregon coast are used to provide the first systematic description, and quantification of seasonal and interannual surface chlorophyll variability in the Heceta Bank region of coastal Oregon. The variability over the bank is examined with respect to wind forcing and surface temperature, and compared to the variability observed in topographically simpler shelf regions north and south of the bank. A seasonal cycle with lowest concentrations in the fall …
An Ecosystem Dynamics Model Of Monterey Bay, California, Lawrence S. Klein
An Ecosystem Dynamics Model Of Monterey Bay, California, Lawrence S. Klein
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Monterey Bay is an upwelling region with high biological productivity in the California Coastal Current System. Several moorings, developed and maintained by the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI), have produced a long-term, highquality time series oceanographic data set for the Monterey Bay. The data set has revealed a more comprehensive picture of physical-biological interaction on seasonal and interannual variability. To improve our understanding of how the marine ecosystem responds to physical forcing, especially upwelling, an open ocean ecosystem model was modified for the Monterey Bay upwelling region. The result was a nine-component ecosystem model of Monterey Bay, which produced …
A Pilot Study To Test Ventless Traps As A Means To Quantify Populations Of The American Lobster (Homarus Americanus), Carin Louise Poeschel
A Pilot Study To Test Ventless Traps As A Means To Quantify Populations Of The American Lobster (Homarus Americanus), Carin Louise Poeschel
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
The American lobster, Homarus americanus, is Maine's most valuable marine fishery. The state of Maine has an economic interest in the protection of this resource. The health of this industry depends on effective management for sustainability. However, there is little quantitative information on American lobsters less than harvestable size. A study was conducted to evaluate the utility of traps modified to catch sublegal lobsters. With the aid of fishernlen fiom six of the eight Maine coastal counties over a four-month time period (July through October, 2000), data were recorded to compare catch rates in experimental traps with no escape vents …
Marine Protected Areas In The Gulf Of Maine: Policy For A Common Resource, Carolyn F. Skinder
Marine Protected Areas In The Gulf Of Maine: Policy For A Common Resource, Carolyn F. Skinder
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
In the wake of 25 years of unsuccessful single-fisheries management in the Gulf of Maine, there has been growing support for reform. Ecosystem management has been proposed as one alternative, but the information needed to manage whole ecosystems is greatly lacking. Implementing fully-protected marine protected areas (MPAs) is one way to preserve habitat while at the same time acquiring data for future ecosystem management. Under the current institutional arrangement in the Gulf, engineering agreement for MPAs is difficult due to the differing goals of varied user groups. The situation is reflective of a common property resource problem in that there …
The Role Of Water Motion In Algal Reproduction, Richard Gordon
The Role Of Water Motion In Algal Reproduction, Richard Gordon
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Environmental conditions, such as water motion, can influence fertilization success and spore dispersal in marine algae. Previous studies on fucoid algae showed that gamete release is restricted to, or enhanced by, periods of low water motion. Few other algal taxa have been investigated, however, including species with an alternation of generations. I investigated gamete and spore release in the macroalgae Alaria esculenta and Ulva lactuca, as well as in the diatom Pseudo-nitachia multiseries to determine if water motion is inhibitory or stimulates propagule production and release. I used orbital shakers to simulate water motion; these were interspersed with stationary platforms …